Libre 2 placement sites

[Nattiemac]

Hi all, I'm just wondering if anybody on a freestyle libre 2 have tried other places eg hips, thighs and chest? And did you find it better/worse, accurate/not accurate? I found my arm placements great but my husband tends to catch or knock it ( forgets it's there) and Im scared about it been knocked off.
Any input would help
Thankyou

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Abbott ran a trial into alternative locations (chest and abdomen I think, but would have to go looking) and found the original back-of-arms location to offer better data, so continued to have that as their only recommended site.

I think we have a few members who may have tried other sites with some success, but I suspect even of someone had a glowing recommendation of somewhere - you’d really only know if it worked for you by trying it.

Some members find wearing overtapes provide reassurance against sensors being displaced.

Personally, while I’ve used sensors for years that are approved for abdomen and elsewhere - I find back of arm gives me so much more stable and usable data that I‘ve stuck with it.

 

[Catbanj]

I got a trial of an overpatch and loved it. I knocked mine all the time and it never budged.

https://www.diabeticsupply.co.uk/co...le-patch-not-just-a-patch-freestyle-libre-1-2

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Just be sure that whatever you put over your sensor doesn't press down too hard on it. That can give a similar effect to a 'compression low' when you sleep on a sensor at night and the lack of flow of interstitial fluid gives the impression of a hypo when your BGs were stable.

Abbott also recommend keeping the central hole uncovered so that the skin under the sensor can breathe. 🙂

 

[JohnS]

We have just returned from holiday where we did a lot of swimming in the sea. Prior to going I purchased a packet of Libre patche. They are the very thin plastic type with a ~ 30mm circle over the Libre made of waterproof and breathable material. They worked a treat but when it came time to take them off, oh my! The plastic stuck like the proverbial and you almost had to scrape it off with your fingernail!

 

[Finn]

Hi all, I'm just wondering if anybody on a freestyle libre 2 have tried other places eg hips, thighs and chest? And did you find it better/worse, accurate/not accurate? I found my arm placements great but my husband tends to catch or knock it ( forgets it's there) and Im scared about it been knocked off.
Any input would help
Thankyou

I've only used FreeStyle Libre 2 and 3 on the back of my arm, but I'm on Dexcom G6 now and have had good luck on my upper outer arm (the usual place, I think), my inner upper arm (so aimed at my ribs when my arms are at my sides) and my outer forearm.

I gave my thigh a try (where my thigh, hip and butt meet), and while it was comfortable for me, I did not have accurate readings and ended the sensor after less than a day. Know that what works for one person might not work for another.

The plastic stuck like the proverbial and you almost had to scrape it off with your fingernail!

Baby oil works really well for getting stuck adhesive off of skin.

 

[AprilTS]

I was diagnosed with diabetes in my thirties and have tried just about every drug on the market but without great success until I was prescribed Ozempic a couple of years ago. It's been a miracle drug for me, my blood sugars dropped instantly and my weight has slowly dropped. However I started to get hypos quite frequently recently, which my doctor said is because my blood sugars are so much improved. Unfortunately I've got a lot of the usual complications from poorly controlled diabetes and it's become very difficult to obtain blood through finger pricks. I managed to get a free libre 10 days ago and haven't had any problems with it. It's been fascinating to see how how my diet and activities affect my blood sugar. However I do find it easy to knock on my upper arm and it's very slightly sore. I'm wondering what the long term effects might be and whether I might run out of places to site it in future. I was hoping to be able to place it on my upper chest or abdomen where there is still plenty of room, although if my weight continues to drop that might change in future. Have other people had any success with those sites?

 

[Proud to be erratic]

I was diagnosed with diabetes in my thirties and have tried just about every drug on the market but without great success until I was prescribed Ozempic a couple of years ago. It's been a miracle drug for me, my blood sugars dropped instantly and my weight has slowly dropped. However I started to get hypos quite frequently recently, which my doctor said is because my blood sugars are so much improved. Unfortunately I've got a lot of the usual complications from poorly controlled diabetes and it's become very difficult to obtain blood through finger pricks. I managed to get a free libre 10 days ago and haven't had any problems with it. It's been fascinating to see how how my diet and activities affect my blood sugar. However I do find it easy to knock on my upper arm and it's very slightly sore. I'm wondering what the long term effects might be and whether I might run out of places to site it in future. I was hoping to be able to place it on my upper chest or abdomen where there is still plenty of room, although if my weight continues to drop that might change in future. Have other people had any success with those sites?

