My husband has been using Libre 2 plus for around 6 months , before that he used libre 2. There were no problems with libre2 and at first libre2 plus was ok but recently he has had to remove 4 in 4weeks. The worst problem is the alarm going off several times during the day and night informing him of low sugars but when he finger pricks his sugar level is ok ..When he phones to let them know they send out another sensor but each one recently has done the same thing..We are losing so much sleep becauseof the sensor going off needlessly but scared not to have it on " just in case ", Has anyone else had this problem or know what the problem may be ??
-
Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
Libre 2 plus
- Thread starter mrsy
- Start date
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi and welcome.
Sorry to hear your husband is starting to find his Libre unreliable. Is he aware of the limitations of CGMs (Constant Glucose Monitors) and in particular that if you apply pressure to them for an extended period of time (15-20mins) they will produce a false low reading. We call these "compression lows" and they can be particularly problematic at night if you lie on them. I am wondering if the recent warm weather is causing him to toss and turn in bed a bit more and as a result lie on the sensor more. Placement can be quite critical for preventing this and finding a part of the arm where you are less likely to squash the sensor with your body weight.
The sensor will also sometimes read low if the adhesive hasn't made a good bond to the skin and it starts to come away, perhaps just on one side causing the sensor filament to be disturbed and/or get kinked when pressed back down or taped down. I very nearly lost one the other day when I was doing some very vigorous and prolonged activity with my arms on a very hot day. The heat softens the adhesive and the constant movement of the muscles under the sensor mean that it can start to move. I usually have an arm strap on which consists of a sort of watch face cover which fits perfectly around the circumference of the sensor and has an adjustable elastic strap to keep it in place. This helps protect the sensor from getting caught on clothing etc but also keeps it secure when you are doing quite physical work or exercise. Unfortunately my last arm strap broke recently and I hadn't got around to replacing it, but this incident reminded me that I need to. Thankfully I felt it starting to move as I worked and I was able to wrap some cohesive bandage around it to keep it in place and it has continued to work well for me, but I will be investing in another arm strap. My previous one lasted over 2 years and I didn't lose a single Libre during that time so I think they are worth the investment. I got mine off ebay but I am sure other online platforms sell them. They come in a variety of colours from skin tone through pastels to bright neon colours.
I am not saying that this is necessarily the cause of your husband's issues but it is certainly worth considering. I have only just moved to the LIbre 2+ and this one that I very nearly lost is my second sensor of this model, so I do wonder if the adhesive is perhaps not quite as good, although I have worn an arm strap for so long prior to this with the original Libre and then LIbre 2 that it has just not been a problem. I do feel that without an arm strap I was seriously putting the adhesive to the test with the heat and sweat and constant flexing of my triceps the other day and those were quite extreme circumstances.
I hope you are able to find a solution but it may be that a move to Decom 1+ is the answer. Your GP should be able to prescribe Dexcom 1+ instead of Libre 2+ as a straight swap, but the Dexcom app is compatible with less phones than Libre, so you would have to check that your husband's phone is on their list.
Sorry to hear your husband is starting to find his Libre unreliable. Is he aware of the limitations of CGMs (Constant Glucose Monitors) and in particular that if you apply pressure to them for an extended period of time (15-20mins) they will produce a false low reading. We call these "compression lows" and they can be particularly problematic at night if you lie on them. I am wondering if the recent warm weather is causing him to toss and turn in bed a bit more and as a result lie on the sensor more. Placement can be quite critical for preventing this and finding a part of the arm where you are less likely to squash the sensor with your body weight.
The sensor will also sometimes read low if the adhesive hasn't made a good bond to the skin and it starts to come away, perhaps just on one side causing the sensor filament to be disturbed and/or get kinked when pressed back down or taped down. I very nearly lost one the other day when I was doing some very vigorous and prolonged activity with my arms on a very hot day. The heat softens the adhesive and the constant movement of the muscles under the sensor mean that it can start to move. I usually have an arm strap on which consists of a sort of watch face cover which fits perfectly around the circumference of the sensor and has an adjustable elastic strap to keep it in place. This helps protect the sensor from getting caught on clothing etc but also keeps it secure when you are doing quite physical work or exercise. Unfortunately my last arm strap broke recently and I hadn't got around to replacing it, but this incident reminded me that I need to. Thankfully I felt it starting to move as I worked and I was able to wrap some cohesive bandage around it to keep it in place and it has continued to work well for me, but I will be investing in another arm strap. My previous one lasted over 2 years and I didn't lose a single Libre during that time so I think they are worth the investment. I got mine off ebay but I am sure other online platforms sell them. They come in a variety of colours from skin tone through pastels to bright neon colours.
