The Libre ...

Status
Not open for further replies.
Emzi

Emzi

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I'm sorry if this has already been posted and discussed but as ive only just returned I hope you can forgive me.

I recently purchased the Libre reader and sensors and to be honest I love the concept but it hasn't matched my expectations I'm afraid. The sensors DO NOT last 14 days, out of 6 I haven't had one that went all the way, they got ripped, pulled and caught in many ways. Also did anyone else question the readings? they never matched my finger tests and were quite different that it left me wondering which one was right and I'm trying to tighten my BS as were wanting to try for another baby so on a HBA1c lowering mission.

Anyone else throw their views and experiences in as it will be interesting to see how others got on?

Back to the finger testing for now I think
Thanks
 
Oh what a shame it isn't working for you as you'd hoped. I've had a really good experience with them so far, but I know its not the same for everyone. I've found that I have to prise the sensor off at the end of the 14 days, it's still so firmly glued. I've got quite a dry skin, so maybe that helps, and I do stick a bit of micropore tape over it, just to make sure I don't catch it. I think once you've loosened a bit of the edge, the whole thing may peel off more easily.
As regards figures, provided I insert it and leave it 24 hrs before activating, I've found it very accurate in the mid range, often spot on with my meter. Above 9 or 10, it tends to read higher, and below 5 it reads a bit lower. The main benefit I've found is spotting trends, and being able to see what goes on overnight. I'd no idea I drop quickly til 3am, then rise again. I've also felt the benefit when I'm out on a long walk, and can eat a couple of fruit pastilles upfront if I start dropping, instead of waiting til I'm hypo and then treating and feeling I'm wading through treacle for the next fifteen minutes.
 
I have had some very dubious results with my own Libre, particularly in the early days. I read from a number of people who seemed to infer that it was something of a diabetic panacea which of course it really was not. I have had extremely wayward readings and issues with sensors detaching themselves if I even look at them without smiling. I would however add at this stage that after a period of time my readings seemed to settle down quite a bit and I now feel that I can trust them at least a little bit more than when I first bought in to the system. I do now find that when I first apply the sensor I get about 18 hours of relatively accurate results followed by anywhere between 12 and 18 hours of sheer glucose test lunacy. I do find that the system offers my nearly destroyed fingertips some very welcome relief and I have stuck with the system for that reason alone. I do not use the management software as I feel that basing my diabetic control on graphical information provided by largish chunks of flawed data is dubious at best and downright bonkers at worst. I have no doubt that other users will charge into this thread extolling the many positive virtues that they find with the Libre. I am very pleased for them and wish them continued success. My own experiences however have been somewhat chequered 😉
 
Hi Emma

Yes, as you can imagine quite a bit of discussion on these. From a personal point of view I've had 5 sensors now. The first one (part of the starter pack) failed when I tried to attach it but Abbott replaced this without issue. I haven't had any fall off by being knocked etc whilst in use but a couple have started to lift towards the end of the 14 days. I've secured these with tape when that happens. At £48 each I want to make sure I get my money's worth. :D

Agree with Robin about using it for trends and overnight readings it's very useful for that but fast moving bg's and the time lag is noticeable. Occasionally I've had bizarre readings but overall fairly similar to my meter. It's not perfect but it's the best 'CGM' type device we've got for the price. Although people take their bg meter reading as gospel in reality there is some variation and allowed tolerances in them as well.
 
I felt exactly the same at first, Emzi. Frankly, I couldn't see the point of knowing what my BG was up to 15 minutes ago!

So I decided to wear sensors continuously for my summer break (I'm a teacher) and to be honest I'm amazed at how much my confidence has grown. I'm much more relaxed now! And Robin has hit the nail firmly on the head - it's not a device to replace finger-pricks, it's an additional tool for spotting trends and exercising safely (among other things).

I also wait 24 hours to activate the sensors. Before doing this the Libre's BGs were ridiculously high compared to my meter. And I keep well hydrated. I've not had any problems with sensors coming off, in fact I struggle to dislodge the blighters at the end of 2 weeks!
 
I must have been one of the lucky ones. My mine mostly stick on for the full two weeks (with only the occasional loss to a doorframe or roughly-pulled-off t-shirt around day 12-14) and the readings are usually around 0.5mmol/l what my blood reader comes up with.

I'll be honest, it's got to the point where I'm so comfortable with the Libre's capabilities (and my personal situation) that I've pretty much abandoned doing regular blood testing and have relied exclusively on the Libre for six months now. I do the odd test now and again with my AccuChek when the Libre reading doesn't seem to match up with what I'd expected but low and behold, the blood reading has always been in the right area. I appreciate the Libre isn't necessarily as accurate as blood testing but for me it's consistently 'inaccurate', which serves my monitoring purposes just fine. Good blood sugar control is about trends rather than millimole accuracy, so if my trend is in the right area (which I deliberately keep very tight to account for inaccuracy), my control should be too.

