The Great Libre/Libre 2 experiment

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Robin

Robin

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Type 1
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I’m just changing over to the Libre 2, and it occurred to me that here was the perfect opportunity to compare the two by having the last day of my last Libre 1 overlapping with the first day of my Libre 2.
I applied the Libre 2 sensor 24 hours before starting, because the general opinion on here seems to be that it helps, and there was nothing to lose by doing it.
The original Libre sensor I've got on at the moment has been a good one, and it WAS showing me 90% in range with no time below 3.9 ....until the day before yesterday when it’s had me just in the top of the red for two nights running, so I fear this is a typical last two days that I've had before when it’s slowly begun to read slightly lower.
Anyway, to the figures so far:-
12.45pm. Libre 1. 5.9 Libre 2. 6.4
1.30pm. 5.3. 6.0
2.30pm. 6.6. 7.7
3.30pm. 5.2. 6.2
4.30pm. 6.8. 7.6
6pm. 4.2. 5.4
8pm. 5.9. 7.0
8.pm Fingerprick. Libre 1, 6.3. Libre 2, 7.1

Interesting. (unless you've nodded off) The Libre 2 is reading slightly but consistently higher so far, and the fingerprick on the Libre 2 reader was almost spot on, whereas the original sensor is reading a shade lower, but so was the fingerprick on that reader(I used the same drop of blood for both readers).
The Libre 2 sensor feels more in accord with how I'm feeling, but as I said above, I could be into the last couple of days downward drift which I’ve sometimes had before with the Libre 1.
All very unscientific, but all good fun! Will update tomorrow, (if I remember to take both readers upstairs to bed with me, and if I remember to swipe both!)
*Disclaimer. My results aren’t normally so good, it was just that I had a very relaxed day not doing much today, with regular meals, so I had time to think about insulin timings etc.
 
Overnight results. They seemed to be drifting further apart, but pulled themselves together again at the end.
10pm Old Libre, 6.9, New Libre 2, 8.4
12 midnight 7.3 and 9.0
4am 4.7 and 6.1
7am 4.8 and 5.7
I don’t normally check so often overnight but it was so hot last night, I kept waking up, and automatic reaction is to swipe!
 
Given how much individual Libres vary (one of the reason why I use xDrip is so that I can calibrate the readings), I think all you are doing is comparing two sensors rather than being able to draw any conclusions between Libre 1 and Libre 2.
I think it would take a few more samples.

Overall, I find Libre 2 closer to my finger pricks than Libre 1 but that is a conclusion I have drawn after a few months of Libre 2 ... and a few years of Libre 1. However, you still get the dud Libre 2s - my current one has been 2 mmol/l out from finger pricks but xDrip is able to level it up so I have not contacted Abbott.
 
Thanks @Robin

Interesting to see. The differences in fingerstick too were very striking
 
helli said:
Given how much individual Libres vary (one of the reason why I use xDrip is so that I can calibrate the readings), I think all you are doing is comparing two sensors rather than being able to draw any conclusions between Libre 1 and Libre 2.
I think it would take a few more samples.
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I did say it was unscientific! The thing is, on a forum like this, I think it’s all the tiny contributions of a little bit of data here, and a little there, that can all add up to give a bigger picture in the long run.
 
Well, last moments of my old sensor, so I did another fingerprick comparison, as well as swiping, using the same drop of blood on each reader, and swiped both about ten minutes later. Interestingly, this time, the old reader was spot on with its own fingerprick test, the Libre 2 less close with itself.
The Libre 2 has been higher throughout, which accords more with what I feel my levels are. I've always felt with most of my original Libre sensors that they read lower at the bottom, and the fact that my HbA1c is always a bit higher then the Libre prediction seems to bear this out. All good fun, anyway!
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*Ive just looked at the times on both readers, and realised on one of them the clock is several minutes slow! I did do the tests at the same time.
 
Locations of the sensors on your body would also have a significant effect on readings.
I’m very pro libre but I don’t expect them to be perfect, a good more or less value is what I’m expecting from them, if I feel high or low I’ll maybe do a finger prick but 99.9% of the time I’m happy enough with the libre results
 
Paulbreen said:
Locations of the sensors on your body would also have a significant effect on readings.
I’m very pro libre but I don’t expect them to be perfect, a good more or less value is what I’m expecting from them, if I feel high or low I’ll maybe do a finger prick but 99.9% of the time I’m happy enough with the libre results
Click to expand...
I couldn’t do without mine, now, especially as I now have them prescribed and can use them full time, and I'm happy that they are always in the sort of ballpark area that I expect.
What did surprise me with this little experiment was that the readings were more or less consistently different, if you see what I mean. I’d expected there would be a variation both ways, some readings on one would be higher, then lower than the other at times. But the fact that one was more or less consistently the same degree different, makes me more confident to rely on the graph, which is showing me an accurate pattern of what my BG trends are.
 
Robin said:
I couldn’t do without mine, now, especially as I now have them prescribed and can use them full time, and I'm happy that they are always in the sort of ballpark area that I expect.
What did surprise me with this little experiment was that the readings were more or less consistently different, if you see what I mean. I’d expected there would be a variation both ways, some readings on one would be higher, then lower than the other at times. But the fact that one was more or less consistently the same degree different, makes me more confident to rely on the graph, which is showing me an accurate pattern of what my BG trends are.
Click to expand...
Hi Robin, I’m so glad to read your comment, it really irks me to read so much negative feedback about the libre’s and to find another person who accepts them for what they are, a great tool to help you manage this condition, with emphasis on HELP.
I’m sure there are people who can’t feel what is going on with their diabetes and that circumstance they might not be the best tool for them but for people who know something is moving the wrong way and may need a double check with a finger prick they are unbeatable.
 
