@darrenh04 - you've summed up exactly my feelings on this. My first two sensors were very erratic like Emmotha's current one. This one (6) is mostly accurate but has the odd moments when it is a long long way out in either direction. The others have been pretty spot on. Does this mean I can rely on it even when I have an accurate sensor? No, because I know it CAN be a long way out in either direction for no reason. For me, the directional arrows have never worked. It tells me I'm stable (moving slowly) but I've then climbed or dropped significantly 10 minutes later - just not quickly enough for it to be calculated and shown on the Libre. The only time I see an arrow other than horizontal is when I correct a hypo. Those of you who have not yet had a bad sensor won't understand this - you'll continue to think it's just about time lags and differences with BG monitoring until you experience the frustration of having a pretty useless piece of plastic attached to your arm causing you a skin irritation but nothing more LOL.
The skin irritation is so so frustrating. It's also inexcusable. It is not beyond the wit of man to use an adhesive that doesn't cause this reaction - they knew there was a strong likelihood of this reaction in a high proportion of people - you only have to read the Navigator forums to know that they have known about this issue for a long time. In fact, someone reported it to the American equivalent of our MHRC last September - it wasn't even released in the States, but they recorded it because it uses the same adhesive as the Navigator which they are already concerned about and are tracking. Abbott could have invested some time and money into testing barrier methods to make sure it is fit for purpose - they didn't bother and quite frankly are not too concerned about the issue. And let's be clear, these issues are potentially very serious to our health - infections etc will push up our BG making it harder to heal - that's not acceptable in a product for diabetics!
Like Emmotha, I'm really frustrated that the data I get is not consistent - I need consistency if I'm going to use it to adjust parameters and improve my control. I have stopped keeping my manual detailed spreadsheet that I've used since diagnosis 5 years ago and have been relying on the Libre data downloaded to a spreadsheet. Once this sensor ends, I'll resurrect my manual spreadsheet which means I'll need to return to fasting, before food, after food and before bed BG readings. Once I'm testing 7 times a day again, is the value left in the Libre equivalent to £100 per month? Probably not.
Yet I'm still desperate to keep using this device. I like the comfort of scanning whenever I want - it calms me down, makes me feel less anxious. Maybe it's just become a security blanket! So, my current plan is to wean myself off it. Start testing 7 times a day again, resurrect my manual spreadsheet and once that's all in place and I'm used to it again, go a month without the Libre. Although if my arm is bad under the current sensor, I won't be attaching another immediately anyway.
Smidge
