Very nearly lost my second Libre 2 Plus in today's heat!

[rebrascora]

It was absolutely scorching here today and my arm strap has broken so my sensor is unsupported. I spent the whole afternoon/evening up at my yard, which is a real sun trap, trimming hooves and grooming horses both of which involve a lot of vigorous arm movement and twice I had to go to the water trough to douse myself in water to cool me down and wash some of the sweat/dirt off me before I continued. I was grooming the 3rd horse when I started to feel a slight flapping sensation at the back of my arm and realised my Libre 2 Plus sensor was coming adrift. Thankfully it was just the back edge where my triceps was flexing that was lifting and I was able to hit the horses' first aid kit for some VetWrap (cohesive bandage) to strap around my arm and hold it firmly in place.
Looks like I have got away with it as it is still providing readings both up and down as I would expect and they seem about right for how I feel but I haven't double checked it with a finger prick yet. It has another 9 days to go so I am hoping I can nurse it through to the end, but a reminder that I need to invest in another arm strap.... and now another roll of VetWrap too. I think my horse first aid kit has been used more on humans than it has on horses!!

Other than this understandable glitch my experience of Libre 2 Plus has so far been much the same as for Libre and Libre 2 in that it has been very reliable for me, which is a relief! I hate having to upgrade when the old one worked so well, as you just never know if the new one will suit you the same, but, so far so good! Just lucky today that I sensed it coming lose before it got too bad and dislodged the filament..... Hope I am not eating my words tomorrow morning! 🙄

 

[rebrascora]

Just double checked it. Libre 7.8 and a finger prick gave me 8.0 That will do nicely!

 

[SB2015]

Good that you rescued the sensor and that it continued to behave itself.

 

[rebrascora]

Well, I lost it today with 4 days to go. Had to take the Vet Wrap off yesterday and replaced it with some micropore tape today. Been out for a long walk this afternoon and thankfully I think it was working pretty well during the walk although I needed a JB every now and then to prevent dropping too low. Went to a cafe when we got back and it wouldn't scan and kept saying sensor error and when I checked it had come loose, probably because my fleece was on and off all afternoon as the sun came out and then kept hiding behind a cloud throughout the afternoon, paying peek-a-boo!

So you could say my experience of Libre 2 Plus so far is 50% failure rate as in one out of two has failed during it's life, but I have had 26 days of reliable readings out of 30 days from the 2 sensors so that is just 13.3% failure and this sensor did have pretty extreme conditions to deal with.

Will be on the phone to Abbott tomorrow to report it, so in reality I will be gaining 11 days, assuming they do replace it, so can't really complain at that.

 

[Lucyr]

Will be on the phone to Abbott tomorrow to report it

So much easier to report it online, have you tried the sensor support form?

 

[rebrascora]

So much easier to report it online, have you tried the sensor support form?

No I haven't. I have always phoned, but since I so rarely have failures it has never been a problem. Can you use that online form for sensors which have come adrift? Does it tell you if they want it sending back or not or do you just hang onto it until the replacement comes and if there is no return packaging, then don't want the duff one back?

 

[rebrascora]

Thanks @Lucyr I have submitted the form and yes it does apply to sensors which fall off. I did however have problems with the form as it asks for address but doesn't recognise Co. Durham which is the common postal term, but then also would not accept County Durham. Thankfully, third time lucky with just Durham which is the city but not the way the county is referred to.

 

[helli]

I did however have problems with the form as it asks for address but doesn't recognise Co. Durham which is the common postal term, but then also would not accept County Durham. Thankfully, third time lucky with just Durham which is the city but not the way the county is referred to.

I often have problems with my address when I have to select the county.
It often expects a county that hasn’t existed since 1996 or one that still exists but has not included my town since 1974.
I understand most forms will use the same (or small set) database of addresses but surprised the database is so out of date.

 

[rebrascora]

I think for me it was odd because I can't think I have encountered this problem before and at first I thought I must have made a typo mistake and then assumed it didn't like the standard abbreviation of County to Co. I have seen people assume it is Ireland because of course they have County Antrim and County Down etc but can't recall it simply not accepting County at all.
Maybe I just don't fill in that many forms online.

 

[nonethewiser]

I think for me it was odd because I can't think I have encountered this problem before and at first I thought I must have made a typo mistake and then assumed it didn't like the standard abbreviation of County to Co. I have seen people assume it is Ireland because of course they have County Antrim and County Down etc but can't recall it simply not accepting County at all.
Maybe I just don't fill in that many forms online.

Those online forms can be a pain @rebrascora rejecting smallest of details, sometimes quicker just to ring lol

 

[goodybags]

Thanks @Lucyr I have submitted the form and yes it does apply to sensors which fall off. I did however have problems with the form as it asks for address but doesn't recognise Co. Durham which is the common postal term, but then also would not accept County Durham. Thankfully, third time lucky with just Durham which is the city but not the way the county is referred to.

