Freestyle Libre - NHS

Gazzamius

Member
Messages
19
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Ignorance
Hello everyone. I was diagnosed with DM type 2 about 16 years ago. and like a lot of people was a bit confused as to why !! I am a male , 66 years of age and had always been a very fit and active person. the emphasis on HAD.
So i was approximately 50 when i got the news. and this was diagnosed after registering with a new health clinic (Surgery) after a move. I was probably diabetic for a fair time before i was diagnosed. especially on reflection of my night time regime of peeing and falling asleep at the drop of a hat, anyway i digress. After years of finger pricking and testing my blood twice a day because of NHS cuts i couldn't get any more than 50 strips of TEE2 glucose strips.
So recently (2 weeks ago) i decided to fund myself for a freestyle libre CGM .... and i am amazed at how this gadget is changing my regime and my life. testing twice a day is nowhere near enough to keep a close eye on blood sugars, it's all hit and miss. now i check every 30 minutes and get a regular glucose reading. I am now beginning to get an idea of how my blood levels rise and fall during the day. especially with what i am eating. i have already embarked on a low carb diet. and have found that really keeps my glucose within good levels. but now i can keep them even tighter, i am learning what i can and cannot eat. The first 3 days were a bit irregular with the readings spiking and dropping quite dramatically BUT the last 3 days i have managed to keep my blood readings between 5 mmols and 8 mmols. ....I work in old money ;) ........ and i am over the moon. although these sensors cost around £50 a fortnight. I am determined to keep it going. i used to spend more than that on alcohol per week, now that is a thing of the past. (well, the odd beer once a fortnight.) I am losing weight like it's going out of fashion, and i have made a promise to myself and my Diabetic Nurse. that by Christmas will lose around 3 stone in weight. I am now motivated, especially now i have this freestyle Libre ...... I tried to convince my Diabetic Nurse to supply the sensors on prescription, BUT, unfortunately it's not going to happen.... too much political hype behind the reasoning. so i would love to see a petition for the NHS to fund the freestyle Libre across the nation. even if it can only be supplied once a patient proves he or she can stick to a weight loss regime and Hba1c reduction after 6 months of self funding before they will agree to prescribe it. I believe this system will change peoples lives once they see the results and develop a mind set to lose weight and regulate their blood sugars. watch this space. in 6 months i will return with my results. oh yes and one last thing. i was injecting Humalog 50/50 twice a day 70 units twice daily. I now inject 40 units twice daily and can adjust accordingly as i monitor my blood sugars. until December good people. i wish you good health and may your god go with you. Best Wishes Gaz
 
Last edited:

MeiChanski

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,992
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hello Gaz,
I have read on this forum that any diabetic whether it is T1 or T2 on glucose lowering medication such as insulin are entitled to test strips. T2s on tablets such as metformin have to self fund their test strips.
However there has been a lot of debate about the sensors. There are very very few T2s on insulin that were able to get the sensors on prescription. There is a guideline/ criteria set out by NHS - one of the criterias is testing more than 8 times a day with finger prick testing. Of course it depends on your CCG and in most cases, it’s our consultants that can approve funding for it. So it is available but again it depends on the CCG, unfortunately even T1s are still struggling to get it. Moreover it doesn’t completely eradicate finger pricks because accuracy is a bit on and off with the sensors. I and other fellow diabetics are proud of your progress. Freestyle libre isn’t a CGM, there are other diabetics who have bought a third party gadget such as a miaomiao to give it a more CGM function. Libre 2 is coming soon which has more of a CGM function such as beeps when you are going high or low.
 

Gazzamius

Member
Messages
19
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Ignorance
According to the Freestyle Libre website (US version), the Libre is a “continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device indicated for replacing blood glucose testing and detecting trends and tracking patterns aiding in the detection of episodes of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, facilitating both acute and long-term therapy
 
  • Like
Reactions: Knikki
D

Deleted Account

Guest
Just like a lot of advertising, there is a bit of positive bias with the way Abbott describe their Libre.

Whilst it continuously monitors glucose, it is often described as a "Flash monitor" because you need to "Flash" or swipe it to get your BG. Traditionally, sensors which are described as CGMs such as Dexcom, continuously send the data to a reader which allows it to alarm in real time when your BG is too high, too low or falling or rising too quickly. This is the capability people treated with insulin look for in a CGM.

I guess it is a case of semantics whether the Libre is a CGM or not. But in the NHS, they tend to use the term "Flash monitor" as it does not continuously stream the data so cannot alert.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gazzamius

Jordi77

Well-Known Member
Messages
679
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I use the contour next one meter and as a type 2 on insulin I had to provide a lot of test's for my GP before I got them on prescription and now I do but as for a freestyle meter I've used before and was out by a good few mmol and as for the contour it's on the mark and I would never give it up and the app you get to use with it is better than writing it down in any book or monitoring diary as I can email my results straight to my DSN and they can check it out and decide what to do and let me know within a few minutes and that's better than being on the phone for ages and ages before you get a answer or leave a message for a return call
 

Gazzamius

Member
Messages
19
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Ignorance
Hi People. I bow to the above answers, i wasn't looking to sound pedantic about the monitors.... Whatever they are deemed to be, CGM. flash or plain monitor. all i can say is the Libre has definitely liberated me, as i stated i used to test twice a day with the T2's and by testing to that regime. you never really get a picture of your Glucose levels. Now i test around 14/15 times a day and by doing that i can see the trending of my BG. and experiment with foods that spike my blood and those that do not. I have only been using the freestyle about 2 weeks now. and have absolutely managed to keep my readings within a 5/8 mmols differential so far i have managed a 80% within range. i also do a random finger prick test and i have to say it's pretty much within range of the freestyle. .. maybe .2 or .3 out. i would say that's pretty **** close. I managed to knock my sensor off after 3 days use (first time and abbot labs sent me another straight out. So i shall persevere and trial and tribulate for at least 6 months with the meter and random finger prick tests. my last HbA1c was 7.9 mmol/L I have completely given up alcohol and i want to lose at least 3 stones (42 pounds) by Christmas. after 16 years of having Type 2 i am now determined to reverse this debilitating condition. the ulcers on my legs were the kick up the backside i needed. stay as healthy as you possibly can people. here's wishing you a long life, and may your god go with you. Regards Gaz