Has anyone had problems with the FreeStyle Libre sensors?
Last day or so - I was feeling as if I had the flu. So I checked by BSLs against the Freestyle sensor readings. WOW. After multiple glucometer readings, (triple checking each time on a seperate glucometer) m blood sugar meter showed a very different reading to the sensor. The Freestyle was reading around 7-8 mmols. My glucometers were showing 20 mmol (mmol is the measure used in Australia) and above. This disparity has occurred several times .
When it comes to a persons health I really believe that such failures are unacceptable.
My response now is never ever trust a sensor. Which kinda negates the purpose of these expensive devices.
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The Freestyle Libre (and CGMs) read interstitial fluid, not blood like your meter. There will always be a difference in the readings, but maybe not a huge difference. The purpose of CGMs and the Libre is to show trends… BGs going up or down… so you can take action early if a correction of some sort is needed. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the sensor is not faulty in your case.
The product does not hold up to it’s claims - it’s as simple as that!
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Thanks for your comment.
But a difference of between 6.0 mmol and 22.0 is more than the diff between interstitial fluid and blood - over the course of weeks.
Agree.
Few products hold up to all their claims. Look at the Medtronics 670g and the problems that some are experiencing. Maybe our expectations are too high? We actually expect products that cost in the thousands to perform as claimed? 
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If I hear about the difference between blood and fluid one more time I am going to scream .
We are not talking about 10 or 20 or ever 30 points difference - sometimes 60,70 or 100
Really, find me one type 1 on the planet who has a cgm that is not aware of the difference - just one
The is not a personal attack on you Willow - I am just sayin
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Mine drove me crazy with the, to me, huge differences between blood and interstitial readings. Then I read all the info and this was all within their documented acceptable variation. Keep in mind that I also have reactive hypoglycemia with no awareness which is why my endo approved the Libra and am currently diet controlled early LADA. Having readings of 40/2.2 while sleeping every night is a bit upsetting.
My answer was to add an Ambrosia NightRider, which reads it every 5 min,. and to use the Spike app, which allows calibration and all sorts of notes, for tracking the readings. The combo is good, not great because the NightRider seems to lose connectivity fairly frequently for me. Also need to figure out how to download or upload the Spike data. …Ah, computers are not necessarily my friend.
.
Currently I have a MiaoMiao on order. A bit slimmer than the NightRider, waterproof so I don’t have to remove it to shower, and supposedly fewer problems with loss of connectivity when applied correctly. Oh, also with a rechargeable battery. Down side, definitely not cheap and I pay for everything out of pocket.$
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If this is approved and works half as well as they claim
Abbott and Medtronic will be out of the CGM game instantly
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Maybe. From what I’ve read, each implantation is an actual office visit/procedure that requires anesthetic to the implantation area. Personally, I don’t want to go in every 90 day’s for a procedure and then have old sensors left in my body.
They are working on smaller and 180 days
what’s better - screwing with sensors once a week or a 5 minute procedure in the doctors office - and you would have that visit anyway
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Every 6 months wouldn’t be so bad. Wonder what it would cost and if my cruddy insurance would cover it?
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I’m sorry the Libre is not performing well for you. I use Dexcom and am happy with its accuracy. I know that the reduced cost of the Libre versus a Dexcom is one of the main reasons people use Libre. I wish the Dexcom was less expensive, especially for people who must pay out of pocket. I do believe in the spectrum of CGM accuracy, that there comes a point where bad data is truly worse than no data.
Have you reported your bad sensor numbers to Abbott? Are they willing to replace a bad sensor or are they stingy with replacements? I also read reports of people who enjoy good accuracy with the Libre. Perhaps Abbott has a problem with quality control.
Would returning to fingersticks only be economically viable for you? When I was meter checking more than 10x/day, the fingerstick numbers, like average BG and standard deviation, were pretty close to my CGM measurements. I know fingersticks are not the same thing as a continuous monitor but perhaps they would be better than bad or undependable data.
In any case, I understand your frustration and hope you can find a personal solution that works for you.
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Umm, surgery involved? No thank you. I wouldnt want to endure that ick ick ick…
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Been using Libre since February. Most of the time my sensor reading in amazingly close to my Roche meter. I have one on right now that has read a tad higher, but I also had an Omnipod pod that was sitting pretty close to a vein for three days and my numbers were plain wonky anyway. Now that I have the pod off, the numbers are very very close again. So I think some sensors may be off, but I can trust mine pretty well.
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I read some where it was 7 or 8 bucks a day - course if medicare pays for the others those on medicare should be good with this. A little more then libre and cheaper then the others -
how much is Freestyle Libre? is it covered by health insurance?
I believe that @Kailee56 is referring to the implantable Eversense CGM, not the Libre. The Eversense link is above in @Tony24’s comment.
If you are asking about the Libre, many of us are having it covered now. My HMO started by denying it, and I was to pay $75 a month. In March my HMO accepted prior auth, and now I pay $32 a month for three sensors.
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Ive had mine for about 6 months. Its been pretty accurate for about 85-90% of the time. BUT this past weeks sensor has been off about 50 points every scan. Hoping the new sensor i put on today gives me more accuracy.