Please sign a petition to make the Libre available on NHS

chatterton said:

Hi there,I'm currently trialing the FREESTYLE NAVIGATOR c.g.m with (OCDEM)Churchill hospital.I have found that the C.G.M is only 1.4mmol out-when I check against my neo meter

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You're assuming that one of them, at least, must be correct for the other to be "only xxx away from it"

tim2000s said:

I guess the answer is that it is the only alternative to a CGMs device that gives you 100% coverage of your blood sugar, and does so in close to real time. I've been using one for just under 14 days and had very few issues. I'm one of the loud one's with a good experience. Normally people only make noise if it's a bad experience, and that's also what people remember.

I've been able to smooth out my bs and at a fraction of the cost of most of the cgm systems, if used according to manufacturer's instructions. I think it would make a huge difference. It doesn't have to be the libre but as the only device of its kind on the market I see why it was named.

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My point is, not is it good at what it does, but does everyone need one? How many are truly at the real risk of serious disabling hypos requiring hospitalisation, because that the argument given above "I've avoided hypos therefore it must be good for everyone" to paraphrase. That's not an argument that measure the cost/benefit analysis in any meaningful way.

Give me some more data and I might support the argument, but at the moment you've given me no basis to do so

I'm not arguing that it reduces hypos. That's no argument really. In the quote you used, hypo wasn't mentioned once.

I'm actually arguing that it allows you to use MDI like a pump and manage your diabetes to a much flatter blood glucose curve. All at a hugely lower cost than fitting everyone with a pump/cgm.

In theory, at least, (according to all good endos) this reduces the long run complications significantly and saves the NHS masses of money while keeping the individual as a tax generator rather than a benefit consumer, benefitting the economy as well.

tim2000s said:

I'm not arguing that it reduces hypos. That's no argument really. In the quote you used, hypo wasn't mentioned once.

I'm actually arguing that it allows you to use MDI like a pump and manage your diabetes to a much flatter blood glucose curve. All at a hugely lower cost than fitting everyone with a pump/cgm.

In theory, at least, (according to all good endos) this reduces the long run complications significantly and saves the NHS masses of money while keeping the individual as a tax generator rather than a benefit consumer, benefitting the economy as well.

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no, you didn't mention hypo avoidance, but that was the main thrust of the OP "use this and it saves £1200 a year", but for how many patients? Your argument is actually a better one in my opinion in that it's looking at long term benefit for all users. Again though, what's the cost/benefit relationship, could you achieve the same just by prescribing more test strips at lower cost for example? Or what would be the cost fo sending all T1 on a DAFNE course within the first 6 months? There are a lot of other things that you could also do to improve outcomes, and CGM or CGM-Lite are part of that, so without educations and other resources, CGM on it's own is not the answer. I suspect that thsoe posting here are already well enough motivated to make the most of it, bit you could not say that of all T1s

And having switched recently to a pump, even with a half unit pen, you can get nowhere near as fine-tailored as with a pump.