3/4 of Type 1 diabetics run their blood sugar higher to avoid hypo's study finds

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About to start my next Libre sensor. The first two have both said a few times that I'm in the middle to low 3s whereas my BG meter has consistently told me I'm not - mid 4s to low 5s, cos obviously I re-test on the other one when the Libre scan tells me this. (Whilst thinking 'I bet I ain't' - cos I do have pretty decent awareness all in all, but know 100% that I don't have 100% awareness)

Hence were I placing more reliance on the Libre, I'd have to run higher too, to avoid the line dipping and going red.

I'm still trying to make some sort of sense of the differences between the two ....
 
I think the Libre is probably deliberately set up to read lower than you actually are (particularly at low levels) in order to prevent more hypos. All of the sensors I have used so far showed me nearly a whole mmol lower at the low end of the spectrum and since most of the hypos it recorded were mid 3s and my finger prick showed mid 4s I started to resent it clocking up so many "false" hypos. Health care professionals now seem to be much more keen to prevent hypos than I believe they used to be from speaking to longer standing diabetics. A good HbA1c was all they were interested in even if that meant in reality you had been fluctuating a lot, whereas now they are looking more closely at hypos and how to prevent them and the time in range feature is really helpful in this respect.
I subconsciously seem to run my BG higher through the night and the LIbre clearly shows that on the daily patterns feature. I imagine this is in response to a fear/concern about night time hypos, but I don't worry about them through the day and on fact would rather be low than high during waking hours as it is easier to fix and I can work through a hypo (manual work... my brain doesn't work so well but body can soldier on) easier than a hyper where I feel like I am wading through treacle and arms and legs are like lead.
 
I do think that we err on the side of hypo prevention. With the G6 / tslim combination my blood sugars are pretty much controlled by the target range set by the clinic. Having beaten the Time in Target for the last 30 days and regularly beating that target by 20%, perhaps it is time to get a little more aggressive (if i ever get to discuss with the doctor or nurse). Also as I've pretty much given up driving, and definitely longer distance driving, i don't need to take that into account anymore when setting targets.
 
@trophywench have you thought about using alternative Libre reading apps that allow you to calibrate?
I found that I was always considerably and unpredictably out from the Libre readings and assumed I just have a different physiology (or some other type of "ology") from the "factory man" Abbott use the calibrate their sensors.
My Libre readings are far closer when I use xDrip or Glimp which I calibrate every morning when my BG is stable.

As for running high to avoid hypos, that is not me. I hate my BG running high as it zaps my energy.
 
No - I'm dead set against using a telephone to do things that are nowt to do with telephoning. If I'm in the middle of a field or a commercial campsite somewhere without a mobile phone signal let alone wifi, some who had flagpoles could get sporadic internet by taping their Mifi aerial to the top of their flagpole though others (yes even a bloke who earned his living employed in the IT dept of a major and (correctly) more than highly confidential UK Government establishment, hence if he told you everything he knows he'd have to kill you) decided they were on holiday, so forget it - and that's not unusual either here or abroad - so a) I can't rely on it and b) if something needs all that extra outside input to do its job, then it isn't really fit for purpose.
 
helli said:
As for running high to avoid hypos, that is not me. I hate my BG running high as it zaps my energy.
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Hi Helli,

I was surprised by the conclusion that 3/4 type 1's deliberately run their blood sugars high. I could understand it, if those very new to having diabetes doing it, but those with more experience, I'd of expected them to try and stay in range.
I've never intentionally ran my sugars high to avoid a hypo, but I have ran them higher to strengthen my hypo symptoms.
 
trophywench said:
No - I'm dead set against using a telephone to do things that are nowt to do with telephoning. If I'm in the middle of a field or a commercial campsite somewhere without a mobile phone signal let alone wifi, some who had flagpoles could get sporadic internet by taping their Mifi aerial to the top of their flagpole though others (yes even a bloke who earned his living employed in the IT dept of a major and (correctly) more than highly confidential UK Government establishment, hence if he told you everything he knows he'd have to kill you) decided they were on holiday, so forget it - and that's not unusual either here or abroad - so a) I can't rely on it and b) if something needs all that extra outside input to do its job, then it isn't really fit for purpose.
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I can't even get a reliable signal in Sainsbury' or the hospital.
 
