Freestyle Libre Questions

BarbaraG said:

Considering getting some of these - to use with Android phone. For those of you who've been using it a while:

1) what is your recent experience of delivery time after ordering?

2) how well does the predicted A1C match what you get from your lab tests?

3) Do you alternate arms when you change sensor?

4) Can you confirm the price on the website includes VAT, and hat gets knocked off when you confirm you have diabetes?

Thanks for any responses

Click to expand...

1) Very good. To rule out any issues with delivery - just order in advance.

2) It's pretty close

3) Not always. I play the smallpipes, so I'll often use a different area on the back of my left arm as to avoid the sensor catching on the bellows.

4)Details from my last order (Nov' '16):

2 x Sensor - £96.58
Shipping - £4.12
VAT: 20,00 % - £0.82
Total - £101.52

VAT exemption is applicable, but I'm unsure why it shows up as 82p on the invoice.

1) what is your recent experience of delivery time after ordering?

Very good, about 4-5 days. The courier is DPD and they have good order tracking and the facility to reschedule deliveries which I find useful.

2) how well does the predicted A1C match what you get from your lab tests?

No, if I get a duff sensor that reads very low (I have this happen for the first day or two of every sensor anyway but some never "straighten out" and get returned) I cannot remove the data from the software and it gets used to calculate HbA1c. As a consequence, the Libre software reckons my HbA1c is 4.9% but it's actually 5.5%

3) Do you alternate arms when you change sensor?

Not always, I do always put my sensor in a new spot though as I have about three sensor locations "zones" on each arm

4) Can you confirm the price on the website includes VAT, and hat gets knocked off when you confirm you have diabetes?

Yes, they're VAT-free. You have to tick a box to confirm hat you're diabetic and the VAT is removed

GrantGam said:

1) Very good. To rule out any issues with delivery - just order in advance.

2) It's pretty close

3) Not always. I play the smallpipes, so I'll often use a different area on the back of my left arm as to avoid the sensor catching on the bellows.

4)Details from my last order (Nov' '16):

2 x Sensor - £96.58
Shipping - £4.12
VAT: 20,00 % - £0.82
Total - £101.52

VAT exemption is applicable, but I'm unsure why it shows up as 82p on the invoice.

Click to expand...

I wondered that but assumed there might be VAT on the delivery charge. That needs confirmation though.

1. Delivery quick and good.

2. Don't know since I haven't yet had an Hba1c since I bought the Libre.

3. First few on the same arm. Might change later since there seems to be a settling in period after application and putting it on the other arm will avoid accidentally starting up the new one until I am ready.

4. The site did reduce the price when I "signed" the VAT exemption so the advert price is inclusive of tax.

EDIT: Unless there is a button I have not yet found the Libre does not give a predicted Hba1c but it does give average levels up to 90 days.

Squire Fulwood said:

EDIT: Unless there is a button I have not yet found the Libre does not give a predicted Hba1c but it does give average levels up to 90 days.

Click to expand...

It's in the software when you plug the reader into the PC and also in the Libre Link Android app.

Squire Fulwood said:

I wondered that but assumed there might be VAT on the delivery charge. That needs confirmation though.

Click to expand...

Well spotted! £4.12 x 1.2 (20% VAT) = £4.944.

Delivery is charged at £4.95 right? I've been ripped off... want my half penny back!

1abRat said:

It's in the software when you plug the reader into the PC and also in the Libre Link Android app.

Click to expand...

Thank you, I found it. Need my eyes tested. The phone is incompatible though but I'm sure I won't miss it.

BarbaraG said:

Thanks, everyone. The postage is per order rather than per sensor, then, so it makes sense to order several at a time.

I'm on holiday till next Tuesday, so if I order, say, Friday, it's unlikely to be delivered before I get home, would you say? Now.... how many shall I go for....

Click to expand...

Just get the starter pack. You may not like it.

Can you just order the sensor if starting off rather than the reader? Plan to use my phone with NFC and the app but didn't know if the sensor was required for set up?

My sensors have been nowhere near my HbA1c.

My 6 sensors have given me estimated HbA1cs of 29, 26, 31, 28, 37 and 33.

The one that said 37 is one I got replaced for silly high readings.

My actual HbA1cs in the period were 42 and 41.

My prick tests were somewhere in the middle of the Libre and actual HbA1c.

BarbaraG said:

Even with all that variability.... is it worth it to you to use this thing? What are you doing differently as a consequence?

Click to expand...

