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Freestyle Libre what do we think?

Hi @emma_hughes3,

We sound similar in that I've had T1 for 23 years with mixed control. I got to a point this year where I couldn't see why my HbA1c wasn't reducing despite being on a pump for 18 months. I was trying so so hard!

I've used the Libre for about 6 weeks now and it has honestly changed my life. I had a meeting with my DSN today and she was so happy with my progress in such a short period of time. Here are my Top Tips:

It's not made to replace all your testing (despite the advertising) as it won't always be 100% accurate. I use mine for trends and patterns, looking at the impact of different types of food and exercise etc.

With the above said, don't expect perfection. Just by having a Libre you won't automatically improve control. It needs to be used as a tool to adjust your insulin doses and work out what works for you. Try not to get frustrated if it takes a bit of time to see improvements.

It's not real time, it's about 15 minutes behind but the arrows are so insightful and helpful to make sensible choices (e.g heading low so you can have a snack).

Get some Rocktape - I use this to keep mine in place without any issues.

It is so easy to use. I scan frequently during the day and at times where I wouldn't normally have a clue what my BS is doing (particularly during exercise).

In summary, yes the Libre 100% has helped me improve my control alongside diet change, discipline and informed decision making.

I'm really interested to see how you get on. Best of luck
 
The best thing for me has been able to see that my basal dose is bang on correct. My issues are with the actual eating, bolus and morning rise. My intensive swimming sessions also, no need to eat afterwards as adrenaline makes the sugars rise. Always find it harder to control afterwards. Correction doses just make me plunge. Being able to view the trends, the Libre has been an eye opener. Unfortunately cannot afford to wear it permanently.
 
I cannot see my area clinical commissioning group allowing It as they do not know how many type 1 diabetics they have
 
Hi Emma, Im attending the class this Thursday where they show you how to use it. I'll let you know once i've done it for the two weeks
 
I made a thread about how awesome it is recently. I'm on day 13 and mine has always been 0.2-1.2mmol of my meter which is perfectly fine for me. I've got good hypo awareness so that doesn't worry me, I've gone against what Abbott have said, and use it as my only testing method. I done around 5 finger pricks to gauge accuracy and left it there. I've used this during sugars of 3.6mmol and just found it's a little slow to update (which Abbott do say there's a 20 mins delay) but using this as my single source of truth has allowed me to attain far better control than previous.

My GP said I must still test and reduced my strips by 100 as he knew I'm not going to use 200 strips which I was fine with...

Tbh I probably won't use more than 5 just to gauge accuracy of the sensor.

It's a game changer, can't speak for others and their bad experiences, but mine has been solid
So much so, that I've just bought a starter kit and three extra sensors - so personally funding this not on NHS.

As much as I didn't want to part with almost £300 for 10 weeks of BS monitoring I can't deny the usefulness of the product.
 
Thank you so much everyone for your replies! I got my libre yesterday and already love the fact I can see what my bloods have been doing while I'm asleep! Lol. Mines reading 1 lower than my finger prick so not out at all really so far so good!
 
emma_hughes3 said:
Thank you so much everyone for your replies! I got my libre yesterday and already love the fact I can see what my bloods have been doing while I'm asleep! Lol. Mines reading 1 lower than my finger prick so not out at all really so far so good!
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Emma if yours holds at only 1 point away from your finger prick tests then in my opinion it is very much worth sticking with. A number of users do report that the discrepancies they experience are too minimal for them to care that much. Sadly for some of us sometimes we need an astronomical telescope to see the true reading against the Libre reading as they are so far apart
 
Abbot got FDA approval for one of their Libre CGM devices last week I think. They say you don't need to do fingersticks to "calibrate" it. I assume the UK version requires "calibration" right? Other than that are they the same? The ad I saw shows the user scanning it with a thing that looks like a smartphone so I assume it doesn't use your smartphone to show your sugars like a Dexcom. It says you can see up to 8 hours of glucose readings.
 

You don't have to calibrate, in fact you can't. That is done in manufacture. Some folk like to compare so they can mentally adjust what they see.

You saw a picture of the dedicated scanner. There is also a phone app.

In the UK you are required to know your BG levels before driving. However accurate the libre is, it ain't actual BG hence the comments about some finger pricking.
 
So could one (I) avoid the expense of buying that scanner for the Libre? Because I understand that it costs quite a bit of money and only lasts a certain amount of time. If one could just use a separate app on their smartphone one could avoid that right? And you always have your phone so you wouldn't have to carry that Libre scanner around all the time either.
 
Yes. The only caveat is initially starting the sensor. Do it with the app and you can only use the app to scan. Do it with their scanner and you can use either. Tests I have done between both devices have never shown a difference. Not surprising as it's all digital to the same spec.
 
Is there a Bluetooth connection between the Libre sensor and either the Libre scanner or your smartphone? I assume the smartphone app is not connected with Abbot's Libre at all seeing as how they're in the business of selling the scanner as well as the sensors. And was I correct in stating that the scanners only last a certain number of months then you have to buy another one? How much are they BTW? Thanks in advance.
 


The system doesn't work on Bluetooth., It works on NFC technology. You can buy a starter kit which has a reader and 2 sensors for $178.00 and you can buy a sensor for $72.00. These prices include taxes. Over here as diabetics we can claim exemption from the tax element which is 20% of the overall price
 
Thanks. So if you subtract the 20% tax the "reader" looks to be free in the starter kit. The sensors last how long usually? And it's interesting that there's a 20% tax on healthcare items there too. Here there's no (8.3%) sales tax on that stuff nor on food items unless it's at a restaurant. I take it you pay the VAT on everything there.
 
vat is included in what we buy here, so the price you see (normally) is what you pay at the checkout
 
Gaz-M said:
vat is included in what we buy here, so the price you see (normally) is what you pay at the checkout
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Right I get that. But BarryM said that if you're a diabetic you can buy the CGM stuff minus the tax. So 20% off essentially.
 
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