Is it worth wearing a libre

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ILikeSugar :|

ILikeSugar :|

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
So I made a post before about my libre being off so I've put a new one in which works fine and I know it normally is a couple of mmol off of what it actually is but say is my sugar levels are at 8 but it's 10 on my libre is it worth using the libre as 10 is a bit higher then what it should be so was just wondering if it'd cause any long term affects
 
Have you read the threads talking about the limitations of the Libre?
It is a fantastic piece of kit but blindly believing the numbers it shows without understanding the limitations is pointless.

I find it incredibly useful but I insert it at least 2 days before activating, calibrate daily and check highs and lows with finger pricks.
I also take Libre holidays when I find myself getting anxious and testing too often for my comfort.
 
I love Libre and find the Libre 1 mostly pretty accurate for me and I am happy to bolus for meals from it and do corrections, but I do check it's accuracy from time to time when my levels are very stable for an hour or two to make sure it is within proximity of a finger prick check as well as checking hypo readings most of the time. 2 mmols is the absolute maximum I would expect it to be out and in my experience it remains pretty much the same discrepancy throughout it's life compared to my BG levels so I can take that discrepancy into consideration when bolusing to a certain extent. If my premeal reading is 7 and I know the Libre reads 1 mmol lower than my BG then that would make my BG about 8 so I might have an extra half a unit correction with my meal bolus to account for that.

I agree with @helli that it is important to understand it's limitations but it has revolutionized how I manage my diabetes and I wouldn't want to be without it. That said, some people have had a significant number of problems with Libre 2 and I am less keen to be upgraded to that than I once was. I don't personally feel that I need the alarms. If I was having the problems with the system that some people are, then I would certainly want to go back to the Libre 1.
 
helli said:
Have you read the threads talking about the limitations of the Libre?
It is a fantastic piece of kit but blindly believing the numbers it shows without understanding the limitations is pointless.

I find it incredibly useful but I insert it at least 2 days before activating, calibrate daily and check highs and lows with finger pricks.
I also take Libre holidays when I find myself getting anxious and testing too often for my comfort.
Click to expand...
No I haven't really read anything about it I've been using it ever since I was diagnosed which was around half a year ago now and I've not really been finger prick testing what so ever I just don't know if I'm getting good readings now I look into it more because say if I get 9 on my libre I think it's not a bad reading but it'll be like 12 in reality which isn't great even though I'm normally around 9mmol or under it just doesn't feel too accurate
 
Yeah it's been great having it I've never really has a problem up until yesterday when it was around 5 to 6mmol off of what it was on my finger prick test so I've put a new one in now its just made me wonder how accurate it actually is and yes the alarms are annoying my alarm is set to go off when it reaches 4.5 mmol and I've had it go off but the when I check it's at like 5. Something I'm just unsure if it'll cause any long term damage by relying on the libre
rebrascora said:
I love Libre and find the Libre 1 mostly pretty accurate for me and I am happy to bolus for meals from it and do corrections, but I do check it's accuracy from time to time when my levels are very stable for an hour or two to make sure it is within proximity of a finger prick check as well as checking hypo readings most of the time. 2 mmols is the absolute maximum I would expect it to be out and in my experience it remains pretty much the same discrepancy throughout it's life compared to my BG levels so I can take that discrepancy into consideration when bolusing to a certain extent. If my premeal reading is 7 and I know the Libre reads 1 mmol lower than my BG then that would make my BG about 8 so I might have an extra half a unit correction with my meal bolus to account for that.

I agree with @helli that it is important to understand it's limitations but it has revolutionized how I manage my diabetes and I wouldn't want to be without it. That said, some people have had a significant number of problems with Libre 2 and I am less keen to be upgraded to that than I once was. I don't personally feel that I need the alarms. If I was having the problems with the system that some people are, then I would certainly want to go back to the Libre 1.
Click to expand...
 
ILikeSugar :| said:
No I haven't really read anything about it I've been using it ever since I was diagnosed which was around half a year ago now and I've not really been finger prick testing what so ever I just don't know if I'm getting good readings now I look into it more because say if I get 9 on my libre I think it's not a bad reading but it'll be like 12 in reality which isn't great even though I'm normally around 9mmol or under it just doesn't feel too accurate
Click to expand...

Is that 2 version? Find 2 is far more accurate than 1, so much so that only do random bg tests now. Know that for some folk libre just doesn't work for them, consultant said this once when discussing device, no idea why.
 
nonethewiser said:
Is that 2 version? Find 2 is far more accurate than 1, so much so that only do random bg tests now. Know that for some folk libre just doesn't work for them, consultant said this once when discussing device, no idea why.
Click to expand...
Yeah it is libre 2 it's worked fine for as long as I've had it it's only recently when it's started to get bad it wakes me multiple times in the middle of the night and just doesn't seem that accurate
 
If it is waking you through the night with low alarms, then it could be that you have put it in a slightly different position and when you lie on that side you are causing a compression low where the tissue around the filament in the sensor becomes compressed and that affects the fluid composition and hence the reading. If you are lying on that side when the alarm goes off, then that would be the likely cause. I am getting pretty good about not lying on the side with the Libre sensor on it, even though I alternate arms. My subconscious brain seems to remember..... I suppose in the same way as it knows where the edge of the bed is etc so that you don't roll out.
 
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