I no longer have Libre, but Dexcom One instead. With libre I tried it on my chest, successfully, but alert to the fact that didn't meet the legality of DVLA requirements; I found my chest an easy pla e to get a svan first time - as opposed to reaching behind my arm and generally having to try again!

Mostly I wore it on my left arm - and only my left because I habitually sleep on my right. I found 2 years of moving it slightly around my left arm to be totally workable and got no sense that one day there would need to be a change.

Also, no point in looking too far ahead - the tech will change over the coming years and sensor siting is likely to also change.

 

[AprilTS]

I no longer have Libre, but Dexcom One instead. With libre I tried it on my chest, successfully, but alert to the fact that didn't meet the legality of DVLA requirements; I found my chest an easy pla e to get a svan first time - as opposed to reaching behind my arm and generally having to try again!

Mostly I wore it on my left arm - and only my left because I habitually sleep on my right. I found 2 years of moving it slightly around my left arm to be totally workable and got no sense that one day there would need to be a change.

Also, no point in looking too far ahead - the tech will change over the coming years and sensor siting is likely to also change.

Thanks, that's useful to know. I haven't heard of Dexcom 1. Maybe it's something I'll need in the future if these lows continue.

 

[AprilTS]

@AprilTS Iv only been on freestyle libre for 6 weeks, and I find it amazing, I think the best way would be to use one arm for 2 weeks then go to the other arm - back and forth, maybe put them a bit lower/higher than the last one you had on 2 weeks previous and just do it like that, iv put my 3rd sensor in more a less the same place I had my 1st and iv not noticed any problems so it heals pretty quickly, I doubt you will run out of areas to put just keep alternating it, iv not had the soreness tho you might be having a reaction to the adhesive?? Make sure your arm is completely dry when adding a new sensor maybe if there is a bit of moisture it might cause soreness, or maybe try more to the back of your arm if you keep knocking it? but honestly I don't know. Maybe talk to your diabetic nurse about it?

Thanks. I'm slightly disabled and not sure whether I'll be able to reach to put it on my right arm.

As for the diabetic nurse, chance would be a fine thing! I had to make a formal complaint and threaten to go to my MP to even get a diabetic review last week. I might be able to get the next review done in six months when it's due but I'm not holding my breath

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Thanks, that's useful to know. I haven't heard of Dexcom 1. Maybe it's something I'll need in the future if these lows continue.

I was finally allowed to change the basic type of CGM last year after a change in the prescribing guidelines by NICE. My failure rate with Libre 2 was constantly >50%, my body and L2 were not very compatible. De com One is similar in orinciole and there are pros and cons for each, but Dex One is real-time CGM, so no more scanning. In principle anyone on L2 can ask to be changed to Dex One and that is solely in the gift of a GP since it is cost neutral; but I would not be surprised if a GP wanted confirmation from a consultant or DSN - because it is out of their comfort zone to change such things.

 

[AprilTS]

Oh heck, hopefully you will get seen soon, have you tried the area on your underarm? Aka bingo wing? That might be a better for placement if you struggle with your arm movement, I was asking about other places like the chest but I'm scared that if it doesn't work properly or if it hurts and I have to take it off I would be without a sensor, I suppose you could try your chest if up to trying I have seen on YouTube people do put them on thighs, hips and chest but Im too chicken to try haha.

As this was my first one and I've managed this long with finger pricks, I can experiment a little for now.
I saw the Diabetic nurse last week and wasn't impressed. She said that they might want to take me off Ozempic now that my HBA1C is within normal range. WHAT ****** It's only in normal range because Ozempic is working! 35 years of poor control has left me disabled by every complication you can imagine and she thinks I can control it myself now. I'd rather manage on my own than see her again.

 

[Lucyr]

She said that they might want to take me off Ozempic now that my HBA1C is within normal range. WHAT ****** It's only in normal range because Ozempic is working!

A normal hba1c but with regular hypos isn’t a desirable result, it would be safer to have a slightly higher hba1c without the hypos.

