I have a FreeStyle Libre in my closet. I got my prescription filled last week, but can’t get in to D educator until 2/1/2018. I’m nervous about the application of the sensor and would prefer to have someone show/help me the first time where I can ask a lot of questions.
I am excited to get started in 2 weeks.
Has anyone else used it? If so, what do you think?
I will post my experiences with it here once I get started.
OK, I now have a little experience with this thing.
It was really painless to put on. I was a little nervous but it was easy. I can’t feel it at all while it’s on. I had to change the sensor today. I will say the hardest part is getting the old one off. whatever tape they use, really sticks.
Being able to swipe and get the result anywhere anytime is really sweet. The graph is really cool too.
I actually like that it doesn’t upload anything to the internet or give alarms.
I find it to be usually within 15% of my Accucheck tester. My endo says it’s about twhat the other do. Seems to be more accurate at lower levels.
The receiver that you use to swipe the sensor with and display the results is no where near as easy to use as a cell phone because the touch sensitivity is not as good. But I think it;s better not to have to invest in an expensive device that you will want to replace in a year or two anyway. they work with cell phones in Europe and I suspect will here at some point.
That’s where I’m at. If anyone else is using I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Hi there! It’s really great to hear about your experience with the FreeStyle Libre. I better preface this by saying that I don’t have one but I do have the Guardian Sensor 3 (paired with Medtronic’s 670G pump). I thought it was really cool when I saw the Libre and would get one if I could justify wearing two CGM devices 
. In regards to your complaint about not being able to use it on your cell phone, may I offer a few suggestions. You are right that the official LibreLink app is only officially available for use in Europe but that doesn’t mean people haven’t found a way around it. All of the below is mostly just relevant for Android, but there might be some stuff for iOS. Your mileage may vary.
LibreLink: People have (at least in the past) bypassed the geo-restrictions and the license check which ensures the app comes from the Play store. Meaning that you could use the app if people are still actively doing the work to keep up with the latest versions of the app. This old Reddit post I found might help if you are interested in going this route at all.
Glimp: What’s this? A Android app that can be used anywhere on basically any NFC-enabled device that’s free and has good dev. support and reviews? It’s called Glimp and serves as a diabetes management app that also has the ability to scan Libre sensors (even working around the ten day wear time and 12 hour warm up, but isn’t a replacement for the reader). You can find that here.
BluCon: If you’re willing to spend even more money on another device, there is a company that makes reusable and disposable Bluetooth devices that attach to the top of the Libre to scan it every five minutes and send the data to your phone over Bluetooth. You would have to do more research but they have apps for both Android and iOS. Find out more here.
Best of luck!
Thanks for your thorough response Chance.
I may have not expressed myself well. I didn’t mean to complain about it really. I’m fine with it as is. My only comment is that the touch screen is not as responsive as one would expect after using cell phones etc. But it’s not that bad. Certainly usable.
I don’t really want to have a transponder to the cell phone. Just use it as a receiver as I’ve read about. But no biggee. Kindof put it in because I know using the cell phone and getting alarms and such is important to some people. I’ve lived 40 years without alarms and don’t really see the need when Ican swipe at any time.
Thanks again. I may look into the Glimp thing. But after geeking out coding and such all day at work, I don’t really want to fool with that stuff at night. We’ll see.
OK, I’ve been on it a month now. For the most part I like it. It is a LOT better than finger pokes that’s for sure. And the information is much more timely.
It works great for two of the main reasons I got it. It gives my wife a little more peace of mind because I can immediately know should she have concerns (which she does :)). It also help when going out so I can keep an eye on things so there are not problems of testing before driving home an being low.
The only downside is it can be TMI. Some days are really good and some aren’t. when it’s not I obsess over it too much and it gets me down. I think it’s an adjustment I need to make.
I have my first endo appointment after getting it tomorrow. Looking forward to hearing his insights on using it.
All in all, a thumbs up so far.
I have used the Medtronic, Dexcom and now the Libre. I like the Libre, but miss the high and low warnings of Dexcom and the Dexcom is integrated to my Animas pump. I use the Libre cloud for reports of your Libre data and you can share with Dr. or their is a PC application for just your review. The reports provide nice details of your patterns, the only downside is the data is not combined with your pump data unless you key it into the Libre. The Libre software has a data export, maybe your endo has ability to combine the data easily.
Last week I went to my appt and had a1c done. It was my first where I had been using the Libre for 3 months. My a1c dropped from 6.9 to 6.5.
Having the info of bs all day and viewing it closer has allowed me to notice things and make adjustments otherwise I never would have even known. And not having any alarms is a total no issue for me. I appreciate also that the thing is not connected to anything and keeps my BS info private.
I’m calling it a success! 