Getting a Libre 2

[EmmaG]

Hi everyone just wanted to say how useful this forum is to newbies like myself. My son was diagnosed with Type 1 last May aged 15. Things seem to be going ok and he decided that he would like to use a Continuous Glucose Meter so I researched and found Libre was really good. We talked to our diabetic team and said that we understood that we would probably need to pay initially. Our diabetic nurse said she would be in touch this was last September. Next appointment in December she said the new Libre 2 was being released in January and she’d be in touch. Our next appointment was March and our diabetic nurse said she remembers that we want to try Libre 2 and she will be in touch April we are still waiting for her to be in touch. I know she is really busy especially during the Pandemic but we’re still waiting after 7 months. Has anyone else had this much difficulty trying to get a Libre 2? Do we need to go through our diabetic team if we’re willing to pay for the tech? Any advice gratefully received.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Do we need to go through our diabetic team if we’re willing to pay for the tech?

If you're willing to pay you can just buy it (the website makes it easy enough).

However, given that your healthcare team seem willing to have it prescribed it's probably worth contacting them again.

 

[Robin]

I know she is really busy especially during the Pandemic but we’re still waiting after 7 months.

It took me a long time to get my hands on a Libre 1 last year. (6 months from actually having my appointment at the hospital where I asked for one).I gave up being patient and understanding in the end, and resorted to emailing the poor secretary fortnightly, then weekly, asking for an update. It worked, though, she prodded the right people, and suddenly one was forthcoming.
I had been self funding before that, and this is certainly possible if you want to go down that route, also it’s worth checking on the Abbott Libre website, because they were doing a free trial of one Libre 2 sensor.

 

[Lucyr]

Kings College London are doing research into hypo's, you get a Libre 2 for three months. Might be worth a punt to try it out!

How do hypos affect our lives?

Researchers at King’s College London and across the UK would like to recruit people aged 18-85 with type 1 diabetes, or with type 2 diabetes who treat their condition with insulin, and who have had at least one hypo in the last month to take part in their study. The researchers want to find out...

www.diabetes.org.uk

It does say you won’t be able to use it to see your blood sugar readings so I guess they just want people who don’t use libre. Would have done it if I was a bit closer though as I think research is always worth doing!

 

[Lucyr]

You will get a report at the end and it's all done via Zoom.

If it’s done via zoom I’d offer, the link said travel for blood tests and I wasn’t really willing to travel to London at the moment.