 

[AprilTS]

A normal hba1c but with regular hypos isn’t a desirable result, it would be safer to have a slightly higher hba1c without the hypos.

I agree. I stopped taking my Gliclazide as I couldn't get medical advice and the hypos stopped but I started to get highs of 13 so I'm trying one a day instead of two. It's such a juggling act, and quite new to me because until Ozempic I was always too high most of the time.

 

[AprilTS]

Mattie, I didn't get diagnosed until I was in my thirties and had a full training course about it all. That was nearly forty years ago and things have changed a lot since then. I started off with Metformin and still take it, but have tried lots of different medications since then. Insulin was useless for me my body didn't react to it and they kept telling me to increase the dose. As it increased my appetite I got bigger bigger until I almost reached 19 stone. At that point I decided I'd rather die of diabetes complications than live life at that weight. My weight gradually dropped over the next few years until I settled at 14 stone. Naturally my blood sugars were always too high and I've got a lot of the usual complications such as diabetic maculopathy, neuropathy in my fingers and toes, and I had a stroke 4 years ago. They didn't think it was related to my diabetes or blood pressure but couldn't identify the real cause. Since then I've been on loads of medications for blood pressure, diabetes, kidneys etc. Everything changed when I started Ozempic and since then my blood sugars immediately dropped and I've lost another two stone. My HBA1C is now in the normal range and I have to be careful to eat enough every four hours or I get hypos. I still want to lose another two stone so it's a balancing act!
I feel so fortunate that I've been able to benefit from medication developments over the years. I'd certainly be almost blind if it wasn't for the regular eye injections I have.
Developing diabetes in childhood is a whole different ball game and I really feel for you. The teenage years are hard enough without having to control your diet and consider your Diabetes constantly.
Do you have children and does diabetes run in your family? Luckily it's never been diagnosed but we do have traits for Bipolar disease and autism, which they are discovering are related to each other. I've got two grandchildren of 12 and 10 and try and much as I can to support research into these conditions, in the hopes that they can develop better treatments as a result.
April

 

[AprilTS]

Yes I have 3 kids age 13, 12, and 8, my son (12) has autism and ADHD and my oldest has some traits of autism but not enough to be diagnosed for, I thought I had bipolar but it turned out to be borderline personality disorder, I suffer massive depressive episodes, I didn't have a good childhood with an abusive mother, but that's another story, been diagnosed as a baby was hard but I couldn't imagine been diagnosed now at my age that must of been hard for you, No I'm the only one who has diabetes I was worried that my kids could get it but nothing as of yet (fingers crossed).
At least your on a pill that helps you lose weight and keeps your bloods down, I can't even imagine the needle in the eyes that sounds horrible but at least you can still see, do you have insulin resistance with the insulin not working properly and have you asked about the libre 3 with the insulin pump? I have days when I have loads of insulin and my bloods stay high and takes hours even after 40 units of novorapid to come back in to range, it has been better on the sensor having the alerts, but 36 years of injecting causes lumps and bumps under the skin and it's not able to absorb properly which I do know my legs and stomach are like the roads outside today and the top of my arms are massive and hard, but I do keep using them so I can't blame anyone else for that, high blood pressure and diabetes are a high risk for a stroke and the doctors know they can come hand in hand with type 1, it always scares me when I think about all the problems diabetes causes, I started with leg pain first then my legs go purple mottled, all my nurse was saying over and over your circulation is fine but she wasn't really listening then I was diagnosed with fibro from another doctor, I have lost the feeling in the tips of my fingers before and it took over 6 months to fully come back. I test my kids bloods now and again to make sure there not starting with any symptoms.

Your story is remarkably like mine. My childhood was abusive and I'm sure my mother had bipolar. I've been bipolar all my life but didn't get diagnosed until last autumn and it's made a huge difference to the view I have of things that happened.
I started on Ozempic a couple of weeks ago, it's a once weekly injection and working brilliantly for me. The main problem is that my blood sugars are now varying up and down a lot, especially getting hypos. I think it's a question of tweaking my medications to get it more stable. As I continue to lose weight they'll need to be adjusted accordingly, but I'm so happy about losing weight that I don't mind. I'm hoping I'll eventually reach the right weight for me and everything will stabilise.