I think it is really impressive and reassuring that the graph traces are so similar albeit that the Libre 1 is consistently slightly lower but you could pretty much super impose them and get wiggly parallel tramlines. I agree that the experiment is a confidence booster for using the system, seeing that consistency between independent sensors.

I'm a bit reluctant to move to the Libre 2 due to the reduced battery life and the erroneous alarms some people have experienced overnight waking them up. Having suffered a few nocturnal hypos in the last 8 months or so, I am now more confident that I will wake up and can deal with them, so I feel less need for the alarms than I once thought I would and I don't know if I want to trade that and the risk of unnecessarily interrupted sleep for much shorter battery life. I suppose I don't have to have the alarm system activated but have it as an option if I hit a bad patch.... Just thinking about my consultant appointment coming up later this month and trying to decide what I would like from it and do I really want the Libre 2 upgrade.
 
rebrascora said:
I think it is really impressive and reassuring that the graph traces are so similar albeit that the Libre 1 is consistently slightly lower but you could pretty much super impose them and get wiggly parallel tramlines. I agree that the experiment is a confidence booster for using the system, seeing that consistency between independent sensors.

I'm a bit reluctant to move to the Libre 2 due to the reduced battery life and the erroneous alarms some people have experienced overnight waking them up. Having suffered a few nocturnal hypos in the last 8 months or so, I am now more confident that I will wake up and can deal with them, so I feel less need for the alarms than I once thought I would and I don't know if I want to trade that and the risk of unnecessarily interrupted sleep for much shorter battery life. I suppose I don't have to have the alarm system activated but have it as an option if I hit a bad patch.... Just thinking about my consultant appointment coming up later this month and trying to decide what I would like from it and do I really want the Libre 2 upgrade.
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I would take a chance on them Barbara, the alarms are a game changer and you can set them to trigger when you would like, you can also silence them during the night if you want to but it is better to know if your going in the direction of a hypo. I’m using my phone rather than the reader so battery life is not an issue, that said the reader charges up in 20 mins so it’s not a big problem really.
 
... and you can still use the reader while it is plugged into mains electricity charging itself should you need to, within that charging period.
 
rebrascora said:
I think it is really impressive and reassuring that the graph traces are so similar albeit that the Libre 1 is consistently slightly lower but you could pretty much super impose them and get wiggly parallel tramlines. I agree that the experiment is a confidence booster for using the system, seeing that consistency between independent sensors.

I'm a bit reluctant to move to the Libre 2 due to the reduced battery life and the erroneous alarms some people have experienced overnight waking them up. Having suffered a few nocturnal hypos in the last 8 months or so, I am now more confident that I will wake up and can deal with them, so I feel less need for the alarms than I once thought I would and I don't know if I want to trade that and the risk of unnecessarily interrupted sleep for much shorter battery life. I suppose I don't have to have the alarm system activated but have it as an option if I hit a bad patch.... Just thinking about my consultant appointment coming up later this month and trying to decide what I would like from it and do I really want the Libre 2 upgrade.
Click to expand...
I’m in two minds about using the alarm at night, last night I left it on, and I’ve got it set to 4.5 so it will alert me if I’m gardening before I get to the stumbling inside for a jellybaby stage. It went off at 4am, (and woke OH, who wasn’t best pleased) when I was more or less pootling along on a straight line, albeit in the 4s, I must just have tipped below the cut off point, but having eaten a jellybaby which sent me up to 7ish, and gone back to sleep, I then carried on with a straight line, so it wasn’t really necessary for it to have woken me up.
Today, though, we’ve been walking about a lot in the heat, round a NT park, and it did exactly what I wanted it to, alerted me when I'd started that steep descent caused by exertion, in time to fuel up with glucose and carry on, instead of the usual, don’t spot it til I’m in the 3s, treat the hypo on the hoof, but stumble on in the wake of OH trying not to trip over my own feet.
 
If your basal isn't right, don't blame the Libre. Maybe adjust your basal for a flat line ?
 
Robert459 said:
If your basal isn't right, don't blame the Libre. Maybe adjust your basal for a flat line ?
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Who has blamed the Libre for anything? I’m sorry, I don’t understand your comment.
My basal is the best fit for my overnight pattern. What I'm saying is, it may not be appropriate for me to have the alarm set for 4.5 overnight, either I should lower it (if I want it to alert me to a proper low) or I should silence it (as I always wake up if I have a proper low).
As with all technology, I need to have it working to my advantage, but not inconveniencing me or my partner. This is possible, by working with it not against it.
 
Perhaps misread the thread. Libre has helped us get a flat line during sleep. No offence intended
 
Thanks for all the info Robin.
it is amazing how far things have progressed in the last few years.
 
Robert459 said:
Perhaps misread the thread. Libre has helped us get a flat line during sleep. No offence intended
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None taken. The Libre has certainly helped me iron out my overnight readings. I’m very pro-Libre, I just did this little experiment out of curiosity, while I'd got the one off opportunity of having two sensors on the go, just to gain any extra insight.
 
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