On the other hand, I'm also very sensitive to what my blood sugar is doing. I get quite significant advance warning signs of hypos and I can also really feel it when my blood sugar starts to creep into double figures, so that perhaps gives me a slight advantage in all this.
 
I agree with @DeusXM; with something like the Libre, precision (how consistent the readings are with each other) is arguably more important than accuracy (how on-the-nose they are).

I would buy myself a Libre, but I have nowhere to put the sensor; my left arm has a fistula, ready for when I start dialysis, so has to be kept clear of everything; meaning that the right arm needs to be kept clear as well, for blood-pressure cuffs.
 
Robert the Libre readings can prove to be alarming inconsistent with each other let alone with a finger prick blood test. This is why I feel it rather ill advised for people to consider changing insulin routines based on potentially flawed data. Deus suggests he is sensitive to what his blood sugar is doing. I also am sensitive to what my blood sugar is doing. I suspect that you may be too. The thing is though we are a diabetic support forum and need to be offering advice to as broad a spectrum of people with our condition as possible and not cherry picking a select few. This invariably may mean some who aren't quite so sensitive to what their glucose levels are doing. These people may be the ones who need most support from the rest of us. Suggesting Libre for all may not be in the best long term interests for all and I only suggest some degree of caution about what and how we recommend stuff to our peers.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Not yet had one sensor that has worked properly, the last one was a totally dud one, Abbott have sent a replacement, which I have not yet tried.
 
it's interesting hearing about the libre. The Dexcom CGM has just the same issues for me. sometimes it's spot on, other times it's very definitely on a different planet!

I find that 8 days out of 10 when I wake in the morning that the cgm reading is significantly lower than the first finger prick of the day...Then there are the other days when it's higher😱
It's brilliant for spotting trends and blips, but it is definitely not the answer to every diabetic's prayers. the thing that I find invaluable, and why I went for the dexcom rather than the libre, is the audible warning of things going pear shaped.
 
pottersusan said:
it's interesting hearing about the libre. The Dexcom CGM has just the same issues for me. sometimes it's spot on, other times it's very definitely on a different planet!

I find that 8 days out of 10 when I wake in the morning that the cgm reading is significantly lower than the first finger prick of the day...Then there are the other days when it's higher😱
It's brilliant for spotting trends and blips, but it is definitely not the answer to every diabetic's prayers. the thing that I find invaluable, and why I went for the dexcom rather than the libre, is the audible warning of things going pear shaped.
Click to expand...


As a constant Libre user it is very interesting to read your comments regarding the Dexcom. It is pure speculation on my part as I know absolutely nothing about the Dexcom system but if it works on a similar basis to the Libre then perhaps the anomalies are common to this type of testing and are not sensor or device specific.
 
the length of time the sensors last, varies tremendously too. They are only guaranteed for 5 days😱 and they switch off after 7 days, but you can then con the system and restart them. some people make them last for weeks. The best I've managed is three and a half weeks and the worst 3 days, which dexcom replaced.
The dexcom sensor goes on your stomach, rather than your arm, but they are both measuring the interstitial fluids.
 
I'd like to be able to attach them elsewhere, like the stomach, but I'm just nit-picking! Yet again we've proved that all diabetic people are different. Sorry to hear you've only had duds, Pav.
 
Diabeticliberty said:
Is there any cost to you Susan or do the NHS cover it?
Click to expand...

DL, the answer is all in Susan's signature!!

I have been thinking about trying the Libre for some time, mainly to find out what happens in the early hours, but wonder about the positioning. I have seen (on another forum) that the back of the upper arm may have been chosen because that area is flexed less than most, but as a bellringer this would not be true for me. Any other ringers on here?
 
SS, I was more concerned with the content of Susan's reply than reading her signature. My gratitude to you however for pointing this out.
 
Diabeticliberty you weren't to know but Pottersusan has been having an ongoing battle trying to get the Dexcom funded.
 
With regard to the Libre it isn't very accurate at all for me BUT has probably saved me from several near miss incidents when I've scanned and been unexpectedly hypo or shown a sudden upward trend. I always double-check with my testing machine but I must have had about 6 or more OMG moments when the scanner has saved me from something very serious eg one night about 2am I scanned and it read 23 with a rapid upward sign - my cannula had come off and I had no insulin going into me - as my BGS levels shoot up rapidly with a cannula problem or similar I dread what would have happened if I hadn't scanned.
 
AJLang said:
Diabeticliberty you weren't to know but Pottersusan has been having an ongoing battle trying to get the Dexcom funded.
Click to expand...
I'm meeting my new consultant in a couple of weeks - guess what we'll be talking about! she has apparently achieved funding for someone😱😱😱😱😱😱🙂
 
That is brilliantly exciting. I'm so pleased for you.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top