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Freestyle Libre petition

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
There is no pins & needles with this device. I got mine a few weeks ago now. Paid full price & on my third set of sensors & think it is great. Very very little difference to blood testing (.2). I can watch if I have a biscuit how much it goes up 😎
 
You can't have it for Xmas - you know that ! (and you probably couldn't now anyway LOL)

We don't know yet when exactly in 2015 it WILL be available again and until then - most of us can't even try the damned thing - just a few lucky people like you !
 
I have been to see Dsn today & got a Gold star ! Many days right on target 😎
 
I HEAR they are good from lots of people, and of course, I want one myself to see if it helps - but it's purely anecdotal isn't it, until they do and complete the clinical trials and publish the results Hobie !
 
I could be at about 7.2 & have a Digestive choc biscuit & watch it go up. I could not care about others tests. It is a good tool 😎
 
Sounds from that Hobie that you don't care much about your own results either - eating a biscuit without bolusing when you are already over 7 !

OTOH, it might actually be interesting to correct your 7.2 and see how quickly it came back down !
 
May be I was going out to work TW. I don't just sit around you know. Why are you so negative Tw. The Freestyle is a Brilliant piece of kit. As I sit at the computer I can judge what food does to the .0 . 🙂
 
Well Hobie = what are you doing with that info? - cos that's the important thing isn't it, not what it itself can do!

I'm not actually being negative.

But the Libre is the same as an insulin pump - it doesn't solve any problems unless the User puts the required work into using the thing and making it work. And yes I am shouting.

A good many people - and even some medical staff too - still seem to be living in Cloud Cuckoo Land and think that a pump or whatever is going to solve their problems on its own.

They don't. You have to learn, by living with the item(s) how to get the info you need, to adjust diet, dosage, timing etc to improve your diabetes control, don't you?

ie YOU still have to do it - the gadget doesn't !

An important thing to remember on a public forum is that anyone can read what you say, they don't know you or your job or anything. Like the effect on your BG of eating one biscuit. 10g CHO increases mine by 3.0 so that would make me 10.2. So there you are eating biscuits when your BG is already at that level and so I (as a random reader) might think - well it must be OK for me to do it too, while I'm just sat here all day sitting on my bum and the most physical thing I did today was cook dinner. It isn't ! (and when I worked it was in an office, so there's no comparison)

And I just worry by constantly saying Oh this is brilliant, that it might encourage people to think 'Ooh if I just get one of these then, all my troubles will be over!' - cos they won't be !

Back to the chocolate digestives ... I don't find ordinary digestives raise my BG mega quickly anyway, cos of the fat in them (and the fibre) I spose - but after half an hour, then I'll get a steep rise. I found this out, cos I wondered by intensive use of my meter so the Libre way is less trouble indeed. And a dark choc covering doesn't make much difference. I spose milk choc might slow it down a bit cos of the extra fat - but I shan't test that since I wouldn't want to eat milk choc !


So anyway - what has finding out that piece of info done for you in terms of handling your D better ?

THOSE are the things I want to know from people, Hobie, before parting with my hard-earned spondulicks !
 
Personally, I'd like to know:

1. What's going on wit me overnight, when I have no basal and no bolus that might be 'covering' my basal needs.

2. What happens in the mornings, when I can take (a relatively huge) bolus insulin for my meagre breakfast up to an hour before eating and not go low.

3. What happens when I go out for a run - why do my levels remain unchanged for 5 miles - or do they?

4. How good is the timing of my bolus injections, and could I improve it? Does it really vary that much depending on what I eat?

5. What happens when I drink beer?

6. What's going on when I have a hypo 9 hours after last injecting?

I'm sure there are lots of other things I would discover! 🙂
 
Your pancreas is Kooky's Patty's twin sister? LOL

Well yes Northerner, and of course you don't know what you'll do with that info, until you get it and see what it is.

But the important bit will be - what you actually do with the info, won't it?

I mean - I also would like one, for 1. - even though I do need overnight basal. It's an absolute PITA doing overnight basal testing - whether you are on a pump or MDI.

I mean quite a lot of people on FB have mentioned it's shown them it's better to bolus more time upfront for certain mealtimes/food - so that's great.

I don't want to use it all the time by any means - just think it would be useful for the things I've already mentioned a few times a year, and also be available immediately should I ever be ill.

Plus whatever else I happen to find out about 'me' along the way.
 
OK I know that I'm more complicated because of the gastroparesis but, amongst other things, the Libre has taught me that although my BGs vary a lot from night to night that there are some general themes
a) that I needed to increase slightly my 10pm, 11pm and midnight basals
b) that usually 2 units of immediate Humalog with my dinner plus a six hour multiwave plus an extra boost of basal at 3am, 4am and 5am works best ie most days it matches the food pattern of my gastroparesis although it occasionally goes to a 6am hypo but it works more often than it doesn't
d) that sometimes when I wake my BG goes up - unless I tested every 30 minutes I wouldn't know this but as I scan with the Libre if there is a trend of increasing BGs then I can cross check with a finger prick test and correct as necessary
e) Ditto some mornings I drop when I wake up and the Libre pickes this up.
f) when I feel shaky during the night I can quickly scan to see it's possibly a hypo - if the Libre says that it is 5.5 or above then I can go back to sleep
These are just some examples🙂
 
Have you finished TW ? I am promoting this device because I really like it ! Keep your money in your pocket TW & work in the dark ages. I have been at this game more than ten years longer than you & seen a lot of changes this being one of the better ones ! I work FULL time & have NEVER been on the dole in my life. I don't live in London were there are LOTS of jobs. Remember this is a post for a petition 🙂 Please keep voting !
 
I think it's also about access to the evidence - clearly the restriction of test strips is about saying that even when given the evidence a significant number of people don't use it/want it, which is a complete mystery to me!
I am surprised to find how different my results are, I always thought they varied a lot and there were no patterns but now I have proof! I just feel so much more confident having the Libre results in front of my eyes and hope that there will be some long term improvement.
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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