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Hi newbie here

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Pr08rad

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi , relatively new to diabetes , diagnosed type 2 during lockdown . And only recently actually got to see a physical nurse to discuss how I should be managing it.
Thankfully she has her head on straight and has offered a wealth of info.
I’ve just started using libre patches and have questions for other users …. Is there a dedicated section for this please ?
 
Hi and welcome. It helps to say a bit about what diet and medication regime you follow. Are you getting the libre patches on prescription or self funded? Have you done the online libre training modules?
 
Usually 'Pumping and technology' - but depends what you want to find out or need to tell us, really!
 
Welcome @Pr08rad 🙂 What was your HbA1C at diagnosis? What medication, if any, do you take for the diabetes? Do you have any specific questions about the Libre?
 
Gp has prescribed the libre , she fitted the first one , but less than a week and it’s peeling off .
She told me Abbott have a 24 hour phone line to call, any issue they will always send a replacement.
For now I’ve bodged it with medical tape but trying to find tips on best place and ways to fit and secure the patch . Personally I think she’s fitted too low and too far round to my inside arm . But she’s the professional
 
You can report a faulty sensor online:

https://www.freestylelibre.co.uk/libre/help/contact-us.html

But yours sounds like it might not have been put on in the best way not that it’s faulty. Did you wash your arm first and use an alcohol wipe? Some people need to take more precautions than others to ensure it sticks properly because we all have different skin/bodies. Generally it sticks best to dry skin - ie dry as in not oily.

You can get various sticking tapes to hold it in, and also decorative stickers. Mine have never come off, but the edges of one did loosen a little due to clumsy suncream application by me. It still stayed on though.

Are you on insulin? Why were you prescribed the Libre?
 
Hi and welcome from me too.

Can you post a photo of your arm so that we can advise for positioning for the next sensor and if it does come adrift you can ring Abbott and report it and they may give you a replacement. If the filament has been disturbed by the sensor adhesive coming adrift then it may well start to give you erroneous readings, so do double check it if you think it may have lifted a bit. I don't think the customer care line is 24/7 though. The number is on the sensor box.
Unfortunately GPs usually know very little about Libre and will very rarely apply them so unless your GP is a Libre user themselves, I would not put a lot of store on them knowing what they are doing. Skin prep is really important both to remove any oil from the skin, but the site also has to be thoroughly dry before application. I use an arm strap to help give mine extra security for the first few days after application whilst the adhesive really beds in. I bought it off ebay and it is a 3D printed plastic watch face with an adjustable elastic arm band. I used to wear the strap 24/7 for the sensor duration, but now I just use it for a few days or if I am going to be doing something that may jeopardize it. I find it particularly useful in the shower because it acts as a visual reminder for which arm the sensor is on. I accidentally scrubbed a couple of sensors loose when I had a momentary lapse of concentration whilst showering. Shower doors and door frames in general can be a magnet for them and I have twanged my arm strap a few times but thankfully, the strap took the force of the contact and pinged but the sensor remained in place.

Anyway, it is absolutely great news that you have been prescribed Libre because it is a wonderful bit of kit, but it does have some limitations which it is important to understand. Compression lows are probably one of the most important things to know about. If you lie on your Libre during the night, it compresses the tissue under the sensor resulting in it giving a false low reading. If you are using medication which can cause hypos, always double check with a finger prick if Libre says you are hypo before treating it with something sweet, unless you do actually feel hypo. Otherwise you can end up having a hypo treatment when you don't need it, causing your levels to go too high.

Look forward to hearing more about your diabetes story..... Things like how your diagnosis came about? ie Routine Blood Test or symptomatic and if so which symptoms and did they come on suddenly or gradually develop? What medication you have been given to manage it, if any although usually to get Libre on prescription you have to be on BG lowering medication.... but perhaps your GP practice are taking part in some particular research and Libre is a part of that. Also, feel free to ask anything here on the forum. We all know how overwhelming diabetes can be, particularly in the beginning and there is a lot to understand. I know a lot of what the nurse said to me in those early appointments went in one ear and out of the other because it was like she was speaking a foreign language and of course I was shell shocked.... but maybe you are more switched on than me. 🙄 Anyway, make yourself at home here. The forum is a goldmine of practical experience from people who have been there and got the T-shirt. Hope you find it as massively helpful as I have over the past 4 years since diagnosis.
 
It’s hard to compare arms because I’m probably smaller than you, but to me it’s more that the Libre is too far in towards your body. It can get rubbed as you move and lift things and sleep if it’s on the inside like than.