I am not saying that this is necessarily the cause of your husband's issues but it is certainly worth considering. I have only just moved to the LIbre 2+ and this one that I very nearly lost is my second sensor of this model, so I do wonder if the adhesive is perhaps not quite as good, although I have worn an arm strap for so long prior to this with the original Libre and then LIbre 2 that it has just not been a problem. I do feel that without an arm strap I was seriously putting the adhesive to the test with the heat and sweat and constant flexing of my triceps the other day and those were quite extreme circumstances.
I hope you are able to find a solution but it may be that a move to Decom 1+ is the answer. Your GP should be able to prescribe Dexcom 1+ instead of Libre 2+ as a straight swap, but the Dexcom app is compatible with less phones than Libre, so you would have to check that your husband's phone is on their list.
Thanks for your reply.I appreciate it....We were actually wondering if perhaps lying on it in bed was doing something to it...This seems a likely reason to me but I didn`t know if it was a thing or not....really helpfull ,thanks again .
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Below is a link to a list of the limitations and quirks of CGMs which was compiled by a member of the forum after lots of discussion here between us reveal these issues were being experienced by several members. I have mostly trained myself not to sleep on my sensor arm or to place my other hand under the sensor arm elbow when I do lie on that side. It sounds unlikely but we are conscious of body position during our sleep as otherwise we would roll out of bed, especially if we were staying in a strange bed away from home.
Placement of the sensor more round towards the back can also help. I don't think the weight of your arm alone is enough to compress it and cause a problem but it is when your body weight is pressing down on it, so some experimentation of where on the arm you locate it, can help to reduce these false alarms. I can also tell from looking at the graph if it is a compression low rather than having to finger prick every time, so if the alarm goes off I can just cancel the alarm, look at the graph and go back to sleep if I can see the graph has suddenly dipped from an otherwise fairly steady line. It also pays to take notice which side you are lying on when the alarm wakes you up as that is another possible indication that it is a compression low.
Hope that all helps you eliminate some of the disruption and get a bit better sleep. CGMs are wonderful bits of kit but they all still have their limitations and drawbacks. If you continue to have problems then your husband might want to consider the Dexcom One + which I believe is certified for use on other parts of the body like the stomach as well as the back of the arm, but then placement needs to avoid waistband/belt pressure etc. You can also experiment with placing Libre somewhere other than the back of the arm, but you need to be aware that if you use it for driving, you would probably need to finger prick instead because you are not using it in accordance with manufacturers guidance. Also Abbott may not replace faulty sensors if you admit you are using it in an unauthorised place.
Placement of the sensor more round towards the back can also help. I don't think the weight of your arm alone is enough to compress it and cause a problem but it is when your body weight is pressing down on it, so some experimentation of where on the arm you locate it, can help to reduce these false alarms. I can also tell from looking at the graph if it is a compression low rather than having to finger prick every time, so if the alarm goes off I can just cancel the alarm, look at the graph and go back to sleep if I can see the graph has suddenly dipped from an otherwise fairly steady line. It also pays to take notice which side you are lying on when the alarm wakes you up as that is another possible indication that it is a compression low.
Hope that all helps you eliminate some of the disruption and get a bit better sleep. CGMs are wonderful bits of kit but they all still have their limitations and drawbacks. If you continue to have problems then your husband might want to consider the Dexcom One + which I believe is certified for use on other parts of the body like the stomach as well as the back of the arm, but then placement needs to avoid waistband/belt pressure etc. You can also experiment with placing Libre somewhere other than the back of the arm, but you need to be aware that if you use it for driving, you would probably need to finger prick instead because you are not using it in accordance with manufacturers guidance. Also Abbott may not replace faulty sensors if you admit you are using it in an unauthorised place.
I've been using the Libre 2 + for several months now and no problems. I suspect two things. One, your finger-prick tester may be reading slightly high (they have a +/- 15% accuracy) and, two, that as others have said CGMs are not that accurate at low sugar levels
John Gray
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
I find that both Libre 2 and Libre 2 Plus sensors have always read 1-2 units lower than the couple of blood glucose monitors I've had.
I've just come to accept this, and realise when my Libre sensor indicates (say) 3.4, I am feeling perfectly normal and am not having a hypo. I just need to make sure that the trend is (slightly) upward, away from the 'hypo zone' [time for up to five Haribo Fangtastic gummies...].
As always "your mileage may vary", since everyone is different!
I've just come to accept this, and realise when my Libre sensor indicates (say) 3.4, I am feeling perfectly normal and am not having a hypo. I just need to make sure that the trend is (slightly) upward, away from the 'hypo zone' [time for up to five Haribo Fangtastic gummies...].
As always "your mileage may vary", since everyone is different!