Libre 2

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Fletch100!

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Type 1
Hi, has anyone found that sensors are failing after 8-10 days & not lasting the claimed 14 days?
 
Mine all go the distance. ie. 14 days and have done since I got an arm band which helps to protect it. Before that I used to occasionally catch it on clothing or doorways or scrub it in the shower or with the towel when getting dry. Now the strap and cover protects it but also acts as a visual reminder when I am in the shower of which arm to be careful of, when I am having a good scrub.
My arm strap consists of an elastic adjustable band and a plastic 3D printed "watch face" which fits very precisely around the circumference of the sensor to keep it secure. I got it off ebay. Occasionally when I am undressing and not paying enough attention, the arm strap will ping but it takes the strain and leaves the sensor unscathed.
Once the filament gets pulled and disturbed due to the sensor getting caught on something and the adhesive giving, even ever so slightly, the sensor will start to fail, so having a good application technique and keeping it secure is really important.
 
Almost all of my Libre sensors ran the full 14 days.

Are they seeming to come loose @Fletch100! ? Is the glue lifting?

Worth reporting any sensors that end early to Abbott. They should replace them. The NHS have paid for 14 day wear, and shouldn’t miss out on 30-40% of the sensor's life!
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Worth reporting any sensors that end early to Abbott. They should replace them.
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Yes. I'm guilty of not doing that if the sensor seems to be being a bit too inaccurate for the last day or two, but the last couple of failures have been much easier: the app (and reader) have just said that the sensor needs replacing. In that case there's surely no question that Abbott should send a replacement (and they have).
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Almost all of my Libre sensors ran the full 14 days.

Are they seeming to come loose @Fletch100! ? Is the glue lifting?

Worth reporting any sensors that end early to Abbott. They should replace them. The NHS have paid for 14 day wear, and shouldn’t miss out on 30-40% of the sensor's life!
Click to expand...
Ok thanks. No problem with sensors re: stickability! Have reported to Abbott & they always are fantastic, replacements sent within 3-5 days. Each time a sensor fails, short of the 14 days, I return faulty sensors to Abbott for their investigation. Really want to understand why these failures are occurring.
 
Fletch100! said:
Hi, has anyone found that sensors are failing after 8-10 days & not lasting the claimed 14 days?
Click to expand...
I bought Kovaq adhesive patches - these come with a small plastic disc that secures neatly over the sensor and then a larger circular plaster to cove the whole arrangement. One plaster usually stays in place for ~4 to 7 days so I use about 2 or 3 over the life of one sensor. This works well, and I have had no sensors coming detatched.
 
I recently had 2 sensors which failed after 8 - 12 hrs and needed replacing. Both were put on either during the day or later in the evening and had failed by the time I got up. Abbott replaced easily. I also had one application mechanism fail which is a first. I've put it down to a faulty batch as last few have been fine
 
I'm having a lot of failures recently.
One sensor read 22 all the time.
Next one kept giving the "scan in 10mins error". These would last for hours at a time.
Currently on 3rd sensor in 4 days.
 
I've been on dexcom for a year now. No sensor failures. A couple have played up a couple of hours before their expiry date. The only replacements i've needed were when i made a mistake when i had to replace transmitter. Previously to that i had libre and several sensor failures....
It may be your body doesn't get on with libre and dexcom may suit better?
 
Through an ordering issue of my own making, I ran out of my usual CGMs and had to revert to my back up supply of Libre. This was the first time to use one since it had become a CGM.
The lack of calibration was still frustrating but the constant update was great. It experienced sensor loss when I left my phone in another room but usually automatically reconnected. However, on day 7, it reported a lost sensor fault despite being close to me. I did a NFC scan and the app told me to change the sensor. Grrrrrrr.
It was time for more firsts so I reported the issue online (when I last used Libre,the only option was via phone) and a replacement arrived 4 days later.
Whilst I was pleased to return to my usual calibratable sensor, I felt the Libre experience wasn't terrible. It would have been better if it hadn't failed but at least it was replaced quick and easily so I am happy to have a very small stash for back up.
 
To date. Apart from one slight edge peel on a Libre (8 days in.) and one finishing 2 hours early on the 24h count down.
I really don’t have much to report. There can be a brief drop out (20 minutes of data, approx.) on the BT but it seems to correlate with other possible devices in the vicinity? A quick scan picks it up & fills in the gap.
 
Well my 4th sensor is now also saying "sensor error"
It does this for hours at a time, the same as the previous ones.
It must be me.
 
Hello @Fletch100! and @Brava210,

If it helps with some perspective on different CGMs:
After 12 months on finger pricking only and really poor BG management, in Feb '21 I started with Libre 2. The reliability of Libre 2 was that less than 50% of my sensors did the full 14 days and the correlation between Libre readings and finger pricks was also extremely varied; readings could be randomly higher for the life of a sensor, then randomly lower and sometimes would start high then end up low - and vice versa. I endured (tolerated?) this for over 12 months; despite the poor nature of reliability and accuracy I was still better off with Libre than without, if only because the constant visibility from scans still helped me, along with reliable trend arrows. At this stage I had little choice and I unquestionably found this all adding to my D stress.

