Incorrect readings of my Libre 14 day for a year.

Tommytx

Newbie
Messages
1
I am a type 2 diabetic on an insulin pump vgo20. and Libra 14 day monitor system.. Since day one approximately a year now my libra reader is reading 40 below what the finger stick is showing. Now its very obvious which meter is drastically wrong, since 60 or 70 would make me feel horrible and I feel fine.. and of course I do.. the actual reading is 60 (libra) + 40 = 100 which is what the finger stick will show. and that is perfect and of course I feel fine... I have set the range on my Libra for 100 to 150 and I were to maintain a hundred thruout the day the libra will log 60 which is well below my range and the line will show red all the time.. I have contacted the mfg twice and all they want to do is send a new sensor. which makes no difference.. and that seems dumb to me as we know that over a years time I have used a ton of sensors and they can't all be that bad...And it gets worse as I addressed it with my diabetic counselor and she did not seem concerned.. even after her nurse took the reading using their finger stick and it was way more than 40 in error,, if i remember correctly it was about 90 off...
So I am thinking of calling the mfgr tomorrow and demand they send me a new montior.to see what that does.. and if a montior will not solve te problem its time to move on to a more dependable instrument.

Any thoughts or ideas from anyone that may have ideas. I am a Medicare Patient with Tricare for life so not sure they will pay for any of the more expensive equipment.
 

EllieM

Moderator
Staff Member
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9,208
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
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forum bugs
Hmm, the libre is known to have issues for some people. Many use it more for trends rather than to try to calculate bolus amounts. An issue is that the libre does not allow you to calibrate it with a blood test, unlike the Dexcom which does,

Some people get round this by adding some conversion software (xdrip?) so that they calibrate the sensor with a blood test and then let the conversion software convert the reader's result to a more accurate reading.

Personally, my body is incompatible with the libre and the results from it are completely random (anything from 90 under to a normal reading to giving no result at all). This is probably because I'm allergic to the sensor and there's no point in me continuing with the device as it just doesn't work for me.

In your position I'd either invest in some software to allow you to calibrate the libre against your glucometer results, or move to a product such as the Dexcom which allows you to calibrate via a blood test.

Good luck.
 

Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Since I started using the Libre all my sensors have averaged a little over 1mmol/l too low.
I don't blame the manufacturer, the sensors or the readers - because the result is so consistent, across 20+ sensors, and other people report similar.
Instead I 'blame' my body and my reaction to the sensor. The difference between finger prick and sensor reading is most inaccurate during the first three days of use, becomes more accurate for the next 7-8 days, and then loses accuracy a little in the last day or two.

I appreciate that this is much more problematic for insulin users than it is for myself, since I do not use insulin.

However, for me, the benefits of the sensor far outweigh the question of a fairly consistent inaccuracy.

There is a gadget called the miaomiao which can be bought separately, worn over the Libre sensor, that allows calibration of the readings.
 

Ann48

Well-Known Member
Messages
77
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I’ve been using the Libra now for over 2 years and on myself at least it’s pretty accurate. Sorry to hear you are having problems. Great using with the pump as well!