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Libre moving on arm??

S

sorchao

Active Member
Messages
27
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Dislikes
Trying to get my Libre unstuck after 14 days
Okay, this is a weird one, because I didn’t think the Libre could move once it was glued on and the needle inserted. I put on a new Libre sensor this morning before work, in the normal area, just below the triceps muscle at the top of the ‘flabby’ bit of the arm. I go off to a day’s work and when getting ready for bed, I realise I can’t see the sensor on my arm. Lift my arm and realise that it’s now right down my arm, almost into my armpit! How the hell did it get there, that’s definitely not where I put it this morning!?! It’s as if it slid down my arm, but I have the driest skin in the world and usually have terrible trouble getting the things unstuck at all, at the end of two weeks. Plus there should be a sodding needle in there anchoring it, right? Anyone have any idea what’s happened here? I’m due to initialise it in the morning and I just hope that it works. I don’t think you can take them off and replace Libres, so am I stuck scanning my armpit for the next two weeks?
 
If it's moved the filament won't be in your arm, so it won't work I'm afraid. It could be a faulty one, where the applicator didn't work properly, or it didn't have much glue on it, or is there any possibility you knocked it, or clothing caught it when you were getting dressed/undressed etc?

You will probably find that when you take it off the filament is lying flat on your skin, instead of at a 90 degree angle into your arm.

Hope you've got another Libre you can apply.
 
In your situation, I would keep it there until you have tried to initiate it and that fails.
if you are lucky, it may work. This is unlikely as the filament is not an anchor it is what reads your interstitial fluids. The purpose of the round disk is to store 8 hours of data and power the sensor … and anchor the filament that does all the work.
But, if it works, I have found I am pretty adaptable to scanning the Libre wherever it is. Typically, I can’t see it but I can feel it which is good enough for positioning my phone or reader.
 
Okay, thanks, both, we’ll see when I initialise it in a few hours, I guess. I can cope with scanning my armpit for two weeks, if I have to!

I didn’t do anything different to normal when I applied it, and it was definitely well stuck on in the right place when I got dressed. No knocks or snags at all, either when dressing or during the day - it’s only my 5th one and I’m still very aware of it, and particularly careful with the bra straps.

I’m seeing in other posts that if you have a dodgy sensor, to contact Abbott about it - I guess that’s my next action if it doesn’t initialise
 
Nope, it tried to initialise, but is getting no data, so it looks like the needle/filament isn’t stuck into me. Thankfully I have my second one here, so can put that on instead- hopefully this one behaves properly! I’ll get the serial number off this one once I manage to unstick it (it is of course stuck like a solid limpet), and contact Abbott about a faulty sensor refund.
 
Keep the faulty sensor until you've phoned Abbott as they may ask you to return it, although they don't seem to bother as much these days, as they did a couple of years back.
 
@sorchao the sensor number will be in your phone's LibreView, you don't have to read it off the teeny writing the side.
 
I have had a couple of sensors fail and they wanted them returned for investigation (they send a return kit).
I use an elasticated band I got from ebay to make sure the sensor stays attached.
 
Mrs HJG said:
@sorchao the sensor number will be in your phone's LibreView, you don't have to read it off the teeny writing the side.
Click to expand...
If the sensor hasn't scanned, it won't be in the app or reader.

But if you still have the packaging, the sensor number can be found in a few spots - on the bottom of the box (below the lot number in the top section), and on the foiled that covered the sensor container before it was put in the applicator (above the expiration date).

If you have FreeStyle Libre 3, the serial number is on the bottom of the box (below the lot number in the tip section) and on the sticker on the bottom of the applicator base (above the expiration date).
 
Thanks all, I managed it get both this one and the recently expired one off, and was able to read the number off the side of the faulty one. I emailed Abbott instead of phoning because I’m in Dublin and it’s an international phone call, but they have all the details now and I’ve hung onto both the faulty sensor and the packaging for return, if they want. I had bought two this time (for the first time) so have put the second one on and it’s working fine. I have a big plaster over it as well - I had bought some proper patches, but turned out to be allergic to them, and the next ones I tried to order seem to be stuck in the UK’s overseas postal hack, so big plasters it is for the moment!
 
I have the exact same problem and the sensor has moved tobalmost under my armpit
.
 
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