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Libre insists I'm low - makes me nervous

Antje77

Antje77

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,104
Location
Friesland (the Netherlands)
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
I love my Libre, even though I gave up on newspapers, television and television guide to try to compensate for the cost. Problem with it is: it says I'm lower than I am by one to two mmol/l (compensated for delay, etc, it's consistently off by around 1,5mmol/l. Not only this sensor, but the last three or four sensors, which were from different batches).
This shouldn't be a problem, I can just count up and know what my bloodsugars are, more or less. But the thing gives any results under 3,9 in red, and the line on the graphic becomes red as well. Besides, I have learned to become very wary when my meter says 4,5 or less, and I find it difficult not to start obsessively measuring my sugar when my Libre says I'm hypo in the two's or low threes, even though I know I'm fine. This means I can either run my sugars a bit higher, so m Libre thinks I'm fine, or have nice sugars in the fives and fours, but with the extra stress.
Any ideas on this subject?
 
I'm aware my own libre reads a bit low compared to a finger tip test . The result of that is that I have pursuaded myself to be very happy if the libre reads anything between 3.5 and 4.5 - it goes below 3.5 and I am about to go to sleep I do a fintgrtip test to check that yes it is still reading low the rest of the time it just makes me happy.

In the end the major benefit of the libre shows how consistent your readings are and what foods caused spikes. i would say - don't actualy eat sugars until a finger tip test gave you the same low result.
 
I noticed that the firmer the place I put the sensor the lower the reading. When I spoke to Abbott about it they said that it should go on any less muscly area (I am choosing my words carefully). When I put on the back of my arm where there is less muscle I get near perfect results.
 
Antje77 said:
Any ideas on this subject?
Click to expand...

Do you check with a finger prick every day?

I had a Libre sensor tell me that my BG was 2. something, when it was actually 12. I had been complacent and not checking. I do so every day now, if I remember. That way I get an idea of what the discrepancy might be and it's not constant over several days.
 
All but one of my sensors read high. The one that didn't produced a red line across the bottom of the screen. It was replaced by Abbott. I was unable to trust any absolute readings so I stopped doing so. The useful and interesting thing was the shape and duration of the sugar rise and I just stayed with that.

The software predicted an Hba1c higher than I would like but since it mostly read high I learned to live with that.
 
Antje77 said:
...This shouldn't be a problem, I can just count up and know what my bloodsugars are, more or less. But the thing gives any results under 3,9 in red, and the line on the graphic becomes red as well. Besides, I have learned to become very wary when my meter says 4,5 or less, and I find it difficult not to start obsessively measuring my sugar when my Libre says I'm hypo in the two's or low threes, even though I know I'm fine. This means I can either run my sugars a bit higher, so m Libre thinks I'm fine, or have nice sugars in the fives and fours, but with the extra stress.
Any ideas on this subject?
Click to expand...

I only trialled the Libre for a couple of weeks but the manual suggests it is possible to set an acceptable range. If you find the Libre is always reading low, you could change the lower limit to 3.5 so you don't see red when you know it is ok.
Then it comes down to trusting the readings and being comfortable
 
I always panic when my Dexcom tells me I'm low, even if I know it isn't true. Just yesterday it decided I was 2.4 with double down arrows, when in reality I was about 3.8 and perfectly ok. Just can't help panicking - what if it's true, would that have happened if I hadn't eaten in time, and so on. If you get a finger prick value that you're happy with, try putting aside the Libre for a while and don't look at it. You know your blood sugar's ok, the Libre is just upsetting you. Look again after half an hour or so to see if it's improved. If it hasn't, perhaps it's time to give Abbott a call. Another suggestion - the Glimp app allows you to calibrate, so may be worth installing that on your phone, so that you can enter in blood sugars manually and correct it when it's reading way off.
 
Thank you all for your kind answers!
I guess I just have funny interstiwhatsit fluid, and I'll try not to get nervous so much with the false lows. Still happy with the Libre.
 
My partner had a Libre reading of 3.8 in the middle of the night.
As I fetched a Gluco Juice as a rescue, I brought the Abbott optium xceed blood test meter. We checked....... it gave a BS reading of 11.1, checked again with a different batch of strips and it read 10.8. Imagine if we had treated that low of "3.8" what the level might have been.
I have written to Abbott many times but NEVER received a reply. Phone calls to their european call centre meet with vague responses, 12.2 BS on one batch of strips and 17.4 on another, at the same time, is according to Poland close enough not to give concern !
The test strips received from the pharmacy in London are always repackaged and destined for Italy or Poland, sometimes Saudi Arabia, Egypt or Sarjevo. The readings always vary. Do Abbott have a resonsibility to provide accuracy ?
The Libre is useful to see patterns but in the two years I have been buying them there is little consistency in how accurate they are. Good to alert you to an impending crisis (sometimes) but surely they should be accurate, they are expensive enough.
 
I've seriously considered trying the Libre but the apparent lack of consistency puts me off, particularly as I'm a relatively new T1. I'm sure watch trends and see how different foods affect you is interesting but I'd end up using one along side my finger pricker

I know many find the system very useful but it seems to me to be a very expensive to use toy.
 
Antje77 said:
I love my Libre, even though I gave up on newspapers, television and television guide to try to compensate for the cost. Problem with it is: it says I'm lower than I am by one to two mmol/l (compensated for delay, etc, it's consistently off by around 1,5mmol/l. Not only this sensor, but the last three or four sensors, which were from different batches).
This shouldn't be a problem, I can just count up and know what my bloodsugars are, more or less. But the thing gives any results under 3,9 in red, and the line on the graphic becomes red as well. Besides, I have learned to become very wary when my meter says 4,5 or less, and I find it difficult not to start obsessively measuring my sugar when my Libre says I'm hypo in the two's or low threes, even though I know I'm fine. This means I can either run my sugars a bit higher, so m Libre thinks I'm fine, or have nice sugars in the fives and fours, but with the extra stress.
Any ideas on this subject?
Click to expand...
I have used libre on and off for a few months with the scanner not the phone app. My 1st one was way off really then the next few went a bit more accurate and when my bg was quite stable it was quite consistent with my finger pricking. The sensor always ran high but this morning my new one told me I was 2.6 and that over night the red line went even lower ie - 1 or something...but I felt fine so finger tested and was 4.6. I was terrified. I dunno if the sensor scanner maybe has something to do with it rather than the sensor itself as the patter seems to be the readings are running lower with each sensor? But yes it looks scary
 
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