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Testing machines
- Thread starter cjs33
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rebrascora
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If you are talking about the poor reviews for the Freestyle Libre 2, all I can say is that it works brilliantly for me. It is the most widely used sensor system here in the UK and the manufacturer Abbott have mad a few monumental cock ups with app updates, but many of us still love the system and fine it works really well.
Will your husband be self funding, or hoping to get it prescribed? The prescribing guidelines for Type 2 diabetics are not straightforward, so it certainly isn't guaranteed he would get a system on prescription even if he is on insulin.
My advice to you would be for him to apply for the free 14 day trial of Libre 2 and see how your husband gets on with it. It is important to understand the limitations with these systems and educating yourself is important in order to get the best from them and indeed some of the criticism of Libre is down to people not understanding the limitations. Things like... lying on them in your sleep willl cause what is called a compression low. This means that the low alarm will go off when you are not actually low, so it is important to check any low levels especially during the night with a finger prick before you take a hypo treatment, unless you obviously feel hypo. Similarly you need to retest 15 mins after a hypo treatment with another finger prick because Libre will almost always show that your levels have gone lower 15 mins after a hypo, whereas blood will usually show you are recovering. If you rely solely on the Libre you will likely overtreat every hypo and end up going too high afterwards. Other systems suffer from similar issues to a greater or lesser extent.
Anyway, Libre is doing a free trial so assuming your husband has a compatible phone he could have 14days to see how it works for him and then rule it out or continue with it. If there are problems during the free trial, Abbott will generally replace so you really have nothing to lose.
I think there is another system very new to the market which is actually branded CGM I believe.... these systems are all actually CGMs ie Constant Glucose Monitors. Someone posted about this new one the other day and I think they were also doing a free trial, so that may also be worth investigating. I will see if I can find a link to the post about that new one.
The other main manufacturer is Dexcom. Their system is generally much better regarded and their Dexcom One has has been introduced to compete with the Freestyle Libre system but there are more expensive systems in the Dexcom range which have additional features. They are more expensive, slightly more complex to buy because they need a separate transmitter which I believe lasts 90 days and the sensors only last 10 days whereas the Libre has the transmitter incorporated into the sensor and lasts 14 days.
Libre is about £100 a month to self fund, but well worth it if works well for you and Abbott are very good about replacing problem sensors. As I said, Dexcom is more expensive although the Dexcom One may be a reasonable comparable price.
Anyway, I hope the above info is helpful to you. As with any product the people who are unhappy shout the loudest, so don't be too put off by the bad reviews. Libre has been an absolute gamechanger for many of us on insulin therapy and many of us self funded it before it was available to us on the NHS and worth every penny, even to me on a low income.
Will your husband be self funding, or hoping to get it prescribed? The prescribing guidelines for Type 2 diabetics are not straightforward, so it certainly isn't guaranteed he would get a system on prescription even if he is on insulin.
My advice to you would be for him to apply for the free 14 day trial of Libre 2 and see how your husband gets on with it. It is important to understand the limitations with these systems and educating yourself is important in order to get the best from them and indeed some of the criticism of Libre is down to people not understanding the limitations. Things like... lying on them in your sleep willl cause what is called a compression low. This means that the low alarm will go off when you are not actually low, so it is important to check any low levels especially during the night with a finger prick before you take a hypo treatment, unless you obviously feel hypo. Similarly you need to retest 15 mins after a hypo treatment with another finger prick because Libre will almost always show that your levels have gone lower 15 mins after a hypo, whereas blood will usually show you are recovering. If you rely solely on the Libre you will likely overtreat every hypo and end up going too high afterwards. Other systems suffer from similar issues to a greater or lesser extent.
Anyway, Libre is doing a free trial so assuming your husband has a compatible phone he could have 14days to see how it works for him and then rule it out or continue with it. If there are problems during the free trial, Abbott will generally replace so you really have nothing to lose.
I think there is another system very new to the market which is actually branded CGM I believe.... these systems are all actually CGMs ie Constant Glucose Monitors. Someone posted about this new one the other day and I think they were also doing a free trial, so that may also be worth investigating. I will see if I can find a link to the post about that new one.
The other main manufacturer is Dexcom. Their system is generally much better regarded and their Dexcom One has has been introduced to compete with the Freestyle Libre system but there are more expensive systems in the Dexcom range which have additional features. They are more expensive, slightly more complex to buy because they need a separate transmitter which I believe lasts 90 days and the sensors only last 10 days whereas the Libre has the transmitter incorporated into the sensor and lasts 14 days.
Libre is about £100 a month to self fund, but well worth it if works well for you and Abbott are very good about replacing problem sensors. As I said, Dexcom is more expensive although the Dexcom One may be a reasonable comparable price.
Anyway, I hope the above info is helpful to you. As with any product the people who are unhappy shout the loudest, so don't be too put off by the bad reviews. Libre has been an absolute gamechanger for many of us on insulin therapy and many of us self funded it before it was available to us on the NHS and worth every penny, even to me on a low income.
rebrascora
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This is a link to the post I mentioned about the system that has just come onto the market
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Someone has posted a comparison table (from Twitter I think? green and blue) that compares the currently most affordable sensors that are available in the UK. Unfortunately I can’t find it, but I think @Bruce Stephens might know what it is?
Sadly they are all still quite expensive. Approx £100 a month.
That’s quite a lot of test strips, if more frequent fingerstick monitoring might help? The most affordable fingerstick meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £10 for 50
Sadly they are all still quite expensive. Approx £100 a month.
That’s quite a lot of test strips, if more frequent fingerstick monitoring might help? The most affordable fingerstick meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £10 for 50
Bruce Stephens
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https://www.diabetesspecialistnurseforumuk.co.uk/whats-new has a link to the latest one.
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Ah yes! that’s the one 🙂 Thanks Bruce!
Bruce Stephens
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I was going to say that the GlucoMen Day is still available for sale, just can't be prescribed. But it looks like they're no longer selling it in the UK.
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