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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.
Freestyle Libre
- Thread starter Ratbag
- Start date
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rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I think almost all of us who have tried the Libre think it is a fabulous bit of kit even if it isn't as reliable as we might like. Abbott customer services are good about replacing if there are problems though.
It costs approx £50 for a sensor which lasts 14 days. I assume you have a compatible phone so you wouldn't need to buy a reader.
What do you hope to gain from the Libre? Are you on any medication which can cause hypos ie Gliclazide or insulin?
If not then I would probably be looking at it as a short term option to help you understand which foods cause you problems and which you can get away with and how exercise impacts your levels so that you can tailor your lifestyle to best manage your diabetes. Once you have a month or two of intensive testing under your belt you should have enough data to manage things without it but be warned, it can be quite addictive. If you are on insulin then it really helps to fine tune the timing of your doses and obviously give you warning of impending hypos or hypers so that you can take action before things go too far astray.
I would urge you to do the Libre Academy online modules before you use it so that you understand how it works in order to get the most from it.
Good luck with it. It can be pretty mind blowing!
It costs approx £50 for a sensor which lasts 14 days. I assume you have a compatible phone so you wouldn't need to buy a reader.
What do you hope to gain from the Libre? Are you on any medication which can cause hypos ie Gliclazide or insulin?
If not then I would probably be looking at it as a short term option to help you understand which foods cause you problems and which you can get away with and how exercise impacts your levels so that you can tailor your lifestyle to best manage your diabetes. Once you have a month or two of intensive testing under your belt you should have enough data to manage things without it but be warned, it can be quite addictive. If you are on insulin then it really helps to fine tune the timing of your doses and obviously give you warning of impending hypos or hypers so that you can take action before things go too far astray.
I would urge you to do the Libre Academy online modules before you use it so that you understand how it works in order to get the most from it.
Good luck with it. It can be pretty mind blowing!
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Yup! I self funded for 3.5 months before I got it on prescription and despite being on low income I can say that it was money well spent... it is that good! But then as a Type 1 it is more beneficial to me.
I self funded off and on (2 weeks on, 4 weeks off) for a couple of years until I got mine on prescription.
But I think the justification is different for someone with Type 1.
The key thing to remember is that it is not a replacement for finger pricks. You may still need to finger prick (although less than before) but they key value is knowing what happens between finger pricks and being able to adjust your diabetes management with that extra knowledge.
But I think the justification is different for someone with Type 1.
The key thing to remember is that it is not a replacement for finger pricks. You may still need to finger prick (although less than before) but they key value is knowing what happens between finger pricks and being able to adjust your diabetes management with that extra knowledge.
Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Yep. (Occasionally pharmacies have sold it a bit cheaper. For a while Superdrug did, for example. I think that's all stopped now.)
If it's valuable but not that valuable you could consider using one now and again. (So a couple of weeks ever month or two, or three, or whatever seems worthwhile.)
But it seems quite possible that for many with T2 it's just not worth it.
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