About six weeks ago I was approached by Abbot here in the US to trial their new Freestyle Libre System. They sent me two free sensors and a reader and asked me to post on social media and here on the blog about my honest opinion of the product.
As some of you know I have used the Freestyle Libre system in Australia and love it. So trialing the US version has been a no-brainer. Even though I have used the product on and off for over a year I was excited to trial the Freestyle Libre System in the US because of its new and different features.
Instead of a start-up period of one hour, it has a 12- hour warm-up period. I inserted mine in the morning so it was ready to read by dinner time which meant I could feel more secure overnight when my levels are more volatile.
The sensors last for 10 days (as opposed to 14) and you need a prescription from your doctor. On average the cost for a sensor in the US seems to be less than Australia. I think it depends on the Pharmacy you get them from here and the co-pay coverage by your insurance.
I popped my sensor in on the first day with a FB live (see below) it was absolutely painless and they’ve improved the adhesive factor. You get a reading by passing the reader over the sensor. It has good range and works through several layers of clothing. i.e winter jackets!
After patiently waiting for it to warm up (12 hours seemed like forever) the readings came in almost 40 mg/dl lower than the fingerstick readings taken with the reader. The Freestyle Libre System comes with a reader that can take blood glucose fingerstick readings and even Ketone readings with FreeStyle Precision Neo and Ketone test strips.
In my previous experience, it can take up to 24 hrs. from insertion for fingerstick readings to match the sensor. Sadly they continued to be out after more than 48 hrs. It wasn’t a great start and bummed me out, especially because I had to get up at 3 am and treat what I thought was a low-low blood sugar which in the end wasn’t one.
I decided to call customer service to let them know what was up. Can I just say, Abbot customer service rocks! It was such a great experience. They were really thorough and asked a ton of questions about the readings I was getting to the kind of test strips I was using. They compared all sorts of data to determine whether it was a reader or sensor error.
In the end, they decided to send me a new reader and sensor. I was advised that my new sensor and meter would arrive the next day or I could go to my local pharmacy to pick one up. They were courteous, thoughtful, kind and it really felt like they cared. Luckily Abbott had given me two free sensors to trial so after removing the first, I popped in the second (on the opposite arm) and crossed my fingers.
Success! The sensor was neck and neck with my fingerstick readings all the way. I’ve never worn it on the back of my right arm before (I favor the left side) so I was curious to see if having it on my dominant arm would affect the readings. But it hasn’t made a difference.
I also decided to throw caution to the wind to test the Freestyle Libre’s durability getting it wet, pulling clothes on and off and doing my vigorous yoga practice. It stuck like a dream throughout. However, numbers could be almost 20 mg/dl out after excessive movement like going up a flight of stairs or from indoors to outdoors, doing handstands or getting out of the shower. When I was settled the readings were consistent. So if I saw a trend arrow heading up or down I’d wait about 5 minutes and scan again.
I totally love the convenience of being able to scan as many times as I like and how I can see everything plotted on a graph. It was interesting to see how I dipped low in my sleep and then sharply rose high and then leveled off. Those kinds of readings helped me to adjust my basal dose.
Halfway through the trial, I flew to Utah. I was advised not to go through the scanners and to ask for a pat down. The security guy at JFK tried to convince me he knew better. Telling me that the waves of the scanner were no worse than using a cell phone. I waved my doctors letter at him reiterating I wanted to opt out.
The device survived the flight (as did I) and gave me peace of mind. Having to fumble for my glucometer in the middle of traveling can be a real hassle. I remember taking a flight back from Munich where the passengers next to me also lived with Diabetes (type 2). Every time I checked my meter they looked over my shoulder and made a comment and asked if I was okay. It was sweet but bugged me and in the end, I went and checked in the restroom. Scanning discreetly throughout the flight meant I could keep my levels to myself.
I also caught a Sinus cold during the trip which meant consistently higher readings and the necessity to increase my insulin dosage to correct. Having the Freestyle Libre system on meant I could keep a close eye on my levels which helped me deal with the extra stress of traveling while unwell.
Even though there were a few bumps at the start of the 10-day trial, I’m giving the FreeStyle Libre System the double thumbs up. I still have one sensor left to go so stay tuned for my next update on the blog and on Instagram and Facebook.
If you’d like to learn more about the Freestyle Libre System you can visit their US site here