I’m sure very early on in reporting a sensor fault, via the online reporting form that’s on the Abbott website there is “usually” a fall /drop off option
although the last one I reported it took me to a entirely different page where it was asking for more of a description of the error I was reporting
the next day I got the usual email from them thanking me for reporting a error, and they confirmed later that same day they were sending me a replacement, but your right about the county field the algorithm likes grammatically correct counties (it doesn’t like Northant’s but likes Northamptonshire)

 

[rebrascora]

Well, my third Libre 2 Plus also started coming adrift with 4 days to go, this time on my left (non dominant) arm which had not been involved in a huge amount of work, but still some manual clipping of long grass/weeds, which I guess flexes the triceps quite a bit. I caught it just in the nick of time as one side was flapping and applied the other half of the vet wrap roll I used for the previous one that came loose. It is doing the job but I still have 2 more days to go with it. Just double checked it with a finger prick and it gave me 4.6 whereas surprisingly a finger prick gave me slightly lower at 4.1 but the trend is a very slight downward drift although an horizontal arrow. Normally finger pricks are slightly higher than Libre for me but still can't quibble at 0.5 difference on day 13.

Must, must, MUST order a new arm strap. I have put off because the previous one the plastic broke and the one before the strap lost it's elasticity, so I could cobble the two together to make a functional one if only I could find the first one! I know that I will find it the day I order a new one, but it is going to cost me more in vet wrap if I don't start using a strap so really need to bite the bullet and get one ordered!

 

[helli]

I have put off because the previous one the plastic broke and the one before the strap lost it's elasticity, so I could cobble the two together to make a functional one if only I could find the first one! I know that I will find it the day I order a new one, but it is going to cost me more in vet wrap if I don't start using a strap so really need to bite the bullet and get one ordered!

If I was in your situation, I would order the new one and, if I found the old one, I would just tell myself it is useful to have a backup.
(Of course, if I didn't find the old one, I would tell myself I have survived in the past without a back up so, clearly don't need one 🙄 )

 

[rebrascora]

New arm strap on it's way! Hopefully that will fix my adhesive issues once more and I will get back to having extremely rare problems with Libre again.

 

[rebrascora]

It is the last 12 mins of this sensor with the vet wrap still in place and I thought I might just double check it. My breakfast insulin is starting to kick in so I am starting to trend downwards from 8.5 when I injected but I got 7.1 from the sensor just before the finger prick and 7.3 from my Caresens BG meter a minute later and then 6.9 when I scanned the sensor again just after. Really can't complain at that!
I am desperate to get this vet wrap off though as my skin is starting to be irritable underneath. It has done the job well for 4 days though.
I have put my new sensor on a little further round to the side rather than at the back as I suspect that is part of the reason why they are coming loose when I am working my triceps, as I think they have just been on a part of my arm which flexes too much. Hopefully new strap should be here tomorrow and give it extra support.

 

[helli]

I have put my new sensor on a little further round to the side rather than at the back as I suspect that is part of the reason why they are coming loose when I am working my triceps, as I think they have just been on a part of my arm which flexes too much.

How high up your arm do you place your sensor?
I am able to place mine higher than the triceps so it is not affected by any flexing and it seems to stay in place.

Fingers crossed for the strap arrival. I am sure tha t will give you peace of mind.

 

[rebrascora]

@helli If I put my hand of the sensor arm on my other shoulder and put my finger of my other hand in the outside point of my arm pit and the thumb on the centre of where the sensor was, finger and thumb are about 2.5-3 inches apart. So from top of shoulder to point of elbow it was probably about a third of the way down my upper arm.

Such a relief to get that vet wrap off but really interesting to find that the micropore which I used initially when I saw the sensor coming adrift, but which also came loose very rapidly with arm movement, was now stuck like, well "glue", after the vet wrap had applied steady pressure to it. I really struggled to get a fingernail under an edge to get it started and it was definitely painful tearing it off and the sensor itself was also very limpet like and even more painful to remove even though one side was more or less flapping, so the adhesive had re-adhered as a result of being supported by the cohesive bandage.

 

[helli]

@helli If I put my hand of the sensor arm on my other shoulder and put my finger of my other hand in the outside point of my arm pit and the thumb on the centre of where the sensor was, finger and thumb are about 2.5-3 inches apart. So from top of shoulder to point of elbow it was probably about a third of the way down my upper arm.

As I thought, my sensor is about 2.5 to 3 inches higher than yours.
My sensor is currently on my left arm. If I put my right thumb touching the back of my left armpit, the part of my hand that joins the thumb is where the top of my sensor is.
In other words, my sensor is in line with my arm pit and about a thumb's length away.

This is hard to explain. But I can't take a picture of it with my right hand in situ.

 

[PhoebeC]

I have used the vet wrap before for matches and even a few hours of exercise and it’s itching. I can’t imagine 4 days. It does stay put.

I find it with all the devices though, after a week on they start to get itchy, only as big bare not badly. I grew out of my eczema, it reappears now and then very mildly but these devices do have their moments.
That last sensor was a relief to take off.

I hope it arrived or will soon for you.

 

[rebrascora]

Pleased to report strap has arrived along with a little complimentary packet of Haribo to treat a hypo and a large label on it stating that it contains 12.4g carbs.