Libra Accuracy

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sharp00782

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Just got a low alert on my libre 2 saying 4.2. Checked with a finger blood test and I’m 8.1.

Any advice as this is way out of tolerance.
 
sharp00782 said:
Just got a low alert on my libre 2 saying 4.2. Checked with a finger blood test and I’m 8.1.
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Make a record of the discrepancies (make sure you're roughly stable to make sure it's not just because of rapid changes) then report it to Abbott (there's a web report page if you prefer to report it that way).

They'll want comparisons showing errors three times.
 
Had you eaten recently? If your levels were trending downwards as your breakfast bolus kicked in but you had already just eaten breakfast then the Libre will still be showing your levels dropping when the glucose is actually hitting your blood stream.... but not made it into your interstitial fluid yet, so if you have eaten or injected in the hour previous to that reading, you are not going to get a good comparison.
 
Yeah it’s not playing ball today. Mike’s out. Telling me 3.2 now when I’m 7.6. Shall I swap the sensor?
 

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sharp00782 said:
Already done 3 today alone and it’s well out.
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You have to report them to abbot though not just take the sensor off. If they tell you to take it off and replace it then they will send a free replacement. Otherwise you’ll be one sensor short.
 
Lucyr said:
You have to report them to abbot though not just take the sensor off. If they tell you to take it off and replace it then they will send a free replacement. Otherwise you’ll be one sensor short.
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To be honest I just swapped it for a new one and all seems well. I have quite a few spare anyway so wasn't an issue.
 
@sharp00782 do you fund your own Libre or do you get them on prescription?
Neither you nor the cash strapped NHS should pay for faulty equipment. It is important to report Libre issues to Abbott to get replacements and not waste money.
 
sharp00782 said:
To be honest I just swapped it for a new one and all seems well. I have quite a few spare anyway so wasn't an issue.
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As helli says. If the nhs are paying for these then you should not just swap for a new one you should report it first to get it replaced. You can’t expect the NHS to fund your extra sensor use through lack of desire to report it.

If you’re self funding then it’s your choice whether to pay for a new one or get a free replacement.
 
@sharp00782 I have had the odd sensor read consistently lower than it should, in fact my very first one went as much as 4 lower than BG. There are some things that will cause lower or inaccurate readings, compression lows when you sleep on the sensor or even just dehydration. Assuming you are comparing against a finger stick test taken roughly 15 mins before scanning and your BG is stable, not rising or falling by much, then the two should be fairly close. I can get sensor readings within 0.5 of fingerstick at best, other times out by about 1.

For my own mental health I avoid constantly checking as doing so would just drive me crazy! The two will never totally agree but I believe that keeping within range is more important than actual figures - spending the majority of the time between 4 and 7, for example, means it is not important whether that figure is 4.3 or even 6.3. You will still end up with a better HbA1c than being much higher than that range. Of course, if the sensor is saying consistently figures around 7, it may be your actual BG could be anything up to 9, which wouldn’t be as good. I have set myself a target of 6 on the sensor which I use in calculating bolus corrections and that seems to help me achieve a fairly good level of control without risking too many hypos.

I definitely agree with @Lucyr and @helli in getting a replacement. As well as saving wasted money either for you or the NHS, it is a good way to make Abbott aware of issues and a chance for them to improve the product. Generally you are able to report online using their sensor reporting form here : https://www.freestylelibre.co.uk/libre/help/sensor-support-form.html which means you don’t have to waste your time on the phone to someone in their call centre.
 
Lucyr said:
As helli says. If the nhs are paying for these then you should not just swap for a new one you should report it first to get it replaced. You can’t expect the NHS to fund your extra sensor use through lack of desire to report it.

If you’re self funding then it’s your choice whether to pay for a new one or get a free replacement.
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I paid thank you very much as I like to have spares just in case before you insinuate I abuse the NHS which I have also paid into for 24 years.

I have also made Abbott aware and they are sending me another one.
 
sharp00782 said:
I paid thank you very much as I like to have spares just in case before you insinuate I abuse the NHS which I have also paid into for 24 years.

I have also made Abbott aware and they are sending me another one.
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No need to be so aggressive, only an hour earlier you said you’d replaced it without calling abbot as you have spare sensors. Since it sounds like most of your sensors are coming from the NHS you do have to report faulty ones.
 
Lucyr said:
No need to be so aggressive, only an hour earlier you said you’d replaced it without calling abbot as you have spare sensors. Since it sounds like most of your sensors are coming from the NHS you do have to report faulty ones.
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I’m not being aggressive and I never said that I replaced it without contacting Abbott and reporting it. What I said was “in the end I replaced it”.
Thank you to everyone that didn’t judge me. Much appreciated.
 
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