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Freestyle Libre Poll - Have you had a skin reaction ?

Freestyle Libre - Have you had a skin reaction ?

  • Total voters
    176

Fill in an MRHA form for equipment problems. Just put it into the search engine it will come up. I and many others have done this. Abbot have since rung me to take a detailed history. Which is movement in the right direction. As I’ve said before many people are affected by this.
For the last 4 sensors I have sprayed 4 layers of Cavilon on pre attaching, and have had good results so far. Still get the red mark but no itching. I then tend to cover with lint and Opsite to ensure it doesn’t fall off. Plus it is there for all my swim sessions.
Join the Dexcom and Libre rash Facebook site. It is an eye opener. The desperate steps people are taking to keep using this product.
 

Yes, my wife has the same problem after months with no problems. Tried a Tegaderm barrier and fired the sensor needle straight through it, then micropore to reinforce the holding on of the sensor itself. It reduced the contact dermatitis but still redness and soreness after 14 days. Tried using a Compeed heel plaster with a hole punched in its centre for the needle to pass through. The plaster is too thick for the needle to go through reliably unaided. Again, the redness appeared but wasn't so bad. It seems the irritant is probably gaseous or a solvent (isobornyl acrylate) and can pass through the barrier by osmosis. Next experiment is to use a barrier spray, the kind recommended to prevent sticking plaster reactions, with several coats first, then the barrier, then the sensor. Abbott have known about this since 2015! They want (a) sensors to stick on well; (b) to only stock one kind of sensor, not several different types with different adhesives; (c) people with problems to quietly go away! They are making more than enough money with the ones who don't react or haven't reacted yet!
 
I tried the barrier sprays like Cavillon etc, but made absolutely no difference for me, so I'm still getting the "burn" marks like I've been poked with a hot cattle prod which take ages to heel.
 
Have just seen Podmonger's response to vfxMonkey1985 query. In 2015, I tried Abbott's Freestyle Libre product and was initially very impressed by it. However, by about the 7th or 8th sensor, I was getting a severe skin reaction. Having unsuccessfuly tried the various barrier techniques to mitigate the problem, I gave using the system.
I recently emailed Abbott and asked if the adhesive used on the sensors had been change
Their reply - "Please be kindly informed that the components of the Freestyle Libre sensor have not changed since the date (2015) you mention in your message." indicates that they have done nothing and have no plans to do anything to help those of us who do react to the adhesive.
 
Was self funding the freestyle libre pretty much for two years and never had a problem, the only mark on my skin was a circle the grey glue left over when the sensor was removed that could be easily cleaned off.
Since receiving the sensors on the NHS I’ve noticed a big difference. The marks left on my skin are definitely due to a reaction. Almost as soon as the sensor is applied it is as itchy as hell.
And now the most recent one I had to remove as it became so uncomfortable and left the skin almost blistered.
 
becca59 said:
Brilliant news for those of us afflicted.
Click to expand...
Until then, and in case it doesn't work, what works best for my wife is to mark the sensor position in the applicator so she can replace it correctly. Remove the sensor and then peel-off its adhesive disc using eye-brow tweezers (a bit of a struggle but it works). Clean surface with a cotton bud and lens cleaner. Replace sensor in applicator making sure it is orientated correctly. Put a patch of Opsite on the arm as a barrier, then two bits of stationer's double-sided sticky tape (best to leave a little gap for the needle) on the Opsite to hold the sensor in place when applied. Apply the sensor over the sticky tape then use two strips of Opsite to hold the sensor securely in place (but leave the centre hole clear for ventilation). It's a bit of a fag but stopped her contact dermatitis completely. Just leaves a tiny needle mark and stays on well. Readings are usually good, though lag finger prick readings by 20 minutes or so. This just tells you what works for her. Official line is not to use barriers and stop using Libre until the new glue can be tried.
 
Andy_P said:
A thread to try and get an idea of how many people have had a skin reaction caused by the Abbott Freestyle Libre Sensor.
Click to expand...

Great idea! After months of it working wonderfully I got a terrible allergic reaction just like the photo posted and even using the spray film etc made no difference at all.
 
Hi everyone.. I'm new to the site, and to T1 diabetes lol.. I came on to see if there was a thread for issues with the Libre.. I was going great for a few months, then bang... I was getting really red swollen marks on my arms, and the pain of the sensor after 2/3 days was unbearable. I stopped using it, and my diabetic nurse told me to try a brand of nasal spray, as a barrier, then a tegaderm patch over the top.

