FREESTYLE LIBRE ON SALE!!!!

Emmotha said:

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I've had such a **** day again. My scans are actually one lower too

I injected more insulin than normal, I keep going up to 15 and getting ketones. I took more at 4 o clock too, no food. Do u think my honeymoon is over? Or because i dropped my basal from 10 to 7 because of hypos? I'm at the end if my tether, feel really ill :-(

On the plus side I've lost 2kg in a week where my sugars have been high

19 mins until I swap to new sensor

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You have my sympathy @Emmotha - I've also had a couple of bad BG days and have been rage-bolusing to get my levels down. 10u of Novo this morning and I only ate 2 g of carbs. Seems like I'm injecting water. I'm getting my HbA1c tomorrow and don't want high BGs

Emmotha said:

View attachment 8297
I've had such a **** day again. My scans are actually one lower too

I injected more insulin than normal, I keep going up to 15 and getting ketones. I took more at 4 o clock too, no food. Do u think my honeymoon is over? Or because i dropped my basal from 10 to 7 because of hypos? I'm at the end if my tether, feel really ill :-(

On the plus side I've lost 2kg in a week where my sugars have been high

19 mins until I swap to new sensor

Click to expand...

Might you have an infection or be coming down with a cold?

igmr said:

About how my current one started. It improved by day 3 and then this afternoon gave an 8.6 scan and 7.3 BG.

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I wonder if it makes a difference what your levels are when you start the sensor?

I was in hypo territory when I switched sensors today and now all my scans are low.

Emmotha said:

View attachment 8297
I've had such a **** day again. My scans are actually one lower too

I injected more insulin than normal, I keep going up to 15 and getting ketones. I took more at 4 o clock too, no food. Do u think my honeymoon is over? Or because i dropped my basal from 10 to 7 because of hypos? I'm at the end if my tether, feel really ill :-(

On the plus side I've lost 2kg in a week where my sugars have been high

19 mins until I swap to new sensor

Click to expand...

It could be because you dropped your basal. Dropping from 11 to 7, changes your rate by 0.166u per hour. Might not seem like a lot but if you look at a 4 hours period (like after a bolus) thats a difference of 0.67 units you aren't getting anymore.

So because you adjusted your basal, you should re-adjust your bolus, because that old bolus was working with that extra insulin provided by the basal, now that its gone you might be finding you aren't getting enough in each bolus.

Its a lot of back and forth, but you can't adjust one without messing up the other.

Also - if you dropped your basal, then you honey isn't over lol When you starting upping the basal a lot, that's when its over..

robert72 said:

I wonder if it makes a difference what your levels are when you start the sensor?

I was in hypo territory when I switched sensors today and now all my scans are low.

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It shouldn't, Abbot says each sensor is calibrated at the factory before going out, so it shouldn't matter what your sugars when you start..

Diamattic said:

It could be because you dropped your basal. Dropping from 11 to 7, changes your rate by 0.166u per hour. Might not seem like a lot but if you look at a 4 hours period (like after a bolus) thats a difference of 0.67 units you aren't getting anymore.

So because you adjusted your basal, you should re-adjust your bolus, because that old bolus was working with that extra insulin provided by the basal, now that its gone you might be finding you aren't getting enough in each bolus.

Its a lot of back and forth, but you can't adjust one without messing up the other.

Also - if you dropped your basal, then you honey isn't over lol When you starting upping the basal a lot, that's when its over..

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Well said........I more or less said the same thing on the other thread

Emmotha, I'm in the so called honeymoon period so they tell me which does mean from time to time things have gone a little off. I have a really good nurse who respods to emails within a couple of hours and one thing she said was only change my long lasting by a couple of units then if I am still going low or high after a couple of days change it again.

robert72 said:

I wonder if it makes a difference what your levels are when you start the sensor?

I was in hypo territory when I switched sensors today and now all my scans are low.

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All my sensors started off wildly low or lowish for two days, Robert. Then they got real.

I'm so impatient. My first one started really well and I want them all to do that

Just put on my third sensor. Looked at the needle for the first time after it being mentioned. Think I preferred my previous ignorance.

