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Freestyle libre

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

Jon-Manchester

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I am so excited, I have placed an order for a ‘Libre starter pack’. I can’t wait to try it out 🙂
 
Jon-Manchester said:
I am so excited, I have placed an order for a ‘Libre starter pack’. I can’t wait to try it out 🙂
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Fab! It can be a bit overwhelming though so keep that in mind, have you asked your team whether it would be available for you to receive it on prescription? xx
 
Kaylz said:
Fab! It can be a bit overwhelming though so keep that in mind, have you asked your team whether it would be available for you to receive it on prescription? xx
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I have a meeting with my consultant in February when I am planning to ask if I can get it on prescription
I did ask my diabetes nurse about it and her view was that testing more than 8 times a day would qualify me for it alone, I also asked if self funding would have any negative impact on any decision but I was told it wouldn’t

So hopefully I will be able to get it on prescription but either way I want to try it and see if it helps me

Jon
 
Hi Jon, The self funding I did I think helped me to show that I could make effective use of the Libre to improve my management. It might be worth keeping records of your down loads, and also of any changes you make as a consequence of using it, whether that be to your diet, levels of activity or insulin doses. I know my HbA1c dropped by 10 with all that I found out. I also had the confidence to participate in more sport.

I hope that you get lots out of using it.
 
Jon-Manchester said:
I am so excited, I have placed an order for a ‘Libre starter pack’. I can’t wait to try it out 🙂
Click to expand...
Hi Jon, congrats on getting the libre, I self funded too initially, then eventually got them on prescription. This is the video I first watched (link below) to help apply the sensor. A bit tricky first time you do it, but very, very simple after that. Open the box, peel foil of one side, unscrew the other cap, line up the two guide lines, push together then apply to your arm. It's important to drink plenty of fluid whilst using the libre to ensure it's reading correctly.
b.t.w, be prepared to be surprised, you may see things you were never aware of before with the finger prick testing. It is great for basal tests! Glycaemic control and deciding which foods types to avoid due to high spikes and timing of boluses to get best time in range 3.9-10mmol. Working out more precisely the correct bolus (short acting) insulin ratios during the day. Only this week my morning bolus ratio has gone up to 2units of insulin per 10g of carb, it's usually 1.5units per 10g. Only thing I've found with the libre sensors is they come off in the bath, so I shower instead. Also if you get one that doesn't stay on for the full two weeks due to lack of adhesion, ring abbott and they will send a replacement sensor as long as you have the sensor factory code.

 
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Libre an absolute game changer as @Amity Island says you’ll find things you never knew - enjoy......but you will be addicted and want another and another and another.

Not that it happens much anymore if the sensor doesn’t read within 1.0 of finger give Abbot a ring as they use the ‘faulty’ ones and the numbers you give as a comparison with finger prick to better calibrate and like it reported and they will even send you another, they may ask for the ‘faulty’ one back.
 
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Hope it goes well for you Jon!
 
For me the Libre has been a game changer, I hope you find the same.
Some people find they need to apply the sensor the day before activating it as it give more accurate readings from the start others find they can activate it straight away and get good results.

It takes a while for the adhesive to stick properly so imo it’s best not to shower , bath or swim for a few hours after applying a sensor. I tend to apply mine at night.
 
I received it today. Yay !!
i have a bit of needle phobia (yes I know stupid being diabetic and worry about needles) and seeing that massive needle in the applicator I thought this going to hurt 😉 I couldn’t even feel it so I was pleasantly surprised with that part of the process

i waited about an hour and took a finger prick and measured 6.5 and the libre gave me 6.1, I think that is very good accuracy so very happy with that 🙂

The joy of just being able to scan for a blood sugar reading!!!
 
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Jon-Manchester said:
I received it today. Yay !!
i have a bit of needle phobia (yes I know stupid being diabetic and worry about needles) and seeing that massive needle in the applicator I thought this going to hurt 😉 I couldn’t even feel it so I was pleasantly surprised with that part of the process

i waited about an hour and took a finger prick and measured 6.5 and the libre gave me 6.1, I think that is very good accuracy so very happy with that 🙂

The joy of just being able to scan for a blood sugar reading!!!
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
 
Question for you Libre users. I having just set it up, I only am using the librelink app on my phone to scan the sensor.
Is there any additional value from using the Reader as well to scan or can I continue to just use the phone to scan?
 
Jon-Manchester said:
Question for you Libre users. I having just set it up, I only am using the librelink app on my phone to scan the sensor.
Is there any additional value from using the Reader as well to scan or can I continue to just use the phone to scan?
Click to expand...
no not really, I only use the reader to start a sensor just in case my phone runs out of power or anything but if you want to use both handsets then you must start with the reader or you wont be able to use it, if you get it on prescription in the future and your team requite your results through Libreview then as long as your log in details are the same for both your phone would automatically upload the data to Libreview when there was an internet connection whereas with the reader you would need to manually upload via the cable, my reader is only used pretty much should I need to test ketones xx
 
The only other thing I can think of from what Kaylz says is if you happen to use MySugr. In which case, you can use the reader to create a text file of the readings which you can then import into mySugr as a yellow dotted line.

I’m not sure if you can create the text file from phone uploads.

the main benefit for me is having a backup reader for the sensor in case of low phone battery.
 
Thank you for Kaylz for the quick reply

@mike, ah I love my mySugr so if it is possible to continue to use mysugr then that is definitely a bonus. I need to check if I can use the phone for that
 
Jon-Manchester said:
Thank you for Kaylz for the quick reply

@mike, ah I love my mySugr so if it is possible to continue to use mysugr then that is definitely a bonus. I need to check if I can use the phone for that
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To clarify the mySugr import is more ‘cool! Look at that’ additional information rather than actually usable detail. So that the Libre numbers aren’t confused with the manual logs you can’t actually access or see the Libre numbers themselves, you can only retrospectively import a trace line over the top of your mySugr logs. It does help to show what happened ‘between the dots’ but you still need the manual mySugr logs there to make sense of it.
 
Jon-Manchester said:
Is there any additional value from using the Reader as well to scan or can I continue to just use the phone to scan?
Click to expand...

I think if you upload information from the Reader, you'll also get test strip readings on the graph. But I think it doesn't work to use both (it's supposed to, but at least some people report losing things on Libreview). I use my phone mostly (the screen's bigger), using the Reader when it's more convenient (when I'm walking, for example, where finding exactly the right place to hold the phone is annoying), but I don't upload from the Reader.
 
I absolutely love the Libre so far
But the access to the data at an instance can be slightly overwhelming and i can see that it is quite easy to overreact to the data as you can see the blood sugar at any time.
Today I had my first low and i found myself checking my blood sugar every 3-4 minutes rather than waiting to let the jelly babies take effect, and I ended up overcompensating because of it. Not the fault of the device, just my fault

The accuracy has really improved since I started the sensor, I am now +/- 0.3 between the Libre and my finger check (Accucheck).
 
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