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FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitor

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Neville

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
After being issued with a faulty scanner, which was very quickly replaced by Abbott, I started my trial, on the 9th November 2018,under the supervision of my excellent local Diabetes Clinic Team.
Having previously attended their super DAFNE course, with its introduction to counting Carbs and having the confidence to adjust insulin dosages, the use of Flash is an out of this world additionall assistant to even better control. The Trend arrows mean no more guessing, hence less hypos/ hypers. Knowledge is power🙂
The many other features incorporated in the Flash system have already helped me to dramatically improve my control,eg. “Time in Target” has gone up by 25%, by comparison to when I was doing multiple traditional finger prick blood glucose testing.
Flash does everything it claims. The 14 downloadable charts are fantastic and easy to read by the user.
 
Hello, Neville, and welcome to the forum. The Libre is great, isn’t it, I’ve been using one on and off for a couple of years now, and it’s transformed my glucose management. (sadly, I don’t get mine funded, so I only use one off and on). You don’t say which part of the country you’re from, but it’s good to hear that where you are is getting it right in terms of useful DAFNE courses, and access to technology.
 
I was diagnosed in January and have been on the Libre for a couple of months. When finger pricking (usually about 6 or 7 times each day) I was never really above 8 and rarely below 5. However I have found that the Libre means there is no 'hiding' and perhaps I was kidding myself that levels were stable. The big shock seems to be huge leaps after breakfast to around 14! I wouldn't really have picked this up when finger pricking alone as a check 3 hours after eating sees me back to around 7. Also seen dips to below 4 when asleep and then sharp rises back to >6 prior to waking around 6:30am. Fabulous bit of kit, but a bit scary. Have my meeting with the consultant on Friday so hopefully a few answers/ suggestions heading my way.
 
I am 82 years old and been on insulin injections since 1964, so I’ve seen a few changes over the years. I won’t bore you with all of often repeated facts.
I have been a life long member of The BDA now Diabetes UK and supported many campaigns. Particularly the latest one to get Flash available to all those who qualify. It took me 10,months to get mine prescribed from the NHS via the County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust.
 
As you say Neville, the Libre is such a fantastic developmentin the tools we have to manage our diabetes. Those lovely arrows are such a valuable bit of extra info, and prompt very different responses from those from a simple blood test.
 
Despite having my Diabetes UK’s Gold Gerald Nabbora medal,my long term insulin dependency has caught up with me.Ive now been diagnosed with having a major haemorrhage over the optic nerve in my right eye. Laser treatments to be spread over several sessions starting 5th January. Along with many other diabetes related operations I’ve had over the past years, all of which would have been avoided if only I’d had Libre FGM from the beginning. I’m so pleased that Libre will be made available to all Type 1
Patients in the future. Well done the Campaign Team.
 
I tried the Libre when it first came out, but alas for me it didn't work, it caused so much frustration with being well of the mark, either reading too high, or too low, it was so bad I couldn't even get any trends off it. so after 4 months I gave up with it and shelved it. Until recently

The opportunity arise when my pump was up for renewal, to change to a medtronic 640g, which links up to their guardian 3 CGM sensor, yes I have calibrate at least every 12 hours, but in the main calibrate 3 times a day. But I've found it to pretty accurate most of the time, when it's drifted off slightly, it's been just under 2mmol/l out, so can't complain.

But having the CGM, well what an insight to what really happening within your control. Such as, when food really starts to adsorb, or foods you ate regularly, which you thought was ok, no signs of excessive spiking, you find spikes high then drops very quickly, other foods that you struggled with, no getting a better understanding of what's actually happening, means I'm starting to very slowly get grips with.

it's early days for the CGM for me, but I feel given time, it's going to be such a useful tool in my kit, just hope that I can fund it long term.
 
Ellie Jones said:
I tried the Libre when it first came out, but alas for me it didn't work, it caused so much frustration with being well of the mark, either reading too high, or too low, it was so bad I couldn't even get any trends off it. so after 4 months I gave up with it and shelved it. Until recently

The opportunity arise when my pump was up for renewal, to change to a medtronic 640g, which links up to their guardian 3 CGM sensor, yes I have calibrate at least every 12 hours, but in the main calibrate 3 times a day. But I've found it to pretty accurate most of the time, when it's drifted off slightly, it's been just under 2mmol/l out, so can't complain.

But having the CGM, well what an insight to what really happening within your control. Such as, when food really starts to adsorb, or foods you ate regularly, which you thought was ok, no signs of excessive spiking, you find spikes high then drops very quickly, other foods that you struggled with, no getting a better understanding of what's actually happening, means I'm starting to very slowly get grips with.

it's early days for the CGM for me, but I feel given time, it's going to be such a useful tool in my kit, just hope that I can fund it long term.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Ellie,
I wonder if you had a faulty Libre, as was the case with my first unit.
My scanner readings were over 70% higher than the finger prick blood glucose meter readings on two separate meters.
I’m really pleased you are happy with your latest set.
It is great to be able to gain more control and avoid too much guess work as we had to do in the past.
 
Hi Neville - I had exactly the same as Ellie with Libre - scans of it showed absolute rubbish - eg I'd been hypo (and I mean like around 3 or lower - REAL hypo territory) without me getting a single symptom or BG test below 5.0. Other times the opposite - but again no warning signs - and never ever any discernible pattern, trend or anything. I tried for 3 separate sensors, with a week or so in between them. NOPE!

I was mega disappointed, to be quite honest. Right hacked off with it. Haven't been at it as long as you - but we always have to be thankful that we no longer have to boil our pee up, don't we!
 
I’ve been using the Libre over a year now, and it’s always been there or thereabouts, no more than you would get with two different meters. It’s great for trends, meaning you can avoid hypos - that’s a great benefit. It’s useless recovering from low hypos because of the delay, so I revert to bleeding. Goes a bit off when the BG is very high, but I don’t often go there.

Can’t wait for the Libre 2 with Bluetooth connection and alarms. It’s been approved in Europe, no UK release date. Same price as the original.
 
I’ve been using the Libre since February. All the additional info has helped me improve my control, it’s great for basal testing and finding out when and where spikes happen. It’s helped me prevent a few hypo’s , you really take notice of that slanted or straight down arrow. I have had a few dodgy sensors that took a day or two to behave.
Sadly for some people it just doesn’t work well enough to be of much if any use.

It’s useless for recovering from hypo’s, due to the time lag between when the glucose reaches the interstitial fluid compared to blood, though bodging I scan scan as well to see the direction of travel , that is providing my brain is still in gear 😱:D
 
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Neville said:
I am 82 years old and been on insulin injections since 1964, so I’ve seen a few changes over the years. I won’t bore you with all of often repeated facts.
I have been a life long member of The BDA now Diabetes UK and supported many campaigns. Particularly the latest one to get Flash available to all those who qualify. It took me 10,months to get mine prescribed from the NHS via the County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust.
Click to expand...
Well done Neville. A very good achievement. 😎 A couple of years ago I gave a talk to Durham DUK group. A good bunch.😉
 
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