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Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
Hi. I’m new here
- Thread starter Dee71
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rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi Dee and welcome.
Yes, you have started a new thread which is exactly the way to start.
Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself and your diabetes.
Have you been diagnosed long?
Are you on MDI or a pump?
Do you have Libre sensors for BG management or some other CGM or are you finger pricking?
Which insulins do you use?
Is there anything particular which brings you to the forum that we can help you with? Please feel free to ask any questions you have. We have a wealth of experience amongst our members so we can find an answer for most issues or at least point you in the right direction.
Look forward to hearing more about you.
Yes, you have started a new thread which is exactly the way to start.
Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself and your diabetes.
Have you been diagnosed long?
Are you on MDI or a pump?
Do you have Libre sensors for BG management or some other CGM or are you finger pricking?
Which insulins do you use?
Is there anything particular which brings you to the forum that we can help you with? Please feel free to ask any questions you have. We have a wealth of experience amongst our members so we can find an answer for most issues or at least point you in the right direction.
Look forward to hearing more about you.
Hi
Thanks for your welcome. I’m 50 and was diagnosed at the age of 6 Type 1
I use 2 insulin pens - novorapid and lantus.
I currently use finger pricking but hope to get a Libre. A friend told me that the govt was rolling out a scheme for Type 1 diabetics to get a Libre. Whether this is true or not I don’t know.
The reason I joined the forum was for some advice to get life insurance for myself. I’m either finding little cover for a high price or outright refusal to give me life insurance because I’m diabetic. I’m looking for a decent amount of cover for a reasonable price. I don’t want to be ripped off. So any help would be brilliant
Thanks for your welcome. I’m 50 and was diagnosed at the age of 6 Type 1
I use 2 insulin pens - novorapid and lantus.
I currently use finger pricking but hope to get a Libre. A friend told me that the govt was rolling out a scheme for Type 1 diabetics to get a Libre. Whether this is true or not I don’t know.
The reason I joined the forum was for some advice to get life insurance for myself. I’m either finding little cover for a high price or outright refusal to give me life insurance because I’m diabetic. I’m looking for a decent amount of cover for a reasonable price. I don’t want to be ripped off. So any help would be brilliant
Robin
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Welcome to the forum. The NICE guidelines have recently been updated, and it is now the case that all Type 1s (and some Type 2s) should be offered a Libre or other CGM. Of course, the big question is how quickly this will be rolled out, but it can’t do any harm to ask at your next appointment. I managed to get a Libre prescribed a year ago under the criteria in operation then, having been self funding for a couple of years prior to that, and it has certainly been a game changer for me.
Cherrelle DUK
Much missed Online Community Coordinator
Hi Dee71, welcome to the forum.
As kindly advised above, the guidelines have changed so do feel free to bring this issue up with your GP.
Regarding Insurance, the last time I looked into it, getting a broker was recommended to see what your options are but hopefully there may be other members who can chime in with personal experience.
You're also welcome to give our helpline a call on 0345 123 2399 to see if they have any recommendations.
As kindly advised above, the guidelines have changed so do feel free to bring this issue up with your GP.
Regarding Insurance, the last time I looked into it, getting a broker was recommended to see what your options are but hopefully there may be other members who can chime in with personal experience.
You're also welcome to give our helpline a call on 0345 123 2399 to see if they have any recommendations.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Ah! I can't personally help you on life insurance I am afraid. I am not a big fan of insurances. Obviously you need it for driving and it is wise for travel and for a mortgage but after that I prefer to save and invest rather than hand money over to a third party who are of course going to take their cut and include small print to enable them to wriggle out of paying out on a claim. Maybe I am just becoming an old cynic.
As regards Libre, you might have more success broaching the subject with your consultant rather than your GP. If you are not under the care of a consultant then ask your GP to prescribe Libre or refer you to a consultant who will prescribe it. Taking a printout of the new NICE guidelines with you to show the GP which say that as a Type 1 on a basal/bolus system you should be offered Libre may help. If you are still unsuccessful then I believe Dr Partha Kar is taking on the fight for individuals who are not successful and you can email him to get him on side, as he is very passionate about this.
