Greymalkin
Member
- Messages
- 19
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
I've had the Libre 2 for close to a year, now.
I value the high and low blood glucose (BG) alarms, particularly as a monitor to levels during sleep. But there is still a problem which could easily be sorted by a little reprogramming by the manufacturers.
Lately I was comfortably in range when I went to bed. When my BG passed my acceptable high point it triggered the High-BG alarm. I woke, gave myself a carefully judged insulin dose which I knew is normally enough to regain my ideal mid-level, but not so much that would set off the Low-BG alarm later. Then I slept on...
...waking many hours later, I was appalled to discover that the insulin had not reduced my BG below the level which had set off the High-BG alarm. The level had just climbed and climbed while I slept, the Libre silently tracking the terrible ascent. When I finally awoke naturally, I was running three times my normal satisfactory BG level. Not good.
Now, let's be honest, a main benefit of the alarms is that they let us go back to sleep believing we have resolved the issue, rather than having to stay awake to check.
Therefore, my improvement to the next Libre, would be as follows...
As well as the High BG alarm, there needs to be an adjustable Higher alarm, set to go off if the level continues upward after the first alarm sounds...
...and at the bottom end, beneath the Low BG alarm, there needs to be a second, Lower alarm. That way, when my Low-BG alarm goes in the night and I swallow Haribo to correct it, if my level does not come up but actually sinks lower, I will not sleep through it, as has happened several times.
Balance is everything and it's essential that we correct highs and lows with enough (but not too much) insulin or sugar. If we do overcorrect, the Libre will alert us again when we swing to the opposite extreme...but critically, if we don't have enough to correct the problem, the Libre does nothing to warn us as the level worsens.
The manufacturer might say two levels of alarm at each end of the scale would confuse users. I believe users need only read this post to understand the necessity.
.
I value the high and low blood glucose (BG) alarms, particularly as a monitor to levels during sleep. But there is still a problem which could easily be sorted by a little reprogramming by the manufacturers.
Lately I was comfortably in range when I went to bed. When my BG passed my acceptable high point it triggered the High-BG alarm. I woke, gave myself a carefully judged insulin dose which I knew is normally enough to regain my ideal mid-level, but not so much that would set off the Low-BG alarm later. Then I slept on...
...waking many hours later, I was appalled to discover that the insulin had not reduced my BG below the level which had set off the High-BG alarm. The level had just climbed and climbed while I slept, the Libre silently tracking the terrible ascent. When I finally awoke naturally, I was running three times my normal satisfactory BG level. Not good.
Now, let's be honest, a main benefit of the alarms is that they let us go back to sleep believing we have resolved the issue, rather than having to stay awake to check.
Therefore, my improvement to the next Libre, would be as follows...
As well as the High BG alarm, there needs to be an adjustable Higher alarm, set to go off if the level continues upward after the first alarm sounds...
...and at the bottom end, beneath the Low BG alarm, there needs to be a second, Lower alarm. That way, when my Low-BG alarm goes in the night and I swallow Haribo to correct it, if my level does not come up but actually sinks lower, I will not sleep through it, as has happened several times.
Balance is everything and it's essential that we correct highs and lows with enough (but not too much) insulin or sugar. If we do overcorrect, the Libre will alert us again when we swing to the opposite extreme...but critically, if we don't have enough to correct the problem, the Libre does nothing to warn us as the level worsens.
The manufacturer might say two levels of alarm at each end of the scale would confuse users. I believe users need only read this post to understand the necessity.
.