I find it hard to recommend it before i mention the following. In Belgium (where i live obviously) all sensors are payed for in full for type 1's from last year june. I got mine in october after attending a workshop where they explained it in detail, i left the workshop with a sensor on my arm. If you'd ask me if i would have gotten it if it wasn't payed for in full the answer would be no with another disclaimer: A large part of my paycheck goes to healthcare (like everyone here) if that sum didn't go to healthcare already i could afford it but with it going to healthcare i could use the money for something else.
As far as my personal experience with the FSL: i got used to it so fast that i already can't imagine living without it. Placing the sensor doesn't hurt more than drawing blood from the finger. Any discomfort usually subsides within a day or two. I'm fairly aware of the sensor begin there to the point i take an extra side step when going through a doorway as to not bump my sensor arm against the frame and knock out the sensor.
In everyday life: i'm fairly active doing cardio 3 times a week and weight lifting another 3 times a week. The sensor never bothers me in the least bit. It's placed firmly on my triceps and even when benching it doesn't bother me. I also shower every day and it doesn't come off. When it's time to replace the sensor it's still firmly in place.
The practical results are that i have a good idea what exercising does to my BG and when i best take my insulin before a meal. For the first time in my diabetic life i've stopped spiking in the morning after i made changes to my basal and my evening meals. After 2 months this resulted in a significant drop in HBA1C i think my last one was 7.1 (granted it was the highest in ages i was usually around 6.4) and my latest was 5.9 while still sorting out my night time hypers which are now gone.
You basically get very useful information from the device and acting upon that information allows for better control.
On a side note every manufacturer of monitoring devices (be it continuous or a finger prick) will claim that their device is accurate, it has been mentioned to never compare two different devices. Always keep in mind that there is a 15 minute delay on the FSL but the trend arrow helps with assessing where your BG is at the moment, if you're at 80 mg/dl and the arrow is pointing straight down you can be sure you're having an hypo.
Finally there is a wide variety of answers you can give people asking what that thing is on your arm. Mentioning that it's the new version of ankle bracelet for dangerous criminals usually shuts them up
