[DISCLOSURE – PLEASE READ: The team at Abbott reached out to me and asked if I’d like to trial the Freestyle Libre system. I said yes. After my doctor approved a prescription for the device, Abbott sent out the 14 day system to me, which included a scanner and three sensors. This whole review needs that bias lens in place. Good? Good. Thanks for reading.]
My left arm has sported a Libre sensor for the last two weeks. Today is the last day of my first sensor, and I’ve got some thoughts on this whole thing:
COST: Since I received these sensors as part of a marketing outreach effort, I don’t have the best assessment of cost. But when I purchased (out of pocket) some 10 day sensors last year, they cost me $25 per sensor. According to the Freestyle Libre website, “Most commercially insured patients will pay between $40 to $75 per month for FreeStyle Libre 14 day sensors.” From my vantage point as a PWD with 85% insurance coverage for DME, the Libre would be cheaper by a long shot. That matters.
COMFORT: The Libre is superior to any continuous glucose monitor (or flash glucose monitor) I’ve ever worn, in terms of comfort. The sensor has been on my arm for two weeks. It hasn’t ached at all, it doesn’t itch even a little bit, and I’m hoping that when I pull it off, it won’t leave a huge red circle in its wake. Wearability is a HUGE issue for me, as my skin is compromised in a lot of ways after 13+ years of wearing a CGM. The scaly, itchy patches left behind by Dexcom sensors take months to fully heal, and sometimes my Dexcom sensors ache after insertion, and even days later. Libre doesn’t hurt at all going in and it doesn’t leave a nasty rash behind. This is a big deal. Big. Deal.
EASE OF USE: This new iteration of the Freestyle Libre allows me to use an app on my iPhone to scan the sensor. That means the need for carrying around the separate scanning device is gone. No need to tote around anything extra. And the scanning process is easy – I can easily scan through a thick, winter coat without a problem. The 14 day sensor also has a one hour warm up time instead of 12 hours … no need to explain why this is better, right?
INTEGRATION AND ACCURACY: The Libre is not integrated into my pump, which leaves the Basal IQ feature on my pump rendered useless. I’ll get into this more in the PREFERENCES section. And in terms of accuracy, it matched my glucose meter solidly two out of the three times I spot-checked it. One time, the Libre was convinced I was really low when in fact I was only 80-something mg/dL, and that pissed me off because I treated a non-low. But on the whole, my confidence was mostly earned.
PREFERENCES: As a stand-alone device, I think the Freestyle Libre is a solid piece of tech. It doesn’t require calibration, it removes the need to prick my finger, and it’s comfortable to wear. It costs less than the Dexcom system, at face value, and I can see it being easy for all kinds of PWD to make this system part of their daily care plan.
But in my house, lows are a problem. Hell, highs are a problem, too. (No perfection here.) And the lack of alarms for highs and lows on the Freestyle Libre remains the preference deal-breaker for me. Also, the Libre is not integrated with my Tandem X2 pump, so I didn’t have the safeguard of Basal IQ. After wearing the Libre for two weeks, I realized how much tighter my control was by leaning on the Basal IQ. Maybe not an A1C changer, but definitely a time-in-range changer, as I wasn’t dipping into the hypo red zone so often when wearing the G6/X2 combination. In terms of works best for me, and knowing my own management shortcomings and how tech fills in some of those gaps for me, my quality of life is improved when I’m thinking less about diabetes. And while the Libre is amazing, it’s not the best fit for my goals.
BUT, as I’ve said 1,000 times, there’s no Lorax of diabetes; I only speak for me. In the next week, I’ll have a take on the Freestyle Libre system from a friend who has type 2 diabetes, and their assessment includes a different perspective. In the meantime, I’m very happy with how the Libre performs, and if it were able to alarm and/or integrate with my pump, I’d use it way more confidently.
To find out more, you can visit the Freestyle Libre website. And if you have made it all the way to the bottom of this long post, you get a snuggle:
I love everything you said. We are in Canada and my daughter is Type 1. She is 9..
We use the libre but we also used the G5. I loved the night alarms for lows and highs and that is what I miss most. We could not continue with the G5 as the cost is too much and we had more sensor errors than not. She was just too lean. I can’t wait till they make the Libre more like.a CGM
I love the libre surprisingly. But it works fine for me and I really don’t notice it on my arm. So that’s good. I’m glad you wrote about it
I have enjoyed wearing Libre now 5 times. It works so well because it is not integrated with the pump. When I have infusions of Rituxan I have a blast of steroid that rocks my Blood Sugar to super heights. It fowls the pump program significantly for about a week so I have to remove the Medtronic sensor for that 36 hours. I use the Libre while I am off the Medtronic sensor. I am glad I have the option and the docotr gets to see the results of the steroid blast.
I have never used the libre sensor, but I doubt I ever will mostly for the same things you said, lack of integration with my pump and lack of alarms that wake me up (LOWS ARE MY BIGGEST FEAR). I love my G6 and only wish I could keep it in for an additional 10 days since I have never felt it nor had any irritation after it was removed (I know you have huge issues Kerri, most people I know don’t). My longest stint on a G4 was 30 days pain/irritation free! (I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW…NOT APPROVED).
I routinely get 20 days from my G6 and have good results that whole time. There are a couple websites/blogs that tell you how to restart. Very simple!
I recently got the Freestyle Libre, at the recommendation of my Type 1 (❤️) Endo. I went in asking about the Eversense implantable, and he urged me to try the FL first. He actually wears both, as he is trying out the Eversense. He loves the FL for all the reasons above, as did I. My only issue was that it was, on average, 30 points higher than my meter readings. In the morning, if was nearly 50 points higher. I talked to the helpline and they suggested a sensor change and reminded me that interstitial fluid is, well, more fluid that a finger stick. In a month (two sensors) I would say there were 10 times it was close to my meter reading and I test 7-10 times a day. I did use it when I was out exercising and running errands. If it read 80 I knew I was closer to 50, so I could pop a couple of giant glucose sweetarts without the stick. But, it also depressed me to see all those high numbers. Silly, I know, but it wore on me. So, I have been off it for two weeks. I did a little google research and saw a number of videos and posts from users who applied it in other than the recommended back-of-arm location and some produced increased accuracy. That will be my next step. I am so glad to see your post on this, Kerri, and I am sorry that my comment was longer than the post! Just really happy to discuss it with the dia-cohort. Thanks! Kate
[…] in the week, I wrote up my thoughts on the Freestyle Libre 14 Day system and also promised perspectives from a colleague who is using the system who has type 2 diabetes. […]
I’ve tried the Libre and in less than two weeks have gone through four sensors. The readings on my libre are 40-60 points higher than my meter for my OmniPod. I do not like that I don’t know which one to trust. I decided to also test on my One Touch and that one was different too than either of my other ones. So I have stopped using the Freestyle Libre even though I loved the concept of not having to do finger sticks. (I’m thinking my meter-PDM-for my OmniPod is off because ever since I started using the OmniPod, my A1C’s have gone quite up quite a bit. I’m looking into this now). The other big problem I have with the Libre sensors is how it tears my skin when I remove it. The adhesive is awful! It leaves a very red, irritated area on my arm. I was told by them to use alcohol to remove it but that really burns and it didn’t help. So at this moment, I am very disappointed with the Libre. I was very excited to not have to be constantly be pricking my finger but that’s not happening.
As a type 2, raising a type 1, I would LOVE to read a follow-up from your friend’s experience. I’m seriously considering using the FL 14 day for myself. Thanks in advance!