Getting A Libre 2

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

MikeyBikey

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
When I opened yesterday's post when it arrived mid-afternoon I thought @rebrascora is psychic after her earlier post in my Footy thread. But then I looked at her Wordle posts and thought "maybe not"! 🙂

Anyway in response to my recent letter, stating why I wanted GM and the current guidelines, the consultant I last saw (not my regular one) has approved me for Libre 2. I just have to countersign the paperwork (before she gets the GP to amend my repeat), have an HbA1c blood test to get a baseline and arrange an appointment with the Libre team.

The paperwork gives endless reasons for withdrawing Libre. No reduction in HbA1c makes sense but the one saying it would be withdrawn 12 months after giving birth unless I am on insulin. I am nor even pregnant! :rofl:

Wish me luck with it! 🙂
 
So relieved that the wheels are in motion Mikey. I really don't know why they send out such paperwork. They don't threaten you with withdrawal of test strips if you don't improve your HbA1c. They should just be adding it to your prescription without any more of this stupid hoop jumping. There is online training available so no real need to see the Libre rep either and if all else fails, we will keep you right with it Mikey. 😉
Just get that form sent back pronto, even if it shouldn't be necessary. You should have had it years ago and it might have helped save your leg.
In your situation I would apply for the free trial from Abbott in the meantime and log into the Libre Academy and work through the modules so you are pretty much up to speed with it. Do you have a compatible phone?
 
Great news.
Please read up on the limitations of Libre (and other CGMs). It is not a complete replacement for all finger pricks and anyone who expects accuracy at all times will be disappointed and frustrated.
 
MikeyBikey said:
The paperwork gives endless reasons for withdrawing Libre.
Click to expand...
Whilst I can see why withdrawing a drug or medical device could be right in some circumstances if you are not benefiting, withdrawing the Libre is a bit like withdrawing test strips for the same reason! Regardless of progress, the device is a very useful tool to have and I would almost say, vital, in gaining insight and control over BG. I had fears last year about the Libre being withdrawn from me at a 6 or 12 monthly review and asked my DSN who basically said that they would not do that at all. I’m not surprised different areas do things differently, but I think there is enough momentum now with the Libre for it to be prescribed to T1s at least without any ifs and buts.

Good luck with it, I’m sure you will find it a brilliant tool as so many of us find it.
 
Eternal422 said:
I had fears last year about the Libre being withdrawn from me at a 6 or 12 monthly review and asked my DSN who basically said that they would not do that at all.
Click to expand...
I suspect the conditions were imposed from higher up and that DSNs regarded the trial as almost entirely about finding whether patients got on with Libre or not (no point in giving Libre to someone who's not using it for whatever reasons).

I was also slightly nervous, but the review never happened (or didn't involve me, anyway). The 6 month mark was early in 2020 so perhaps they were busy doing other things.
 
rebrascora said:
So relieved that the wheels are in motion Mikey. I really don't know why they send out such paperwork. They don't threaten you with withdrawal of test strips if you don't improve your HbA1c. They should just be adding it to your prescription without any more of this stupid hoop jumping. There is online training available so no real need to see the Libre rep either and if all else fails, we will keep you right with it Mikey. 😉
Just get that form sent back pronto, even if it shouldn't be necessary. You should have had it years ago and it might have helped save your leg.
In your situation I would apply for the free trial from Abbott in the meantime and log into the Libre Academy and work through the modules so you are pretty much up to speed with it. Do you have a compatible phone?
Click to expand...
Yes, I have an ageing Android phone! Touch wood it has lasted longer than a BlackBerry (with a neat pull out keyboard), a Samsung and a Nokia, and others gone and forgotten! Say it quietly but it is a HAUWEI that Quakers Trump doesn't like! 🙂
 
So it all moved quite fast and I got my Libre 2 yesterday. Afterwards I went and had my blood tests to get baseline HbA1c. If I hear nothing by end of week I will give the clinic a call. Usually when I go to clinic I get white coat hyperglycemia but when the sensor went live in the waiting area it alarmed - I went hypo! So very early days but looks promising! 🙂

Quite happy when nurse commented that I had very little fat on upper arm! 🙂
 
Last edited:
So pleased you have got Libre at last!! Look forward to reading how you get on with it. Really hope it helps improve your diabetes management.
 
@MikeyBikey Congratulations on your new Libre 😎

It has been written, as Nat King Cole sung at Christmas, "many times, many ways," ... Libre is not a replacement for finger pricks. To get the most (or in some cases, anything) out of it, it is important to remember its limitations:
  • Some of us find it can take up to 48 hours to bed in. Until then, it can report a little randomly. This is why many of us will apply the new sensor a day or two before the old one expires so it will be bedded when started.
  • It is most accurate at "normal levels". This is between about 4 and 9. Outside of this range, it can over estimate highs and lows so it is important to check with a finger prick before treating highs and lows (unless you are obviously hypo).
  • CGMs like Libre do not measure blood. They measure interstitial fluid and then apply an algorithm to convert this to a blood sugar reading. There is a delay of about 15 minutes between blood sugars and interstitial fluid. The algorithm Libre applied takes this delay into consideration. Most of the time, this will be transparent to you. However, as the algorithm just extends the curent trend, if the trend changed in the last 15 minutes, you will notice. For example, if your levels are falling and you treat them with fast acting carbs, Libre will report that you are still going low for 15 minutes when your levels have started rising. Libre will correct itself when it gets the "latest" numbers. Therefore, you may see a low (or high) that disappears.
  • The sensor stores 8 hours of data. When you scan it, it downloads that data to your phone/reader. If you do not scan every 8 hours, you will see a gap in your data.
  • If you are technically minded, there are unofficial apps (e.g. Glimp, Diabox, xDrip, Shuggah) that can convert the sensor to transmit the data over Bluetooth so you don't have to scan. The original Libre needed an add on such as a MiaoMiao to do this. This is not necessary with Libre 2 as the alarm signal contains the reading: the apps hi-jack this signal. The added advantage of these apps is they allow you to calibrate the sensor to you.
  • Some sensors do fail or may be inaccurate (even after the 48 hour bed in period). Despite what you read on some fora, these are rare. If it happens, contact Abbott (their phone number is on the box and on their website). Usually, they will replace the faulty sensor. Occasionally, they will ask for the old one back.
That is all I can think of now. I am sure someone will remind us if I have forgotten anything.

Enjoy being sensored and the great insights it brings.
 
I think the only thing you didn't mention @helli was compression lows in that if you lie on the sensor during the night, it will sometimes report an erroneous low/hypo, which is why, as you mentioned above it is always best to double check unless you obviously feel hypo. Usually these compression lows will show as a sharp dip on the graph rather than a slow steady descent into the red as usually happens with basal insulin.... unless you did a major overdose. At least that is my experience. If the alarm goes off during the night and you are lying on your Libre arm that is also a good indication that it will be a compression low, but obviously, double check it unless you feel hypo.
 
Thank you @helli for some very useful information. Also thank you @rebrascora fir that information. I.sleep either on my back or my RHS, so something to be aware of as nurse said I must alternate arms although I imagine it should work almost anywhere although centre of the forehead would look silly!

250px-ArnoldRimmer1.jpg
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top