Libre trial - excited!

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Amyfaith

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Popped my Libre 2 plus sensor on my arm today - I'm actually really excited to see what it does! No weird numbers to start with (about .5 mmol off my finger prick), so that's good. Finally - hopefully - some idea of what the heck is going on in the background, particularly while at work and asleep. If I like it, I might stick with it instead of buying endless strips. I know as things are in the green in general right now Hba1c-wise, I don't need to test, but it's sort of a way of keeping me honest and focussed. I think the CGM works out cheaper/month (Dexcom is marginally cheaper overall but I missed the freebie...). Was surprised it didn't hurt at all going in given the size of that needle 🙂eek🙂, but a little bit of a stingy-twinge like every few minutes afterwards. Will see if the urticarial vasculitis causes any issues.

Now to just make sure I don't bash into things and rip it right off my arm... (I aimed for the back and it still got stuck slightly on the side).
 
Good luck with it! Sounds like you are off to a good start if it is just 0.5mmols out from a finger prick. I find it quite "addictive" or maybe I should say fascinating. No wonder they do a free trial because you do miss it when the sensor ends and you £"want" more.

Curious how you know how big the needle is? Did you dismantle the applicator after insertion? The applicator needle is supposed to retract back into the applicator so it should not be visible, without taking the applicator apart.
 
The readings are a bit more random now - an hour after eating and things have barely budged on the Libre (4.4 and holding pretty steady; fingerpick 6.0), but that could be lag. Started off in mid-5s but it’s been mid-4s for the last two hours. Guessing it takes a while to read more accurately?

I could see the needle sticking out when I went to apply it to my arm - under the little housing bit. It retracted after going it but it was definitely substantial when I looked in beforehand!
 
rebrascora said:
Curious how you know how big the needle is? Did you dismantle the applicator after insertion? The applicator needle is supposed to retract back into the applicator so it should not be visible, without taking the applicator apart
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You can definitely see it if you peer into the applicator, I always check to make sure it’s there.
(I also dismantle mine after use, so I can recycle the hard plastic bits, as our local tip/sorry, recycling centre collects them)
 
snowball12 said:
I wish the Libre wasn't so expensive
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Ditto. For me it seems like it’d cost about the same as my strips, given how quickly I can go through them (I do a lot of ‘that sounds wrong - are you SURE?’ tests), but the Accu Chek ones are pricey. I bought that one before discovering the Contour Blue (which I’ve now ordered to keep that cost a bit lower going forward). I like the idea of saving my fingertips, though. I’m a flutist, working with an open holed flute, and I’ve noticed the testing makes covering them a bit more difficult and occasionally painful. I’m lucky to have the privilege to be able to afford the choice. Wish type 2s could have it prescribed - I rolled my eyes when my GP said testing never helps type 2s manage.
 
Okay I know it’s the bedding in period but hilariously if I’m sitting still the Libre reads very low. Get up and it’s accurate (within margin of error). Typical for bedding in?
 
Robin said:
You can definitely see it if you peer into the applicator, I always check to make sure it’s there.
(I also dismantle mine after use, so I can recycle the hard plastic bits, as our local tip/sorry, recycling centre collects them)
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Your eyesight is obviously better than mine, Robin. Just had a peer into one of mine that is waiting for me to dismantle and recycle (I wait until I have a few before I set too at pulling them apart) and I can't see it. That said, I didn't put a light on or get my prescription reading glasses, just a pair of ready readers that were to hand. I have never worried about it not retracting and I am pretty sure it would be more obvious that it was still in my arm than in the applicator. At ;east I would hope so. Have you ever had one not retract? I know people do very occasionally report it happening here on the forum.
 
rebrascora said:
Your eyesight is obviously better than mine, Robin. Just had a peer into one of mine that is waiting for me to dismantle and recycle (I wait until I have a few before I set too at pulling them apart) and I can't see it. That said, I didn't put a light on or get my prescription reading glasses, just a pair of ready readers that were to hand. I have never worried about it not retracting and I am pretty sure it would be more obvious that it was still in my arm than in the applicator. At ;east I would hope so. Have you ever had one not retract? I know people do very occasionally report it happening here on the forum.
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I’ll have to have a proper look next time I put one on, which hopefully won’t be for another week. I’m sure you can see the tip of it, together with the filament, if you look before clapping it to your arm. I’ve just inserted and started up my free Dexcom One + trial, and so far so good! I’m running it in tandem with my Libre for the last couple of days of the current sensor, so I can compare, then if I’m confident in it, I shall use it so.o for the rest of the time. Though it’s already annoying me that I've got to lug my phone about the whole time. I haven’t tried out how far it will pick up the signal, but it won’t be to the end of our long garden, and as I tend to pop out to pick some veg for dinner, or to the clothes line, without thinking, oh I need my phone, I have to have it already in a pocket!
 