The variability is manageable because even if the sensor is reading low (or high) I do some comparison checks with finger pricking and can soon see by how much it is reading low or high, averaging the differences. Then I make a mental note of what a truer reading might be.

However, it isn't the actual numbers that matter. For someone not on insulin or similar it really doesn't matter at all. The sensors are normally consistent in that the amount of any rise and the length of time spent high will be fairly accurate. Your glycaemic variation will show on the various graphs on the software, and this is what matters. This glycaemic variation is what must be kept as small as possible, and how well you are managing this can only be seen by using a continuous sensor. Finger pricking just doesn't come close.

What am I doing different? I am further down the line than you and have good control so I can use the Libre for experimentation with different foods. I have also learnt how to improve my control significantly from getting up until lunch time, which has been my most valuable lesson. There are lots of other things, too.

BarbaraG said:

Even with all that variability.... is it worth it to you to use this thing? What are you doing differently as a consequence?

Click to expand...

The trends are worth a thousand times more than the numbers that the Libre produces.

As there's no facility to calibrate the Libre, it can be at times a good bit off (especially when high or low). Typically it's sound though so I wouldn't let that discourage you from trying it. I'm sure, like 95% of us, you'll love it

Sorry to jump on this post but I had asked similar questions and was really excited about the idea of choosing this but now im not so sure, so are you all saying that the results you get from the Libre are way off what you would get from blood testing I mean if the Libre says your 15 say and you add more insulin to bring it down when in fact you were only say 8 and then you hypo and the same the other way the Libre says your 3 when in fact your 9 and you over treat its going to cause all manner of problems im really disappointed in this now, for someone that tests a lot and has anxiety about blood sugars etc this has really put me off can anyone shed some light on any positives please

joanne75 said:

Sorry to jump on this post but I had asked similar questions and was really excited about the idea of choosing this but now im not so sure, so are you all saying that the results you get from the Libre are way off what you would get from blood testing I mean if the Libre says your 15 say and you add more insulin to bring it down when in fact you were only say 8 and then you hypo and the same the other way the Libre says your 3 when in fact your 9 and you over treat its going to cause all manner of problems im really disappointed in this now, for someone that tests a lot and has anxiety about blood sugars etc this has really put me off can anyone shed some light on any positives please

Click to expand...

The instructions with Libre state you should always use your finger pricker to test for insulin injections and for driving (if you are required to test for driving, that is)

If you read all the many other threads about the Libre, mostly posted by Type 1s, you will see how useful it is for them and how many have brought their HbA1cs right down with excellent variability.. Most of the T1 Libre users swear by it and have continued to use it since the beginning. If you are an insulin user, then do have a search for and a good read of the T1 threads about it.

The graphs are invaluable. For non-insulin users actual numbers mean nothing. It is the swings up and down that are important, and as I said earlier, the sensors tend to be consistent so will show all the waves, curves, spikes, highs and lows for 24 hours a day as they actually are. Example, after a meal it may show an increase of 3mmol/l. It doesn't matter what the actual figure is if you aren't injecting, it is the rise of 3mmol/l that is important plus the length of time it is up there. That 3mmol/l rise will most likely be correct, even if the start and end numbers aren't. Of course, like finger pricking, you do get an odd rogue reading, and no finger pricking meter is accurate either.

Oh, and on the reader screen when you scan there is an arrow. If you are rising, this will point upwards. If you are falling, it will point downwards. If you are fairly static, it will point sideways.

thanks Bluetit I will try and find some more info

BarbaraG said:

I'm T2 on metformin. I'm interested in several things e.g

- what my BG does overnight, and does evening snacking make my dawn phenomenon worse or better or no different? Does it matter what the snack is?

- what my BG does over the morning - since adapting to LCHF I don't eat breakfast, but some T2's say that their BG rises in throughout the morning until they eat something. If I test before lunch, it's sometimes lower than first thing, but sometimes higher. Does it vary with what I've had to drink (tea with milk, or without, or coffee with cream?) and exercise?

- and of course there's the reality check of how much my BG rises after different types of food. I may be kidding myself that certain things are alright.

These are the kind of things that you'd have to do an awful lot of finger pricking to know.... and even then, you could,easily miss the peak and not know it.

Click to expand...

You will get all those questions answered with a Libre, and more besides. I do advise you, however, to find the justification to buy the reader. Yes, they are expensive, but you only need it once, and you get the software for your PC/Laptop which is far better than looking at a small screen. Unless of course you get can the PC type software and transfer the data from your phone. I have no idea if this is possible.