• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

Freestyle Libre

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

Paul Allen

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi all, I am new to this and hope some experts amongst you can help.
I am now on my 6th libre sensor and only one has worked for the full 14 days. 5 have stopped working on day 4 to 6 and after 24 hrs of no readings have been replaced,
None have been dislodged and even with opsite flexifix tape over them from day 1, they have still failed.
Does anyone have any ideas what is wrong or how I can improve the performance please ?
 
Hi Paul, welcome to the forum.
Sounds like you may have a faulty batch, are they all from the same LOT number.
If you haven’t already done so I would contact Abbott to report the problem , they will go through a few things with you on the reader so make sure you have it close wh3n you phone , they will send a pack for you to return the sensors and replace them.
0800 170 117
I’ve heard they do not always reply to emails.
Please let us know how you get on
 
I have never had a reply to an email to them,but they have always been brilliant on the phone. You have definitely had a run of bad luck with that many ging worng. I have had very few go wrong. They do not always read exCtly the same as my blood glucose meter,but they are measuring different things. I tend to think of the Libre as telling me what my glucose was about 15 minutes ago, but then I am more interested in the direction of travel arrow. That, along with glucose reading, is what helps me to make decisions about whether I need to do anything at any point in time. I also find it invaluable for spotting patterns in my glucose when I review the results regularly..
 
Hi Paul, sorry to hear that you have had such a frustrating time with your Freestyle Libre sensors. If you haven't already, I would contact Abbott to let them know the issues you have been experiencing and see if they can replace the sensors or guide you in finding a solution: https://www.freestylelibre.co.uk/libre/help/contact-us.html

If you are concerned that it is a faulty batch of sensors, then you may wish to flag this to the Yellow Card scheme, who are best placed to be alerted of any faulty medical products: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/
This is the Medicines and Healthcare product Regulation Agency.

A few members use the Freestyle Libre, so perhaps others here have had a similar issue with the sensors?
 
Hi Paul does the Flexi tape go over the hole in the middle of the sensor?
 
Well spotted Khskel, the hole isn’t there just for show, it has a purpose.

As a comment on the latest iteration of their adhesive quality, in three days I need to apply a new sensor and the old one hasn’t fallen off yet. I don’t like pulling them off while they are super sticky.🙄
 
Why aren't you supposed to cover the hole in the middle? We do, and it doesn't stop them working! In fact it makes them even more waterproof if you go swimming! I thought the hole was just where the inserter needle comes out?
 
Sally71 said:
Why aren't you supposed to cover the hole in the middle? We do, and it doesn't stop them working! In fact it makes them even more waterproof if you go swimming! I thought the hole was just where the inserter needle comes out?
Click to expand...

The skin underneath the sensor is also supplying moisture though. Underneath the plastic disc there are special grooves to allow the skin to breathe and also to allow any moisture (eg from bathing/showering) which does get under the sensor to escape.

I saw a presentation by Abbott technical product development peeps and there’s an awful lot of detail and effort that went into it. It is really important for skin health they say.

If covering the sensor, you should cut or leave a hole so that the hole remains uncovered.
 
I have a dodgy sensor and no spares because of the rationing. I managed to ring Abbott today (not easy from work) and they are sending me a replacement, however I was told that next time I should compare the Libre readings with blood test readings from their meter. I explained that
I have no test strips for their meter, and they said I could get 10 on prescription! I explained that my GP has refused to give me two different types of strips so that isn’t going to happen, and I am happy to supply readings from their meter if they send me some strips. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing it was agreed that they would send me 10.
Has anyone actually changed to using the Libre as their main blood meter as well as the reader?
 
@Radders I use the libre as my main reader but I was on an optium neo anyway which uses the same strips.
 
I use the Libre almost uniquely. I can barely pull the flipping things off. I’m sure they drop off because of not letting the antiseptic wipes dry off. I’m still wearing two 10 days into a change.
 
Radders said:
I have a dodgy sensor and no spares because of the rationing. I managed to ring Abbott today (not easy from work) and they are sending me a replacement, however I was told that next time I should compare the Libre readings with blood test readings from their meter. I explained that
I have no test strips for their meter, and they said I could get 10 on prescription! I explained that my GP has refused to give me two different types of strips so that isn’t going to happen, and I am happy to supply readings from their meter if they send me some strips. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing it was agreed that they would send me 10.
Has anyone actually changed to using the Libre as their main blood meter as well as the reader?
Click to expand...
I got round this 'two different strips/meters' thing by telling my GP that the Freestyle Optium meter (which takes same strips as Libre) is my spare, and I need it as a spare because I also use it for blood ketone readings, which my other, regular meter (a Contour Next) can't do 🙂 I occasionally put in a request for 50 Freestyle strips 🙂
 
Like Northerner I have a few strips for the Libre, which I got by explaining that it was my spare.
I have only used two of the strips, as I need to use my usual handset which ‘talks to’ my pump.
 
I received the test strips today. When I saw the box I hoped it was the replacement sensor since they had told me they were sending me 10 strips and the box was the size of a sensor. Inside was a packing list for 10 strips, and five boxes of 10!
I couldn’t resist trying the dodgy sensor again against one of their strips.
Libre said 6.4 and rising
Freestyle blood test said 5.9
Aviva blood test said 5.6 so not that far out. The sensor has previously been a lot further out, telling me 10 when my Aviva said 6.
I can’t trust it so it’s not a lot of good at the moment but I’m leaving it on until I get a replacement.
 
Blood glucose testing is such an approximate science at the best of times, no test strips are better than any other, but might well show different results with the same drop of blood, both being ‘accurate’.

Using the Libre constantly, you just get used to being ten or fifteen minutes behind the game, but the important thing that you can never get with a single reading, is the direction of travel. A one off reading of 5.6 is of no concern to the strip user. But on the Libre, a 5.6 with a vertical downward arrow means get something to eat. With a horizontal arrow, no worries. You simply can’t do that with strips.

I do use strips, however, when correcting hypos, because hypos can cause a bit of peripheral shutdown, so the Libre is pretty slow at catching up.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
The skin underneath the sensor is also supplying moisture though. Underneath the plastic disc there are special grooves to allow the skin to breathe and also to allow any moisture (eg from bathing/showering) which does get under the sensor to escape.

I saw a presentation by Abbott technical product development peeps and there’s an awful lot of detail and effort that went into it. It is really important for skin health they say.

If covering the sensor, you should cut or leave a hole so that the hole remains uncovered.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that info. I had been covering mine completely, but will now leave a hole if use a tegaderm.
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top