Freestyle libre not working

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Phil Cooke

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Hi everyone. We recently took delivery, along with a lot of other people in Glasgow, of a new freestyle libre kit. It's for our 14 year old son who, like everyone else, was rather looking forward to a major reduction in the daily blood letting process. We are now on to our third sensor and like the two predecessors it shows no sign of springing into action. We have fitted the sensor according to instructions, the reader seems to work, we've spent quite some time on the help-line, but are getting nowhere and our frustration is increasing. We hold the reader up to the sensor and after a few seconds we get three depressing beeps and an error message.

I'm aware these devices are not without problems but has anyone else experienced problems getting started? Are we missing something?

Thanks

Phil
 
Phil Cooke said:
Hi everyone. We recently took delivery, along with a lot of other people in Glasgow, of a new freestyle libre kit. It's for our 14 year old son who, like everyone else, was rather looking forward to a major reduction in the daily blood letting process. We are now on to our third sensor and like the two predecessors it shows no sign of springing into action. We have fitted the sensor according to instructions, the reader seems to work, we've spent quite some time on the help-line, but are getting nowhere and our frustration is increasing. We hold the reader up to the sensor and after a few seconds we get three depressing beeps and an error message.

I'm aware these devices are not without problems but has anyone else experienced problems getting started? Are we missing something?

Thanks

Phil
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Hi Phil

I’ve been using the Libre for a number of months but haven’t experienced any problems like those described. What does the error message say, and what have the helpline advised?
 
Hi. the message is 'scan timeout. Sensor was not found. Scan the sensor again'. The helpline merely offers to replace the sensor. We got some more on prescription after a lot of work from the GP pharmacy. The reader doesn't seem to pair with the sensor and still seems to think it's working with the first sensor (it tells us this sensor end in 11 days). I'm wondering if there is any way to do a reset of the reader?
 
Phil Cooke said:
Hi. the message is 'scan timeout. Sensor was not found. Scan the sensor again'. The helpline merely offers to replace the sensor. We got some more on prescription after a lot of work from the GP pharmacy. The reader doesn't seem to pair with the sensor and still seems to think it's working with the first sensor (it tells us this sensor end in 11 days). I'm wondering if there is any way to do a reset of the reader?
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Have you asked the helpline this? It does seem odd but perhaps you’ve been unlucky enough to get a batch of faulty ones. Good luck, I hope you get it sorted as this can be a wonderful gadget.
 
Dunno if it's of any help but there is an App you can download to smartphone (not an iPhone) Could downloading that and using the phone as a scanner instead of the scanner, do the trick and thus prove the reader itself is FUBAR?
 
Hi everyone. The helpline concentrated on the sensor as this seems to be the cause of most problems. I would try to discuss a change of approach but no helpline over the weekend and we are going on holiday on Sunday. We were told the app only works with an iphone 7. Thanks
 
If it thinks it's still looking for the first sensor then you need to tell it to start a new one. It can only read one at a time. You'll then get 60 mins start up while it's initialising and then you should be good to go. When I can find my daughter's reader I'll post instructions 🙂
 
Sally71 said:
If it thinks it's still looking for the first sensor then you need to tell it to start a new one. It can only read one at a time. You'll then get 60 mins start up while it's initialising and then you should be good to go. When I can find my daughter's reader I'll post instructions 🙂
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Thanks Sally. The helpline told us it should recognise a new sensor ...
 
Sally71 said:
If it thinks it's still looking for the first sensor then you need to tell it to start a new one. It can only read one at a time. You'll then get 60 mins start up while it's initialising and then you should be good to go. When I can find my daughter's reader I'll post instructions 🙂
Click to expand...

According to the manual, if you scan another sensor before the current one has finished, you get the message "New Sensor Found". (And you have the option to start the new sensor, losing the old one of course.) "Scan Timeout" may mean "The Reader is not held close enough to the Sensor". (That would be the usual cause. Presumably not what's happening here.)

Does seem unlucky to get several faulty Sensors in a row, so next time I think it's worth suggesting it might be a faulty Reader.
 
Bruce Stephens said:
According to the manual, if you scan another sensor before the current one has finished, you get the message "New Sensor Found". (And you have the option to start the new sensor, losing the old one of course.) "Scan Timeout" may mean "The Reader is not held close enough to the Sensor". (That would be the usual cause. Presumably not what's happening here.)

Does seem unlucky to get several faulty Sensors in a row, so next time I think it's worth suggesting it might be a faulty Reader.
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Thanks Bruce. Will keep trying and post an update. Hopefully we will find a solution soon.
 
Phil Cooke said:
Thanks Sally. The helpline told us it should recognise a new sensor ...
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Oh yes you are right actually. In which case I agree with Bruce, assuming that you have inserted the sensor correctly and are holding the reader the correct distance away, then it sounds like the reader is faulty. I hope you can get it sorted quickly, Abbott are pretty good at replacing faulty sensors quickly so hopefully they will replace the reader equally as quickly.
 
I have a Samsung S8 and have been using the App to scan this also sends the data direct to the Diabetic Nurses at Warwick Hospital, so the App is fine. But I have had 2 sensors not work at all after I apply them and wait 60 mins! At £49 for each one I cannot afford for them to fail. Also one of the earlier posts said they got the sensor on prescription??!! Where in the country is this allowed?
 
Hi Rick. How frustrating for you! If you contact Abbot, they should talk you through a series of diagnostic checks, and they can usually see what the problem is, and will replace a duff sensor.
Have a look at this thread, which has a map of where the Libre is or isn't available on prescription.
https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/where-is-flash-available-on-the-nhs.71047/
Quite often, though, there are strings attached. In our area ( Oxfordshire) you have to be hypo unaware, or need to test more than 8 times a day, for example, and it can only be prescribed in the first instance by a hospital consultant, not a GP. You can check what the situation is in your area by looking at your local health authority CCG rules.
 
Hi Robin, thanks so much for reply. I am in Warwickshire but have yet to see a good consultant despite having had Type 1 since 1982!!! After 36 years, I still have not found a decent consultant that can answer any of my many questions as a Physics teacher!, but this is a long story for another post. I certainly test more than 8 times a day but I am hypo aware, Warwickshire nurses told me that to gain a prescription for a sensor, I would have had to have been admitted for Ketoacidosis at least 3 times! This is extreme to say the least, I will look up your links thanks.
 
I have never had a sensor fail. I’ve been using the system continuously for around 18 months. Is that a miracle? I don’t think so. If duff sensors were in any way frequent, or even likely, I should have seen one or more, surely. They must be as rare as hens teeth.

So why do some folk get one, two, or three or more sensors not working? By far the likeliest explanation is an error in application.
 
Well I am lucky that my wife is a nurse and she applies it the same way every time? This is a mystery but a very expensive one!
 
I had one failure, where the Abbot guy reckoned the filament had kinked on entry. I'd been using them for over a year at the time, and I didn't do anything different when inserting, maybe I hit a tougher bit of elephantine hide, or didn't get it quite straight, difficult to judge when you're reaching round the back of your arm, (into Bingo Wing territory in my case!)
 
Hi Robin, maybe I hit harder skin as you have to wipe the area with a swab which could harden the skin? This is all possible but to be honest my wife applies it exactly per instructions and moves it slightly to avoid the sore patches that are created when a needle is inserted for two weeks. I have a feeling that this is a design fault, I know they have to balance the narrowness of the needle, to prevent trauma with its strength. A comment from the manufacturer here would be helpful!
 
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