freeStyle Libre - thinking of giving it a go

[CathyN]

Hello. I have tried to read everything I can about trying a FreeStyle Libre - but still feel uninformed. In the past I became so obsessed with making sense of my readings ( meter readings) as my diabetes is really hard to fathom and what seemed ok to eat one day would result in a spike on another day. Eventually someone on this forum urged me to relax and that my attempt at micro management was just causing me too much angst. I then had a lot of difficulty in my personal life and totally lost control of the diabetes.
I’m now doing much better, testing again and staying under 7 quite a bit of the time. Would anyone recommend a try at the Libre, maybe a month or two to see if it kicks up anything I’m unaware of?
I‘m sure this is such a common question …… apologies

 

[Antje77]

I’m now doing much better, testing again and staying under 7 quite a bit of the time.

If you're staying below 7 a lot of the time, the limitations of Libre could outweigh the benefits, especially if you have a tendency to micromanage.

Libre is very useful for spotting trends, and for spotting rises and drops.
But for many of us, the absolute numbers aren't as trustworthy.
For me, Libre consistently reads lower than blood by somewhere between 0.8 and 2.0 mmol/l. I can work around this, and still have great use of my Libre. But if you're usually below 7, you'll likely have pretty sraightish lines in the non diabetic area, and if the Libre reads a tad lower or higher than a fingerprick this may mean a significant difference in such a tight range.

It could still be useful to find patterns you weren't aware of before, just be aware of the limitations.

 

[CathyN]

If you're staying below 7 a lot of the time, the limitations of Libre could outweigh the benefits, especially if you have a tendency to micromanage.

Libre is very useful for spotting trends, and for spotting rises and drops.
But for many of us, the absolute numbers aren't as trustworthy.
For me, Libre consistently reads lower than blood by somewhere between 0.8 and 2.0 mmol/l. I can work around this, and still have great use of my Libre. But if you're usually below 7, you'll likely have pretty sraightish lines in the non diabetic area, and if the Libre reads a tad lower or higher than a fingerprick this may mean a significant difference in such a tight range.

It could still be useful to find patterns you weren't aware of before, just be aware of the limitations.

Thank you for such helpful advice. I have read about the less accurate readings - and also that it’s not actually testing blood. Thank you xx

 

[Antje77]

Thank you for such helpful advice. I have read about the less accurate readings - and also that it’s not actually testing blood. Thank you xx

Let us know how you get on, and if you decide to actually give the Libre a try.

 

[Paule Foster]

I’ve found it really useful at spotting what spikes me (any bread unfortunately, bananas) & what doesn’t (pasta , apples) also the effect of food combinations & activity. The readings in my case are pretty accurate (within 0.2ish) IF I am stable. If I’m going up or down they are not - the intercellular fluid (Libre measures) is about 5 mins behind (can be more). I have to be aware of hypos so really useful alarms for me & using another app Shuggah I can have it on my Apple Watch. The reports are really useful (I love a graph!) & has been a game changer for me. The disadvantage is loss of signal - Abbott the company replaced a faulty sensor & very helpful.

 

[Paule Foster]

*0.4 not 0.2
There again I did two consecutive blood tests yesterday & got 6.3 & 6.8 with Libre showing 6.5 … I am
more Interested in is it going high or low & how fast & going outside my “green zone” than absolute figures with tight tolerances.