Type 3c and i do!! Only when i have an appointment at the hospital involving fasting having m.r.i scan. So it is infrequent.
 
I don’t do that when I’m fasting for an MRI scan, gastroscopy or colonoscopy. If I go a bit low, I use Dextro tablets which dissolve completely without residue, or Glucoboost which is a clear liquid.
 
Thanks for the tip mikey, i didn't think i would be allowed to use the glucose tabs whilst fasting. Thats reasuring to know. Great advice.
 
One of those three quarters for more years care to remember, same as rebrascora running higher at night to avoid hypo in sleep, people naturally look at short term gains rather than long term consequences, its how we are wired.

Moving to pump & getting to grips with it was game changer, plus use of libre means running bg in range is more achievable without so much fear of going low, so happy to go to bed between 5 - 6 as on injections would be nearer 7 - 8 range.

Do few long journeys in car every month so run bg higher for safety sake than would at home, everyone fears hypo's, anyone who says don't is deluded & only fooling themselves.
 
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@trophywench and @grovesy you don't need a mobile or wifi signal to run an app on your phone to read your Libre.
You just need NFC for the LibreLink app and/or Bluetooth if you "pimp" your Libre into a CGM with a Miaomiao or Bubble.
 
Hepato-pancreato said:
Thanks for the tip mikey, i didn't think i would be allowed to use the glucose tabs whilst fasting. Thats reasuring to know. Great advice.
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Why are you fasting for the MRI Scan? I have had reqular MRI and CT scans for over 15 years tracking tumours on my Pancreas and then monitoring for occurrence elsewhere after they took it out. Don't recall ever having to fast before a scan. If my BS wasn't over 8 i'm having a biscuit as they insert the cannula.
 
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Good morning all. I'm not entirely sure if this is relevant for this thread, but I've saw a few comments about the relationship between blood and flash glucose monitoring. I did a 4 week trial to compare the differences between my blood glucose meter (Contour Next) and newly prescribed FGM (Freestyle Libre) as I was concerned about how low/high FGM may read. I've copied in the scatter graph that I made after completing the trial, and found overall that FGM recorded higher results than blood glucose, both pre and post meals. The differences were however not as bad as first feared, with the mean differences and standard deviations shown on the graph as well (both less than 1.0 mmol/l).

I appreciate this is only 1 individuals (mine) results, and may vary for others.

Hope this is of some help.
 
martindt1606 said:
Why are you fasting for the MRI Scan? I have had reqular MRI and CT scans for over 15 years tracking tumours on my Pancreas and then monitoring for occurrence elsewhere after they took it out. Don't recall ever having to fast before a scan. If my BS wasn't over 8 i'm having a biscuit as they insert the cannula.
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My recent m.r.i. Scans are for liver cancer. Seem to remember fasting for some pancreas scans ct and m.r.i.before i had most of my pancreas removed. Have also fasted for the base of tounge cancer scans also..
 
I’m with you @trophywench - why use my phone (which is like a great big bar of soap, it’s always wriggling out of my hand and bouncing off things) when I can use the cute little, hand-sized Libre reader (which I paid £50 for!) to do a quick flash? My DSN was trying to convince me otherwise - obviously, she’s of the generation that does EVERYthing on their phones. Shoot me if I ever get that phone-obsessed!😳

Back to the thread’s theme - I used to run my BG high to avoid hypos, especially when I was teaching. I didn’t want the added stress of worrying about keeling over in a room full of six-year-olds. They’d probably have thought it was a game and copied me, or eaten all my JBs...not much help. o_OThen I got the Libre. Aah, that’s better.:D
 
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