I tried it yest morning, and although there was no real pain, the readings were completely mental all day.. finger prick was around 6 and Libre was in the 20's lol!!!Had to take it off again today, and my daughter saw somewhere that ppl were using compeed plasters, so I'll give them a lash now.. here's hoping!!!
 
Hi, @JimMcM , and welcome to the forum!

There was an announcement back in January at link below which mentions that Abbott have reformulated the adhesive and it'll be used from April in the UK, so we'll have to wait and see whether that makes a difference.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/...m-regarding-skin-reactions-to-sensor-adhesive

It's not an easy thing. I've read a few papers on the subject and it seems that finding that fine line between making it sticky enough to last the two weeks but not induce reactions is described as "non-trivial".

I've seen a few posts from people who find they react to libre but are fine with Medtrum. It had some bad reviews on accuracy initially but they seemed to have made some changes in a later version which improved things. Haven't used it myself.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/th...-low-cost-cgm-solution-now-being-sold.146058/
 
This is what my wife does. She marks the position of the sensor in its applicator, then removes the sensor using eyebrow tweezers,. She then uses tweezers to remove the adhesive disc (a bit fiddly!) and cleans up the sensor with lens cleaner on a cotton bud. She puts a patch of Opsite or Tegaderm on her arm, then puts two strips of stationer's double sided sticky tape side-by-side on the patch with a small gap between for the sensor needle to go through. She replaces the sensor in the applicator, making sure it is right way up and orientated correctly, then applies it, as usual, but over the gap in the double sided sticky tape - which now does the job of the adhesive that's been removed. She puts two more strips of Opsite over the sides of the sensor to reinforce it but leaves the central hole clear for ventilation. It lasts her the full 14 days and she removes it with only the needle mark showing.

It sounds more work than it is but do make sure you put the sensor back in exactly the same position as it was removed, or you will ruin it and may hurt your arm. Using Compeed, or applying an unmodified sensor through an Opsite or Tegaderm patch, didn't work for her because the adhesive irritant was still absorbed through the porous patch and caused dermatitis now she is sensitised to it.
NB: No guarantees. If you try this workaround, you do so entirely at your own risk. Let's hope Abbott can solve the problem.
 
I had a terrible reaction to my libre sensor about 6 months after starting using it. Now my arm is leaking under the sensor. Has anybody else had this. Dont know whether I should take it off
 
Lesley Ann said:
I had a terrible reaction to my libre sensor about 6 months after starting using it. Now my arm is leaking under the sensor. Has anybody else had this. Dont know whether I should take it off
Click to expand...

Personally I would. The post below is one good reason why


It may well be a good device, but is it really worth risking anaphylactic shock by overexposure to something that you are becoming increasingly allergic to?
 
Hello everyone, my name is Phil. I've had type 1 diabetes for about 27 years. Only just discovered this forum and found this interesting post about the adhesive and consequential reactions to it when using the Freestyle Libre.

The date is now Saturday, 18 May 2019 and according to various articles the adhesive recipe has been changed since April. I'm not sure exactly when my particular sensor was manufactured, so I could be on the older adhesive.

I put my first sensor on 4 days ago and on the initial application which took place in the hospital (I applied it myself), it was pretty uneventful; just a slight momentary sting similar to a manual finger prick test.

The data so far is proving invaluable as I am learning a lot about how my body is reacting to food and the insulin I take.

Bolus: Humalog (2.25u:10g and 2.5u:10g ratios)
Basal: Tresiba (28 units)
Correction sensitively: 1u Bolus = approx 1 mmol/l to 1.2 mmol/l.

After 4 days of my first sensor I'm starting to notice possible signs of irritation in the form of an itch; the type you would want to scratch similar to a eczema or psoriasis itch.

So I'm suspecting the answer is going to be yes, will obviously have to monitor the itchiness and see if it worsens.

If it does worsen, do people generally advise taking it off? I'm currently trying it out on a programme organised through the NHS in the London Borough of Harrow.

Look forward to hearing from people.

Phil
 
PJR76 said:
If it does worsen, do people generally advise taking it off? I'm currently trying it out on a programme organised through the NHS in the London Borough of Harrow.
Click to expand...

If it gets really bad you'll probably be forced to take it off .... or scratching round the outside of the area will loosen the adhesive and it'll come off anyway. (Maybe you'll have more will power than me and be ok. ).

Do some blood tests (15 minutes after a libre reading) to check its accuracy. I could have (maybe) lived with the itching if it hadn't led to completely inaccurate and inconsistent results.
 
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