FreeStyle Libre - Worth it or Not..?

[Peter_Sylvester]

I am trying to gain a more detailed insight into the movements of my Glucose levels, so that I can continue with my efforts to reverse my T2 diabetes.
Previously, I have stepped up the frequency of my testing using Nexus blood testing strips, but this proved to be painful on my fingers (!) and also expensive, because I rapidly ran out of the quantities allocated on my prescription, and had to buy extra quantities..
I now see that the FreeStyle Libre system is to be available on NHS prescription from 1st November.

From your experience, is it worth it, or not..?
(Note : this will be a functional decision)

 

[Diakat]

Hi @Peter_Sylvester
Before you get too excited about NHS approval, no CCGs have yet agreed to pay for it. So for the foreseeable you'd still be paying out of pocket.

 

[Indy51]

Unlikely to be funded for Type 2's - Type 1's will get priority.

 

[Bluetit1802]

If you can afford the initial outlay for a starter kit (Christmas present?) you should find it worth it. It will show you what is happening 24/7 at times when you can't possibly test. You can download the log, which tells you all the readings measured every 15 minutes. They also have excellent graphs and lots of details. They aren't as accurate as our meters - and we all know how inaccurate they can be at times, but they are generally consistent even if a lot lower or a lot higher than your meter. You will see the trends, and see when your peaks occur and how high they go, and how long it takes you to recover.

 

[Peter_Sylvester]

If you can afford the initial outlay for a starter kit (Christmas present?) you should find it worth it. It will show you what is happening 24/7 at times when you can't possibly test. You can download the log, which tells you all the readings measured every 15 minutes. They also have excellent graphs and lots of details. They aren't as accurate as our meters - and we all know how inaccurate they can be at times, but they are generally consistent even if a lot lower or a lot higher than your meter. You will see the trends, and see when your peaks occur and how high they go, and how long it takes you to recover.

Great advice - thank you.
This is not a financial decision - as I said in my post, I want to find out how to continue to progress my reversal. So this sounds as though it will give me the next level of detail that I am looking for (and also save my finger..!)
I appreciate the comments

 

[mytype1.life]

Definitely - go for it!
I will hopefully be able to give you more of a proven answer in December when I get my next HbA1c but I have learnt so much from the Libre.
I'm T1 but what you learn may be similar, for example, I had no idea certain foods I used to eat everyday are terrible for me due to the inbetween meal spikes. Other huge advantages include overnight insight and also impact of different types of exercise.

Best of luck

 

[HICHAM_T2]

What price in UK Freestyle liber ?

 

[CL_in_NZ]

Yes it is worth it. I have only tested this way. As others have said it does seem to read low or high (I think too high for me) but the trends it shows are really useful as you can see what is going on and get a sense of what is affecting you. In my case exercise and stress were the biggies. I have no plans to monitor all of the time but it is useful as a touch point. I am back to 'normal' levels and my plan is so wear a sensor once every few months while trying new things and to make sure nothing has really changed. For this next three month period my plan is to see how I can better manager exercise spikes and how I do with a little bit of fruit. The next 3 month period I am hoping to bump carbs up from my very low levels and see how I handle it. The libre is nice though as you just have it all the time and don't have to worry much about it. I can't see doing the whole finger prick thing which I still haven't done yet.

 

[DeejayR]

Another vote for the libre. I use the sensors about four times a year, for a fortnight's detailed testing each time. They are the only way of finding out what my BS does during uninterrupted sleep (it sometimes takes a dive). If you search on here for the previous threads on the libre it's clear they sometimes fall off or give barmy readings but I've always found Abbott ready to replace any faulty ones. Best of luck.

 

[Peter_Sylvester]

Yes it is worth it. I have only tested this way. As others have said it does seem to read low or high (I think too high for me) but the trends it shows are really useful as you can see what is going on and get a sense of what is affecting you. In my case exercise and stress were the biggies. I have no plans to monitor all of the time but it is useful as a touch point. I am back to 'normal' levels and my plan is so wear a sensor once every few months while trying new things and to make sure nothing has really changed. For this next three month period my plan is to see how I can better manager exercise spikes and how I do with a little bit of fruit. The next 3 month period I am hoping to bump carbs up from my very low levels and see how I handle it. The libre is nice though as you just have it all the time and don't have to worry much about it. I can't see doing the whole finger prick thing which I still haven't done yet.

Thank you so much for your reply - you have touched upon a couple of things which have been "new discoveries", and concerns, for me over the last few months.
I am not sure whether my exercise regime reduces or increases my Glucose level - and, given an increased level of commitment to fitness and exercise, I really need to know.
Also, I (mistakenly so it seems) started to consume larger amounts of fruit each day, which, although it has helped my weight loss, I still don't know the impact on my HbA1c.
I appreciate you taking the time to post your experiences - THANK YOU..!

 

[Peter_Sylvester]

Another vote for the libre. I use the sensors about four times a year, for a fortnight's detailed testing each time. They are the only way of finding out what my BS does during uninterrupted sleep (it sometimes takes a dive). If you search on here for the previous threads on the libre it's clear they sometimes fall off or give barmy readings but I've always found Abbott ready to replace any faulty ones. Best of luck.

Thank you for your reply Deejay - the sleep thing is another area that I need to clarify.
Some nights, I seem to suffer from what I believe is called the "Dawn Phenomenon", when my BS levels actually INCREASE overnight, even though I have fasted. And - like you - I also apparently seem to take a dive occasionally.
I have so much to learn and understand - thank you for your input.
I appreciate it.

 

[Peter_Sylvester]

What price in UK Freestyle liber ?

About £150, I think.