After issues with the first taking three days to settle the second has been good. Third was painless going it, even though a little more apprehensive. Fingers crossed for the readings. The countdown has started.

Emmotha said:

I swapped arms. Tomorrow I'll swap back but in a different spot. Trying to work out the best place to avoid laying on it at night and walking into stuff etc. I'll put it on as I take this current one off

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Hi Emmotha,

This is why I am finding it hard to accept the notion that your body gets "used to the sensor" based on the reason given for the first day of settling.

If the reason is due to increased fluid to the site due to inflammation (the mechanism makes perfect sense) thus diluting the interstitial fluid and giving a false-low reading, then when you put another sensor on the other arm (a completely new site) you should see the same effect.

Perhaps you were lucky, perhaps it is not the actual reason why the readings are low, perhaps it is more batch variation or just bodily variation and the degree of inflammation, but it doesn't sit right with me and the biology of your body that putting on one arm "conditions" your body to not give the same response in a completely different location.

This is why I am thinking about for the next application I do, of putting it on 24hrs prior to activation regardless.

BTW - people complaining about the needle - the needle is bigger than a standard insulin needle yes, but how else do you get the filament on? To claim the positive reviews are Abbot's PR and the needle is totally unexpected are frankly silly and naive. Yet it is quite different to a insulin needle as it is put in a quite insensitive place but also it is a jabbing motion, very rapid, to inject the filament, then the needle retracts. I experienced no pain whatsoever with it, personally. I do think it is unfair to say because there is a needle there the whole thing is a con!

Also it may be worth pointing out that as these are factory calibrated, there may be more risk to false readings if you choose a different location. Why? Because there is a very good reason to suspect the formula/calculation the machine must do to try and convert interstitial fluid levels to appropriate blood levels may vary depending on location of interstitial fluid, and/or the time lag may differ. Maybe not, but at least with other systems you calibrate to blood so this is less of a concern.

J

Last test...Hope it's closing in

Emmotha said:

I'm jealous of your readings! My low carb day officially starts tomorrow, shopping arrived today

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Honed over 14 months of LC
Hope it goes well for you.

Sorry Emmotha, wasn't meant to sound like I was disagreeing/arguing with you, just not sure I fully buy Abbott's argument. I also think Robert72 proves that as his first experience is different to the rest. Either way, I see a good argument for benefit in attachment 24hr prior to activation, personally.

Good luck on the low carb diet - I swear by it. I have massively reduced my insulin use because of it. My Libre started properly functioning (not reading low) about 12-16hrs after insertion, after I went to bed I believe last night. Here is my graph so far:




Just to explain the key - I put arrows in orange where I had my main meal, and snacks in purple. The blue brackets at the bottom are periods of exercise - the first is 30min weights/30min running, the second is 45min indoor football (not intense though as shoulder is sore from procedure yesterday!).

You can see from the starred readings when I first activated the sensor that they were coming 1-3mmol/l low. Then my first blood reading at about 5am showed 5.8 (using Libre with Abbott's sticks) and the sensor said 5.2. Was happy with that. It got better though, 2hrs later blood said 6.4, sensor said 6.2/6.3. Then at about 2:30pm blood said 5.5, sensor 5.2/5.3, 5pm blood was 4.8 and sesor 4.4. Am very happy with those readings and would expect to see that variation just from pricking two different times on the same meter.

So I'm quite happy with it. No pain for sensor insertion or after, I have lifted weights, run, showered twice and no problems but straight away put physio tape over it.

The other interesting thing is that it seems I drop a bit low in the middle of the night possibly (depends if sensor was accurate then) and also exercise does / can raise me out of the "target zone", but it comes back down fine.

J

robert72 said:

I'm so impatient. My first one started really well and I want them all to do that

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Has anyone tried their sensor on a site other than the back of the arm?
My sensor has expired and I have a formal party tomorrow that I would like to be sensor free for (call me vain I know). Not sure how well I'll cope without being able to scan myself all day tomorrow without it!!