ordered freestyle libre

Ive used 4 sensors this year. 3 were very accurate in terms of correlating with BG meter readings
1 sensor started off v inaccurate, then seemed to improve before it completely lost the plot e.g giving results 4+mmol out of Bg readings. Im currently wearing the replacement for that sensor and it seems to be behaving itself.
Overall I think its a very useful bit of kit for showing patterns and highlighting rapid ups or downs. On the downside the duff sensor was showing LO (ie below 2mmol when my BG results were between 5.5 & 6.5 and at the other extreme 9’s when my BG meter was showing 5’s. That sensor would make me very wary of making any medication decisions based on Libre readings alone.
Over a 21/2 month period the libre came up with an estimated hba1c of 39 while the actual result was 40 so very close and I presume the rogue high and lo readings cancelled themselves out

Ive been using the libre for around 2 1/2 years,i started getting them on the nhs in february.When i apply the sensor i wait 24 hours until i activate it,its a lot more accurate once its "bedded" in.
Most people ive spoken to have ended up doing this and after 2+ years of using it,its definitely the way to go.
Good luck.

I used two sensors and found them to be too inaccurate to be of use for individual readings.
However, I seem to be in the minority and assume I have the wrong body/lifestyle as I had similar problems with the Dexcom.

That is not to say, I think either are a complete waste as they were pretty good at showing rises and falls at about the right time to be able to use to spot trends such as how soon after eating pasta did my BG start to rise so how much earlier should I inject.

I ordered four sensors from Abbott on 9th February and only received them last weekend so a month's wait. I won't be ordering from then again as according to some paperwork by them to pharmacies it seems that they are shifting their distribution through pharmacies rather than private customers. After some investigation I ordered two sensors from a Lloyds Pharmacy inside a Sainsbury store and was astonished to receive a message that they were ready for collection the next day. I paid just over £46 each for them as they were quite rightly supplied without VAT and there was no delivery charge which is what there is from Abbott. Why put an order in and have to wait a month when you can get the sensors in 24 hours. My local Lloyds has said that they have registered with Abbott so that when I need more sensors I can order from them instead of going to the supermarket further away. I had shopped around to find the best value and had quotes of £65 and £63 from other pharmacy chains but a bit more shopping around could bring the price down even more.

My experience with my first sensors in 2016 was that they needed around 48 hours to settle between being inserted and actually started - they were generally very erratic over this period and would show very low levels for long periods at night. Other people have reported similar if not quite so long settling periods if you check back over previous forum posts. But once settled they would start and continue "sensibly"! However the majority - if not all - of mine have read slightly and for the most part consistently lower than my finger prick tests, but I saw very similar patterns from both, so for me as a mainly diet controlled T2 this wasn't a big issue. and I actually learned a lot from their use that weouldm't have been picked up between, and sometimes after, my pre and post meal prick tests.

The sensors I had for a few months early last year needed the same settling in period, but were a complete disaster adhesive wise as none of them (including all the replacements (and their replacements) from Abbot ever stayed on - often just lasting a few days. So I reluctantly gave up using them as it became too much of a hassle to cope with either mentally or financially. Which is a great shame, as they are otherwise a great diabetic management aid.

Robbity

PS I wonder now how the issues of faulty sensors will be dealt with by pharmacies, at least with Abbott it tended to be a phone call, replacement sensor sent out with prepaid return packaging for the duff one.

Re the above post from a type 2 diabetic, I was under the impression that the Libre system was really only meant for type 1's, certainly the NHS will not supply them to type 2's.

Copernicus said:

Re the above post from a type 2 diabetic, I was under the impression that the Libre system was really only meant for type 1's, certainly the NHS will not supply them to type 2's.

Click to expand...

T2s who use the libre all self fund, as do most T1 users by the look of it. The broad type of diabetes makes no difference to the utility of the product, individual disease and medication related factors do

Copernicus said:

Re the above post from a type 2 diabetic, I was under the impression that the Libre system was really only meant for type 1's, certainly the NHS will not supply them to type 2's.

Click to expand...

They're actually totally suitable for both types, but I'd agree that T2s don't have a hope in hell of getting them via the NHS. If you check previous threads on the subject though, you'll find they are used and self funded both by many T2s and also some forum members with RH. And being diet controlled we get much more vital feedback than we can from using a meter, regarding how we're reacting to to food we eat which is as essential to our wellbeing as insulin is for a T1 - and insulin dependent T2s too for that matter.

Robbity

EllieM said:

Well, when I moved from Australia to NZ and had issues with Australian bought sensors Abbott NZ were happy to replace them. Personally, I'd try phoning Abbott first if there are any sensor issues, and only go back to the pharmacy if Abbott aren't helpful. (If nothing else, you don't want to discourage the pharmacies from stocking the sensors and I think they might become quite discouraged when they discover the high fault /return rate on the sensors! )

Click to expand...

That was my main concern regarding returns!

Robbity

I have been using the Libre since Xmas and found it brilliant. To see trends and how different foods act on your bg's is amazing. The 5 I have used have all been very accurate so far. Have had one "dodgy" one which Abbotts replaced within 24 hours of me contacting them. I am prescribed them on the NHS also as wouldn't be able to afford to self fund

porl69 said:

I have been using the Libre since Xmas and found it brilliant. To see trends and how different foods act on your bg's is amazing. The 5 I have used have all been very accurate so far. Have had one "dodgy" one which Abbotts replaced within 24 hours of me contacting them. I am prescribed them on the NHS also as wouldn't be able to afford to self fund

Click to expand...

I am pleased you have managed to get them on the NHS, may I ask how you managed that ?