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Freestyle Libre - Any Tips?

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
G

grainger

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hey all

I've finally got organised enough to order myself a libre - should be here within a week and I'm weirdly excited about it...

Anyway - hints, tips and tricks greatly appreciated please. I've already downloaded the app so i'm good to go on that front.

Thanks :D
 
I received mine nearly 2 weeks ago am due to start on my second sensor tomorrow. I have been pleasantly surprised, I have not knocked thought I would as I can be clumsy, and so far have not had any irritation.
 
Be patient with the data. It’s taken us a little while to get the benefit from it and work out where it fits in relation to BG levels.
 
I've just ordered a lace PICC line cover for mine from Amazon for when I'm at work, thinking about if your little ones try and pull it/touch it. I've also ordered a waterproof one for when I go swimming, as I'm worried about it coming loose, getting knocked in the pool, like yesterday 😱
 
Lucy Honeychurch said:
I've just ordered a lace PICC line cover for mine from Amazon for when I'm at work, thinking about if your little ones try and pull it/touch it. I've also ordered a waterproof one for when I go swimming, as I'm worried about it coming loose, getting knocked in the pool, like yesterday 😱
Click to expand...

Perfect - thanks. I'll look at getting a cover for mine as my youngest is obsessed with trying to get my pump so who knows what he'll be like with this! 🙄
Hopefully you won't get knocked in the pool again. Are you finding it helpful?
 
I love my libre but try and just watch it for the first couple of weeks. Sometimes we get overwhelmed by data and try to react to everything. Try and remember (I have to remind myself of this every day) that in T1 diabetes, it isn't a pattern unless you have seen it for a few days, preferably for two weeks (ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh - always too long for me). Enjoy it.

Oh and I have ace dinosaur stickers on mine at the moment.......
 
grainger said:
Hey all

I've finally got organised enough to order myself a libre - should be here within a week and I'm weirdly excited about it...

Anyway - hints, tips and tricks greatly appreciated please. I've already downloaded the app so i'm good to go on that front.

Thanks :D
Click to expand...
My tips would be
To be prepared to be surprised by your blood sugar levels!
That the vertically up arrow (like pointing up to the 12 on a clock), side and down (like pointing to the 6 on a clock)arrows can vary from one moment to the other, so use the direction arrows with the direction of the trend graph. A down arrow when the trend of the graph is rising, probably wouldn't cause any concern, but if the trend of the graph is steadily dropping (say heading below 5mmol) AND you get a down arrow that may be the time to take some immediate action. Bearing in mind, the readings are 10minutes or more behind current time. Use a normal test meter to deal with a hypo, to check if blood sugar levels are indeed back up within range even when the libre is still showing you to be below.
 
Well I’m only on day 1 as I wanted to start on a day where I knew what I’d be doing and eating and so far I have discovered one thing

This is a tad addictive!! I’m sure the novelty will wear off eventually but wow it’s amazing...
 
grainger said:
Well I’m only on day 1 as I wanted to start on a day where I knew what I’d be doing and eating and so far I have discovered one thing

This is a tad addictive!! I’m sure the novelty will wear off eventually but wow it’s amazing...
Click to expand...
I'm on Day 1 too, although I have used them before, but not for a year - it took me quite a while to get over the withdrawal symptoms before, so they'd better not take them away from me after 6 months! 😱 I've already averted/preempted three potential hypos! 🙂
 
grainger said:
Well I’m only on day 1 as I wanted to start on a day where I knew what I’d be doing and eating and so far I have discovered one thing

This is a tad addictive!! I’m sure the novelty will wear off eventually but wow it’s amazing...
Click to expand...
Totally addictive. The training videos @everydayupsanddowns gave the link to are VERY useful. The details of how to interpret the arrows to head off hypos and hypers, as well as the interpretation of the overall trends. I would definitely recommend them.
 
2 years in of self funding on and off.....it’s definitely more on than off

Addiction is the word. Once you start it’s hard to stop. Even the though of one day while waiting for new delivery of “stressful”.

I do about 50-60 scans a day. It’s fantastic. The more you scan the more you can try and understand what on earth is going on sometimes it’s a surprise what’s happening.

It’s a bit of a party trick when people see it and ask what it is and you explain.
 
It’s fascinating.... my post run blood sugars went the opposite way to expected but I’ll wait and see if my afternoon basal is wrong (we’ve been playing around with it for a while).

I’m at 26 scans so far today so not quite a junky yet! Have started watching the various videos. This will definitely keep me occupied (now if only I didn’t have an exam in 10 days that I should be studying for...🙄)
 
grainger said:
It’s fascinating.... my post run blood sugars went the opposite way to expected but I’ll wait and see if my afternoon basal is wrong (we’ve been playing around with it for a while).

I’m at 26 scans so far today so not quite a junky yet! Have started watching the various videos. This will definitely keep me occupied (now if only I didn’t have an exam in 10 days that I should be studying for...🙄)
Click to expand...

I was surprised to see the impact of exercise in glucose levels, in particular a rise when I had finished. In the training videos there is one that specifically addresses this, and describes the impact of different types of exercise. One makes glucose rise, the other makes it drop. It is possible to use a combination of these different types to manage levels. I find a short sprint to a Pilates class, will lift my levels for the start of the class, and I then don’t need to reduce my insulin for the class.

Have a look at those videos. Here is the link to the one about exercise
https://abcd.care/resource/exercise-strategies
 
SB2015 said:
I was surprised to see the impact of exercise in glucose levels, in particular a rise when I had finished. In the training videos there is one that specifically addresses this, and describes the impact of different types of exercise. One makes glucose rise, the other makes it drop. It is possible to use a combination of these different types to manage levels. I find a short sprint to a Pilates class, will lift my levels for the start of the class, and I then don’t need to reduce my insulin for the class.

Have a look at those videos. Here is the link to the one about exercise
https://abcd.care/resource/exercise-strategies
Click to expand...
Great thanks
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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