Martin62 said:
If you look in the applicator before you apply it to your arm you can see the needle , it retracts after application. Terrified me the first time I used one , don't give it a second thought now though.
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It’s just a “hole punch” for the sensor probe. I banged in bigger insulin needles as a child. If you are used to 5 or 4mm pen needles. It can look imposing. I was exited about something i dreamed of for years. When i fitted my first sensor.
 
Robin said:
I’ll have to have a proper look next time I put one on, which hopefully won’t be for another week. I’m sure you can see the tip of it, together with the filament, if you look before clapping it to your arm. I’ve just inserted and started up my free Dexcom One + trial, and so far so good! I’m running it in tandem with my Libre for the last couple of days of the current sensor, so I can compare, then if I’m confident in it, I shall use it so.o for the rest of the time. Though it’s already annoying me that I've got to lug my phone about the whole time. I haven’t tried out how far it will pick up the signal, but it won’t be to the end of our long garden, and as I tend to pop out to pick some veg for dinner, or to the clothes line, without thinking, oh I need my phone, I have to have it already in a pocket!
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Yes ive seen the needle and I thought that's going to hurt but it wasn't so bad.
 
Hope you continue to get on well with your trial @Amyfaith
I finished my Libra trail sensor a few days ago, and now currently am wearing DexcomOne+ which I ordered (on their free trial) last weekend, in-fact they delivered the Dexcom the day my Libra expired
then today some Libra sensors that I’ve ordered arrived, I purchased the libra sensors the day before finding the Dexcom trail on-line last weekend, I’ve noticed a few people posting that they when they offer the trail only offer it for so many people to order, hopefully if you want to you can trail it at another time maybe.
I am still not 100% sure if I shall go with the Freestyle Libra2Plus or the DexcomOne+
 
Amyfaith said:
Ditto. For me it seems like it’d cost about the same as my strips, given how quickly I can go through them (I do a lot of ‘that sounds wrong - are you SURE?’ tests), but the Accu Chek ones are pricey. I bought that one before discovering the Contour Blue (which I’ve now ordered to keep that cost a bit lower going forward). I like the idea of saving my fingertips, though. I’m a flutist, working with an open holed flute, and I’ve noticed the testing makes covering them a bit more difficult and occasionally painful. I’m lucky to have the privilege to be able to afford the choice. Wish type 2s could have it prescribed - I rolled my eyes when my GP said testing never helps type 2s manage.
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Well that’s a complete load of rubbish (what the GO said). I’m a type 2 on insulin, and I’ve lowered my hbac1 substantially, around 5.4 now. The libre helps me be proactive and keep tight control of my blood sugar. And it stops me going into hypos. I think if you’re on insulin, you should be prescribed it. I self fund
 
louisew said:
Well that’s a complete load of rubbish (what the GO said). I’m a type 2 on insulin, and I’ve lowered my hbac1 substantially, around 5.4 now. The libre helps me be proactive and keep tight control of my blood sugar. And it stops me going into hypos. I think if you’re on insulin, you should be prescribed it. I self fund
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Oh agreed. I’m just diet/exercise so they refuse to do too much at all for me, even though it helps with my peace of mind and so on. (It also gives me useful, more or less instant feedback on how I’m doing and what might need changing up, as we know…)
 
goodybags said:
Hope you continue to get on well with your trial @Amyfaith
I finished my Libra trail sensor a few days ago, and now currently am wearing DexcomOne+ which I ordered (on their free trial) last weekend, in-fact they delivered the Dexcom the day my Libra expired
then today some Libra sensors that I’ve ordered arrived, I purchased the libra sensors the day before finding the Dexcom trail on-line last weekend, I’ve noticed a few people posting that they when they offer the trail only offer it for so many people to order, hopefully if you want to you can trail it at another time maybe.
I am still not 100% sure if I shall go with the Freestyle Libra2Plus or the DexcomOne+
Click to expand...
Yeah, I am going to keep an eye out for Dexcom freebies.

I am SO glad I disabled alarms because the pressure lows are real, and I popped it on the wrong arm for how I tend to sleep. Add in that it’s registering low by about 0.5 to 1 mmol/L compared to my meter, and even a nice 4.4 looks ‘bad’. My whole night was in the red - a pretty flat line, too. It’s a bit closer to what my meter is saying today, so will see what tonight’s readings are before trouble shooting (or just ignoring overnights till I try a different site with the next one). I know not to expect the meter and the Libre to be dead on, between lag and margin of error, but it’d nice not to have to mentally add 1 mmol/L every time I look at it…
 
Can't believe I have never looked in the applicator BEFORE application and seen the needle!
Of course I know how large the needle is from dismantling the applicator afterwards and disposing of the needle and once it is applied it retracts and I was looking at the used applicators and couldn.t actually make it out then. I just didn't realise that it wasn't retracted before application. Once I have battled to unscrew the lid, which seems to get harder and harder every time 🙄 , I just place it against my arm and apply without looking inside first!
 
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