Removal of pancreas

[Dom11]

Hi. Libre usually reads slightly lower than a finger prick but neither are totally accurate and if you tested the same spot of blood with 2 or 3 test strips one after the next you would likely see some variation. The decimal place in the readings gives you a false sense of accuracy.
If she is getting significantly lower readings (or higher) then the first thing to consider is, if she is lying or leaning on her sensor. This happens quite a bit during the night when you roll over in your sleep and the tissue where the filament is underneath the sensor gets compressed and that changes the chemistry causing the sensor to give erroneous low readings. Once the pressure is released and the tissue gradually returns to equilibrium with surrounding tissue the readings from Libre will bounce back up, usually a little higher than where they were before the compression and then settle back down. You can usually spot a compression low on the graph from the sudden dip and then similar rise and then a slight fall and back to a steady line. If Debby tosses and turns a lot in her sleep then this can make the overnight graph look rather turbulent when BG levels may have been stable, so always important to double check any lows before treating them unless she feels obviously hypo. Gradually you seem to learn not to lie on the sensor, perhaps through the same mechanism as learning where the edge of the bed is and not rolling out. Sometimes you find slightly better placement on the arm to reduce the risk of compression lows too. I don't get them any more now, so you must learn to avoid them somehow.

If the Libre is consistently more than 2 mmols different to finger prick when levels are stable ie not changing direction or rising or falling rapidly, then the sensor should be reported to Abbott who will usually ask for 3 readings with comparative finger prick results. They will usually replace the sensor if they feel it is not performing well enough.

Thank you. We'll look into night time readings. Seems to be during the day, twice its alerted a hypo when she's been feeling fine. I know it's early days, we will work it out! Thanks again.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

It seems to be an individual-body-chemistry thing. some sensor technologies seem to read consistently higher or lower than fingersticks for some people. For others they are a great match most of the time, and for others still they are quite erratic.

Some sensors are a bit wonky for the first 24-48 hours, but then settle down after that and track well against fingersticks.

Keeping well hydrated can help sensors perform well.

Of course different BG meters can give different readings too - so without a lab test it’s hard to be sure which of the readings are ‘right’.

If a sensor (or fingerstick) reading doesn’t match how you are feeling you are always recommended to check again with a fresh strip.