If you haven't already enrolled on the Libre Academy on the Abbott website, I would recommend you do that to learn about how it works and become familiar with it's limitations as well as interpreting the vast amount of data it generates. For some people it can be quite overwhelming to see the spikes that are happening between finger pricks and sometimes the disparity between the Libre reading and a finger prick can be difficult to comprehend and makes trusting the information it gives you difficult for some people but most of us feel that it is an amazing bit of kit and a total game changer, as long as you know it's limitations and reliability issues.
If you are interested in trying it in advance of being prescribed, Abbott were doing a free 2 week trial (ie a free sensor) if you have a compatible mobile phone to download the app and use to scan it. If you go to Abbott Laboratories website you should find the Academy enrolment option and you can do the modules at your leisure and use your completion of it as leverage/persuasion to get it prescribed. The website should also have details of the free trial which many members of the forum have taken advantage of. The only problem is that once you have used it, you will likely be addicted to the data it provides.
Anyway, good luck both with getting suitable insurance and also getting Libre prescribed. If you have any problems do get back to us and we will try to give you info which will help your case.
As regards Libre, you might have more success broaching the subject with your consultant rather than your GP. If you are not under the care of a consultant then ask your GP to prescribe Libre or refer you to a consultant who will prescribe it. Taking a printout of the new NICE guidelines with you to show the GP which say that as a Type 1 on a basal/bolus system you should be offered Libre may help. If you are still unsuccessful then I believe Dr Partha Kar is taking on the fight for individuals who are not successful and you can email him to get him on side, as he is very passionate about this.
If you haven't already enrolled on the Libre Academy on the Abbott website, I would recommend you do that to learn about how it works and become familiar with it's limitations as well as interpreting the vast amount of data it generates. For some people it can be quite overwhelming to see the spikes that are happening between finger pricks and sometimes the disparity between the Libre reading and a finger prick can be difficult to comprehend and makes trusting the information it gives you difficult for some people but most of us feel that it is an amazing bit of kit and a total game changer, as long as you know it's limitations and reliability issues.
If you are interested in trying it in advance of being prescribed, Abbott were doing a free 2 week trial (ie a free sensor) if you have a compatible mobile phone to download the app and use to scan it. If you go to Abbott Laboratories website you should find the Academy enrolment option and you can do the modules at your leisure and use your completion of it as leverage/persuasion to get it prescribed. The website should also have details of the free trial which many members of the forum have taken advantage of. The only problem is that once you have used it, you will likely be addicted to the data it provides.
Anyway, good luck both with getting suitable insurance and also getting Libre prescribed. If you have any problems do get back to us and we will try to give you info which will help your case.
SB2015
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome to the forum @Dee71
As others have said the Libre should be more readily available nowadays, with the new guidelines. Well worth asking your GP/Practice nurse, and if you get no joy from them ask for a referral to the specialist team, where you are likely to have a positive response.
The Libre was a game changer for me, and recent period back on MDI due to a broken pump reminded me just how much easier life is with the sensors/CGM. The Libre Academy has loads of useful videos with information about ways to use the Libre. The sensors are measuring glucose levels in the interstitial fluid, and will not match your BG exactly but you get used to factoring in the time lag between these. I also find that the direction of travel of your levels are the big bonus especially for driving and playing sport.
Let us know how you get on.
As others have said the Libre should be more readily available nowadays, with the new guidelines. Well worth asking your GP/Practice nurse, and if you get no joy from them ask for a referral to the specialist team, where you are likely to have a positive response.
The Libre was a game changer for me, and recent period back on MDI due to a broken pump reminded me just how much easier life is with the sensors/CGM. The Libre Academy has loads of useful videos with information about ways to use the Libre. The sensors are measuring glucose levels in the interstitial fluid, and will not match your BG exactly but you get used to factoring in the time lag between these. I also find that the direction of travel of your levels are the big bonus especially for driving and playing sport.
Let us know how you get on.
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