 

[HICHAM_T2]

About £150, I think.

Thanks good reply

 

[Peter_Sylvester]

Definitely - go for it!
I will hopefully be able to give you more of a proven answer in December when I get my next HbA1c but I have learnt so much from the Libre.
I'm T1 but what you learn may be similar, for example, I had no idea certain foods I used to eat everyday are terrible for me due to the inbetween meal spikes. Other huge advantages include overnight insight and also impact of different types of exercise.

Best of luck

Same reply that I have given to another contributor ....
Thank you so much for your reply - you have touched upon a couple of things which have been "new discoveries", and concerns, for me over the last few months.
I am not sure whether my exercise regime reduces or increases my Glucose level - and, given an increased level of commitment to fitness and exercise, I really need to know.
Also, I (mistakenly so it seems) started to consume larger amounts of fruit each day, which, although it has helped my weight loss, I still don't know the impact on my HbA1c.
I appreciate you taking the time to post your experiences - THANK YOU..!

 

[HICHAM_T2]

About £150, I think.

But I heard it cost money every week

 

[CL_in_NZ]

Thank you so much for your reply - you have touched upon a couple of things which have been "new discoveries", and concerns, for me over the last few months.
I am not sure whether my exercise regime reduces or increases my Glucose level - and, given an increased level of commitment to fitness and exercise, I really need to know.
Also, I (mistakenly so it seems) started to consume larger amounts of fruit each day, which, although it has helped my weight loss, I still don't know the impact on my HbA1c.
I appreciate you taking the time to post your experiences - THANK YOU..!

Good luck with it all it is a major adjustment! I am just over three months past diagnosis and still learning. I read like crazy at first and learned what I should do but then I had to do it and wait for the results. The waiting was the worst!

What I found with exercise was I got big spikes with intense exercise. This would involve sitting at 85% of my maximum HR for 40-60 minutes. If I didn't push so hard (under 80%) I got more of a bump. I am going to see if I can figure out how to push harder again as I really like it.

On fruit, with nearly everything I was eating my BG would not go up more than about 1 point after a full meal within an hour or so. An apple made it jump up a couple points so not horrible but more than I was willing to deal with. I am only looking to add in some berries for now.

You need to give your body time to adjust. I found some really good info on an forum for endurance athletes on keto diet. They described the ketosis transition as first 2 weeks being a sort of major shock to the system and then another 6 weeks for your body to really adjust. It seems like some people can drop BG levels very quickly with low carb but my body fought against it for a while and my BG didn't drop as much as I wanted as quickly as I thought it would. So I reckon I am mostly adjusted now but I want to spend a few more months making this 'normal' for my body before I do any other big changes.

You are on the right track just keep it up. Exercise is good though and keep in mind that even if it gets higher for a while right after it will drop later if you are keeping to low carb as there is a limited amount you body can produce.

 

[woodywhippet61]

I have a Libre and whilst it drives me slightly nuts because it's always lower than a finger prick, it was actually only .2 out for predicting my A1c result.

It gives me so much information about the effects of the foods that I eat and what happens when I exercise. Also what happens when I'm stressed or in pain (tooth extraction raised my bg by 1 during the procedure and kept it there for a week).

Today I had dauphinoise potatoes with my tuna steak and then went for a walk. I tested at the table just before I started eating. I then tested at 1 hour (started walking) and then a couple of times before the 2 hours (as I was walking). Can't finger prick whilst walking in the woods.

 

[Peter_Sylvester]

Good luck with it all it is a major adjustment! I am just over three months past diagnosis and still learning. I read like crazy at first and learned what I should do but then I had to do it and wait for the results. The waiting was the worst!

What I found with exercise was I got big spikes with intense exercise. This would involve sitting at 85% of my maximum HR for 40-60 minutes. If I didn't push so hard (under 80%) I got more of a bump. I am going to see if I can figure out how to push harder again as I really like it.

On fruit, with nearly everything I was eating my BG would not go up more than about 1 point after a full meal within an hour or so. An apple made it jump up a couple points so not horrible but more than I was willing to deal with. I am only looking to add in some berries for now.

You need to give your body time to adjust. I found some really good info on an forum for endurance athletes on keto diet. They described the ketosis transition as first 2 weeks being a sort of major shock to the system and then another 6 weeks for your body to really adjust. It seems like some people can drop BG levels very quickly with low carb but my body fought against it for a while and my BG didn't drop as much as I wanted as quickly as I thought it would. So I reckon I am mostly adjusted now but I want to spend a few more months making this 'normal' for my body before I do any other big changes.

You are on the right track just keep it up. Exercise is good though and keep in mind that even if it gets higher for a while right after it will drop later if you are keeping to low carb as there is a limited amount you body can produce.

You are a STAR - thank you...

 

[Peter_Sylvester]

I have a Libre and whilst it drives me slightly nuts because it's always lower than a finger prick, it was actually only .2 out for predicting my A1c result.

It gives me so much information about the effects of the foods that I eat and what happens when I exercise. Also what happens when I'm stressed or in pain (tooth extraction raised my bg by 1 during the procedure and kept it there for a week).

Today I had dauphinoise potatoes with my tuna steak and then went for a walk. I tested at the table just before I started eating. I then tested at 1 hour (started walking) and then a couple of times before the 2 hours (as I was walking). Can't finger prick whilst walking in the woods.

Thank you for your comments - great insights.
I think my decision is made..!!

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

But I heard it cost money every week

No, initially, you need to buy a reader. Then each sensor you buy lasts for two weeks (if all goes well). You may find just a couple of sensors are enough to figure out the patterns of your blood glucose levels.