Private company’s for equipment

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Jimmy2202

Jimmy2202

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi guys. I was wondering who/if there are any reccomended private company’s that supply equipment to manage type 1 ?
I currently use an accu-chek cassette tester which is a million times better than the original one I was supplied with.
ive been told about testers that stay in your arm and give continuous readings?
im only 3 months in to this journey, I’m 36 years old and am keen to find out about different products available to me.
thanks in advance x
 
Hi @Jimmy2202 I think you are referring to the Libre.
There are a number of different Continuous Glucose Meters (CGMs) around but Libre is the most common and it can be possible to get this on prescription. (Note I wrote "can". This is still a bit of a postcode lottery.)
There is currently a free trial available on the Libre from their website https://www.freestylelibre.co.uk/libre/

I recommend searching for "Libre" on this forum (the search is available on the top right) as there have been lots of discussions about it. Some of us love it and consider it a game changer, some find it unreliable and some find it adds extra stress, especially when first diagnosed. It certainly has its quirks.
 
helli said:
(Note I wrote "can". This is still a bit of a postcode lottery.)
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About half of people with Type 1 get it on prescription, so it's well worth asking. (Nowadays it really ought to be offered automatically to new patients, I'd have thought. I think that's the plan in Wales, anyway.)
 
Hi. Welcome to the forum .
It would be best to have a word with your DSN about the Libre their are certain criteria to obtain then on prescription but as has already been said it’s a postcode lottery, but if you don’t ask you don’t get . I believe Abbott who make them are running a free trial at the mo.
Though expensive you can also purchase directly from Abbott the sensors are £48 with vat exemption and last two weeks
 
Thanks guys. I’ve applied to get a free 2 week libre trail. Fingers crossed
 
Good luck, I hope you get a good one but please do check it with finger pricks like @helli has mentioned, my current is 5mmol lower than bloods and I've been issued with my 9th replacement since June so they aren't always good or perfect sadly xx
 
Jimmy2202 said:
Hi guys. I was wondering who/if there are any reccomended private company’s that supply equipment to manage type 1 ?
I currently use an accu-chek cassette tester which is a million times better than the original one I was supplied with.
ive been told about testers that stay in your arm and give continuous readings?
im only 3 months in to this journey, I’m 36 years old and am keen to find out about different products available to me.
thanks in advance x
Click to expand...
If you haven't already, it's worth looking at Frio products for carrying insulin in warmer places. And BD produce a stapler-like device for clipping needles (making the rest safe for normal disposal, so saving space in your sharps box and being more convenient when you don't have one handy).
 
Bruce Stephens said:
If you haven't already, it's worth looking at Frio products for carrying insulin in warmer places. And BD produce a stapler-like device for clipping needles (making the rest safe for normal disposal, so saving space in your sharps box and being more convenient when you don't have one handy).
Click to expand...
I used to get the needle clipper on prescription but gave up after scratching myself quite badly on a clipped needle.
This was some years ago so, hopefully, it has improved but, at the time, I was unable to clip without leaving a tiny point.
If it has, this is something else @Jimmy2202 could ask his DSN about.

My Frio were never on prescription (and don't see why the NHS should fund them as they were for travel) but they have lasted brilliantly for over 15 years when travelling in some very warm places (Morocco, Ghana, Venezuela, India, Miami, ...) often in places with no fridge (or air conditioning) for miles, especially when camping. I never had any problems with my insulin for any of these trips thanks to my Frios.

If we are talking about other personal expense items, I would add Lift tablets for hypo treatment. You can get tubes of these from Boots but I now buy them in bulk from eBay. They don't taste as pleasant as jelly babies but they don't melt in the sun, they are not sweets so no one else is tempted by them, they are a standard size (so you know how many to use) and the tubes are plastic so, unlike Dextrose and their paper wrapper, they do not dry out. I still have my plastic tubes I bought from Boots years ago and decant from the bulk pots.
 
Hi. The Libre is the most popular and lowest cost CGM. The rules for getting one free on prescription are quite onerous. The other option is the Dexcom G6 which some get on prescription. It sends data continuously to your phone whereas with the Libre you have to touch the sensor (it uses NFC). I tried the free trial Libre and found it so good I've been paying for them since April. I've only one had one problem in about a dozen. Don't expect perfect results as it's leading edge technology. You don't have to finger-prick every day only if you are low and about to drive or if you suspect the reading is way off.
 
DaveB said:
It sends data continuously to your phone whereas with the Libre you have to touch the sensor (it uses NFC).
Click to expand...
It is possible to get Libre 2 to send data direct to the phone without scanning. No additional hardware is needed.
I have been doing this since migrating from Libre 1.
DaveB said:
You don't have to finger-prick every day only if you are low and about to drive or if you suspect the reading is way off.
Click to expand...
I strongly recommend finger pricking at least once a day. The readings from the sensor can drift. Waiting more than a day between finger pricks can result in a significant difference without knowing.
The advantage of using the direct link (via Bluetooth) option is that you can calibrate the sensor against finger pricks.
 
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