Libre

Its obvious this device is a game changer and helps a lot of people but for some reason I have negative feeling towards it.....

because I have done DAFNE and was quite heavily using it to gain control in the past years I struggle to see the real benefit of it against the high costs it comes with....

I still believe firmly that the convenience of Libre cannot replace a sound knowledge and understanding of dose adjustment....without it what does it really bring....

People are saying its changed their control for the better because they can see if their BG is going up and down [you should know what is likely going on] and that their fingers are getting a break....

Are the costs worth that benefit for most.....I don't think so.....

What are the thoughts of the rest of you....? Am I being completely irrational....

Personally I cannot see the point of it...............I've been a T1 Diabetic for 37 years, I have fantastic control using DAFNE, testing BG - my fingers are not sore.
I have actually seen one on a lady in the gym, it looks obtrusive and I noticed the huge red mark it left on her other arm, put me right off

Sarah

Being a pumper the presence of it doesn't really bother me........

I just don't understand the benefit of real time monitoring, unless of course there is hypo issues but even then, the Libre doesn't have alarms....

Its very likely I will get one soon but will purely be for overnight basal testing.....it wont dramatically change my control for the better...

For some reason it annoys me when I hear people say that as they should be getting educated first.....lol

I have been wearing a CGM (Dexcom G4) for the last couple of years. I agree with you that education is absolutely necessary otherwise it is just an exercise in looking at pretty graphs with lots of sharp rises and drops. What I have found from using this device is:

1) What my blood glucose levels are doing following meals. Previously I knew not to test within a few hours of eating as we are only concerned with whether we got QA correct when it has almost been completely consumed by the body. What I didn't realise though was that although my blood glucose levels were perfect several hours after breakfast, they were peaking at around 17 mmol/L in the couple of hours after breakfast until the QA took full effect. That was for a breakfast of a couple of weetbix, some milk and muesli. I changed what I had for breakfast and now I have much lower BG readings in the couple of hours after eating.

2) My hypo awareness was nowhere near as good as I thought it was. The Dexcom (unlike the Libre) does sound an alarm when going outside of preset target ranges and I found that many times that I was hypo, I was completely unaware of the fact. Being alerted to this has meant I spend less time in hypoglycemia and my hypo awareness has improved as a result.

3) I can see what effect exercise has on my BGLs. Running and cycling does tend to lower them, but basketball tends to keep them steady. It has helped me identify what works and what doesn't.

If I had to choose between just using DAFNE, or just using a CGM, then I would choose DAFNE, as knowing dose adjustment is so important, but I do find that using both is really helping my diabetes management.

I fully agree with Warwick that DAFNE should be a pre-requisite and not just for CGM/Libre use but also for an insulin pump. Without the solid foundation that DAFNE provides on carb. counting and dosage adjustment, the extra technology will provide lots more control options and result data but no knowledge of what to do next.

I have used the Libre for 18 months now, find it unobtrusive (although it does have a tendency to leave marks on removal as Sarah says) and the simplicity of taking multiple readings vastly increase knowledge of what the impact of different food types and exercise are on control. In addition to Warwick's comments on post breakfast levels, the other thing that the Libre (or CGM) allows is to get clear visibility of the impacts of changing the timing of insulin dosage ahead of eating. It also shows clearly how (for me) insulin post meal is a bad idea.

Personally, I wouldn't go back to blood glucose testing solely with a strip now, even with the cost of Libre.

I've been wondering about Libre. What is Dexcom and is it available in the UK? Which works better? I am hesitating partly because I have not seen one as it (Libre) only seems to be available online and I am not sure what thickness it is. Is it like a thickish plaster or is it something hard, a couple of mm thick, that could catch on things. I tend to brush against furniture in the house and twigs etc when gardening and wonder whether that would be a problem. Diabetes nurse suggested it might help and I would find the data useful, at least occasionally, for a month or two, to check what is really going on. My fingers do get sore and very calloussed.I would welcome advice from other users.

http://www.dexcom.com/en-GB I use the Dexcom G4 Platinum which I am not sure if it is still available. It works out more cost effective for me then the Libre as I can get sensors to last around 6 weeks as opposed to 2 weeks. I have no plans to upgrade to the Dexcom G5 though as its transmitter is hard-wired to last 3 months which would make it unaffordable for me. I'm currently getting in excess of a year from a G4 transmitter. If the G4 stops being supported then I'll switch to a Libre.

DianeH said:
I've been wondering about Libre. What is Dexcom and is it available in the UK? Which works better? I am hesitating partly because I have not seen one as it (Libre) only seems to be available online and I am not sure what thickness it is. Is it like a thickish plaster or is it something hard, a couple of mm thick, that could catch on things. I tend to brush against furniture in the house and twigs etc when gardening and wonder whether that would be a problem. Diabetes nurse suggested it might help and I would find the data useful, at least occasionally, for a month or two, to check what is really going on. My fingers do get sore and very calloussed.I would welcome advice from other users.

Wow. I had one Dexcom sensor knocked out during basketball. Now I wear my cycle bib shorts over the sensor and under my basketball gear and had no further trouble. I'd be very upset through if someone tried to rip it out. I wear the Dexcom sensor on my abdomen so not usually visible to public.

For me Libre was the best thing that happened to my diabetes management. Before Libre my HbA1c was 86 ( 10.0%) and now it's 60 ( 7.6). This is after 9 months of Libre; and I hope to get to 6.5-6.8 within next few months. I just finished my DAFNE course and Libre was very helpful with seeing my trend overnight, how quickly my insulin works for etc. In terms of Libre , I think it's very personal as some people find differences to be bigger then others and some people don't like or trust new technologies. Personally I love it and I can't imagine a day without it.