In mid '22 the revise to the NICE Guidance for T1 (NG17) improved the availability for CGM generally and importantly for me widened the availability of up to 4 different CGMs in the same price range as Libre 2, making it possible to ask to be moved onto something else on a cost neutral basis - which I did through my Consultant. I went to Dexcom One end '22. The delay was solely because of the local bureaucracy by my regional ICB then local procurement issues. Dex One was a little more accurate and a bit more reliable - but still far from perfect and I still needed to fp at every decision point.

After 3 months with Dex One, as an experiment, I self-funded Dexcom G7 for a month in spring '23. This was a painful cost commitment but the change was amazing. Suddenly I had CGM that was both accurate and reliable. I mentioned this at my next formal Consult and after a couple of months I was both very surprised and really delighted to start receiving G7 from the Hospital call-off contract. In the interim I had committed to self-funding for another 3 months. I have been truly amazed at how great the stress reduction has been in knowing that my CGM is accurate and my not needing to fp every meal and night. The G7 reliability is a great deal better, I've had a small no of sensor failures and some app problems - but these are insignificant in relation to my Libre experiences. I calibrate my G7 after 24 hrs and never need to do that again in the remaining 9 days. I now seldom fp.

So I feel my body and Libre 2 were simply wholly incompatible and I'm still not good friends with Dex One. But G7 proves there is something out there that would work for me. Now, truly reliable CGM is a great stress reliever and I do my tiny bit to inform HCPs that I come into contact with about the importance in stress reduction from having CGM that works well.
 
I've been using libre sensors for around 6 years now.
Self funded to begin with.
It's only in the last 6 months or so they have become unreliable.
My Diabetes clinic are sending a Dexcom trial pack.
 
Fletch100! said:
Hi, has anyone found that sensors are failing after 8-10 days & not lasting the claimed 14 days?
Click to expand...
Yes. Mine lasted 10 days. It stopped yesterday. Oddly enough, my husband also uses Libre 2 and his stopped working after 10 days yesterday too. I have been in touch with Abbot and I’m waiting to hear what they say. We buy 4 a month so losing 4 days each is a lot.
 
Lynne888 said:
Yes. Mine lasted 10 days. It stopped yesterday. Oddly enough, my husband also uses Libre 2 and his stopped working after 10 days yesterday too. I have been in touch with Abbot and I’m waiting to hear what they say. We buy 4 a month so losing 4 days each is a lot.
Click to expand...
I would be very surprised if Abbott did not supply you with a replacement. They are slow, iin relation to Dexcom, but always replaced sensors that failed even at the 13 day point.
 
Proud to be erratic said:
I would be very surprised if Abbott did not supply you with a replacement. They are slow, iin relation to Dexcom, but always replaced sensors that failed even at the 13 day point.
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I don’t usually use Libre but self fund a CGM that works with my pump. However, I had a self-inflicted shortage recently and needed to use one of my Libre 2 stash.
Sadly, it failed after 7 days. I reported the problem online on Tuesday and had a replacement delivered on Friday. I wouldn’t call that slow.
My experience of Dexcom is limited and a little out of date but at that time they took more than a week to replace a broken G6. Your comment suggests Dexcom have improved but maybe Abbott have done too.

Thankfully, I had sorted out my other CGM shortage in the 7days of Libre so the replacement replenished my backup stash.
 
I've never really needed to replace a faulty dexcom g6.
When i have to send the sensor early due to my mistake, a new once was sent promptly.
With Libre i had a couple of dodgy sensors but nowhere near as many as folks these days are having
I'd rather a sensor never go wrong than a speedy replacement service
 
One aspect is that most people get their G6 or G7 from a Hospital supply point and receive 90 days worth at a time, by post or DPD, ie 9 x 10 day sensors. So most of the time there is a decent reserve held by the patient.

Whereas most Libre 2 scripts come from a GP and they seemed to have no vision or sense and blindly comply with the former CCB instructions giving you only 2 sensors at a time. In my case blatantly refusing to help me when I'd had 2 sensors fail in rapid succession (reception claiming it was not allowed and I had to get Abbott to resolve this). Abbott took a minimum of 5 days and often 5 working days and I found being without any CGM was unnecessary and stressful. I never succeeded accumulating a back up stash of Libre 2, I did eventually get one reserve as a result of going away and asking for early fulfilment of my next script - then asking for my next pair of sensors ahead of the new theoretical time.

I would also rather a sensor never go wrong - but that is little help when they have gone wrong. For me Libre was unreliable and I was more concerned about having something.

I think I've had a total of 4 Dexcom G7 replacements and they have each been replaced in 24 hrs, using DPD, in a carton 4 or 5 times bigger than is needed. Ironically I've never needed a speedy replacement having always had spare sensors in reserve anyway.
 
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