I put my arm up in an L shape with my elbow just below my shoulder. The bit of flesh at ‘6 o’clock’ ie the bottom of your arm (sometimes rudely known as bingo wings) is roughly where it should go. I often put it slightly towards the outside of my body (5 or 7 o’clock depending on which arm you’re using).
 
I’ve got some decent tape on the way , but used what was to hand . This will hopefully show positioning.
I’ve checked with fp test at the same time . And the two results don’t fully match fp is usually 2.0 lower than libre score .
The diabetes was long expected due to a long list of medications for rheumatoid arthritis, osteopenia, osteoporosis, and other minor illness.
One of the side affects of the meds is diabetes , it’s been a LONG time expected . (22 years in the making)
Two years ago I was in hospital for a small operation on my hand , routine fp test returned a score of 25.6 . And was advised to get tested again . Which resulted positive.
Covid meant I just got prescribed meds over the phone and not really monitored .
Recently I have gone back for another hand op , which was refused as my blood sugars weren’t deemed stable enough .
Since then I’m on empaglyflozin, gliclazide and sukkarto. As well as humulin injection once a day .
Trying to make a balance of it all so I can have my op. Diabetic nurse suggested to to my meds it would be a good idea to use libre to help keep track of what was going on.
As it’s more caused by my meds than food intakes .
 
Sorry your Libre is lifting a little @Pr08rad

Abbott suggest avoiding areas with scars, moles or tattoos (which looks tricky on your arm!

The diagrams tend to show the back of the arm in preference to the inside, but many folks have found that Libre sensors seem magnetically attracted to door frames, so perhaps that’s why your nurse went ‘round the corner’ a little,

Flat areas that arent subject to bending/pressure, and that you aren’t likely to lie on seem the best bet?

Welcome to the forum!
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Sorry your Libre is lifting a little @Pr08rad

Abbott suggest avoiding areas with scars, moles or tattoos (which looks tricky on your arm!

The diagrams tend to show the back of the arm in preference to the inside, but many folks have found that Libre sensors seem magnetically attracted to door frames, so perhaps that’s why your nurse went ‘round the corner’ a little,

Flat areas that arent subject to bending/pressure, and that you aren’t likely to lie on seem the best bet?

Welcome to the forum!
Click to expand...
I did read about the avoiding tattoo , I’m not sure how it makes a difference . But I’m stuck either way lol .
Sensor alarm has just triggered, 9.1 on libre , 7.0 with finger prick test .
Only 6 days in I don’t know if I should stop trying to tape this down and refit a fresh one , in perhaps a better location
 
Yeah! That looks a bit further round than I would put it and I imagine will potentially rub against your body.... safe from door frames though!
 
Pr08rad said:
I did read about the avoiding tattoo , I’m not sure how it makes a difference . But I’m stuck either way lol .
Sensor alarm has just triggered, 9.1 on libre , 7.0 with finger prick test .
Only 6 days in I don’t know if I should stop trying to tape this down and refit a fresh one , in perhaps a better location
Click to expand...
If it falls off, which looks expected, ring or fill in the online form and they will replace it
 
I was terrified of door frames and car doors because I’m exceptionally clumsy, but I only knocked my Libre once very early on. I think you get used to them and subconsciously avoid knocking them. So give yourself time and you should be ok @Pr08rad Next time try positioning it differently and remember what you did. Be aware of how that position works for you and then you’ll gradually find the best places to put them.
 
Does anyone fit libre sensors on their chest ? I know Abbott say only the arm , but I’ve found a lot of people using different positions …
 
I've heard other positions work well, but if you need a replacement (and some people have been having a high libre failure rate) you won't get a replacement for one put inserted 'off lable'. Though not sure how abbott would know if you put it elsewhere.
 
Tdm said:
I've heard other positions work well, but if you need a replacement (and some people have been having a high libre failure rate) you won't get a replacement for one put inserted 'off lable'. Though not sure how abbott would know if you put it elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Having just spoken with Abbott they were very happy and willing to send a replacement , not sure how long this will go on for though if I get a higher failure rate .
As you say not sure they would ever know if it moved around the body if you don’t tell them.
Service seems good so far though
 
Pr08rad said:
Having just spoken with Abbott they were very happy and willing to send a replacement , not sure how long this will go on for though if I get a higher failure rate .
As you say not sure they would ever know if it moved around the body if you don’t tell them.
Service seems good so far though
Click to expand...
If they ask you should tell them though. It’s also unclear whether it would be valid for driving
 
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