BGLs

FreeStyle Libre Not Working?

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I’m appealing to the search engines with the title of my post today, because this is what I was hoping to find when I turned to Google for help with my FreeStyle Libre a few weeks back.

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I was about halfway into a sensor that I had purchased, when suddenly my reader stopped working. The screen wouldn’t start up when I hit the home button. There had been a few instances in the days leading up to this where my screen had blacked out for five or ten minutes at a time, but it always came back to life. I might also mention that this culminated on a Saturday morning, and I soon learned that I wouldn’t have access to customer service until 8am on the Monday.

When my reader still wasn’t responding well after an hour, I was frustrated. I reached out to @FreeStyleDiabet on Twitter with no reply (I’m not too sure where in the world this account is based).

I tried charging the battery with no success. I got an idea from the instruction manual that the device might be temperature sensitive, and kept it in my pocket while I was sleeping one night with no luck either.

I had no idea where I would stand in getting replacements for my reader and the $95 sensor I couldn’t make use of. Abbott were a little coy at the blogger event in Sydney regarding faulty sensors, and we were told that it would depend on individual circumstances.

When I got in touch with Customer Service on the Monday, they shipped me a new reader and replacement sensor on the condition that I send the faulty one back via supplied packaging. The replacements arrived via express delivery two days later, and I started the sensor up once again.

The replacement sensor, however, was wildly out of range. Most of the time, the readings on the Libre were far higher than what I actually was. I was constantly seeing numbers in the mid to high teens (and even 20s) after meals, and this really took a bit of a mental toll on me. I was pricking my fingers almost as much as I would without it, because I couldn’t trust the numbers. I was driving myself crazy, thinking about the prior two sensors I had used and whether the readings were this far out (and it didn’t only happen when glucose was high!)

I gave customer service a call once again, explaining my problem. I was reminded to factor in the 5-10 minute lag time, which I was confident I had. I was then asked to provide three Libre readings and their respective finger stick readings, and I was put on hold to do a control test. The customer service rep then came back and told me that he would send me a replacement sensor free of charge because I was reporting readings higher than the acceptable difference of 1-2mmol.

I was really impressed at how quickly I was issued with a replacement sensor over the phone. I had meter reports prepared prior to calling, almost expecting that I would have to send through evidence of inaccurate readings. Both times, my replacement products were shipped by overnight express to my doorstep instead of the usual 6-9 day delivery window.

However, I would have expected customer service available to me on weekends, even if just for a couple of hours. I also think that Abbott need to be more realistic about their products developing faults. The returns policy, which you can read here, is rather brief and doesn’t give the customer a feeling of confidence or support when the tech fails.

That being said, I am super grateful that Abbott resolved both of my problems with very minimal hassles.

Diabetes Hacks: Four Ways With Test Strips!

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I had been using FreeStyle Optimum test strips since I was diagnosed. These were wrapped in foil, and left a lot of mess on my desk because I’m too lazy to throw them in the bin straight away. Travelling with them was a nightmare. If you’re like me and want to take 5 boxes with you in your hand luggage in case of a plane crash, this can prove to be a challenge among all the other travel junk.


Last year my diabetes educator gave me a FreeStyle Insulinx meter, and I was introduced to the world of FreeStyle Lite test strips. Quite honestly, they’ve changed my life forever. Instead of the annoying foil wrapping and bulky boxes, these test strips come in small capped vials of 50. They are so much more convenient to use on the run. 10 vials will fit much easier into my hand luggage. There’s no annoying foil wrapping to rip open before I can get to the test strip, and the blood sample required is so much smaller as well. I really notice the difference when I’m using my old Optimum Xceed meter at work. (Of course, FreeStyle is not the only brand of capped test strips you can buy).


Then there’s the mess. Test strips are so damn messy. Partly because I use so many of them. Partly because of the foil, if I’m using the Optimum ones. But mostly because I am too lazy to pick them up and throw them in the bin after each blood glucose test.

A few months ago, I had this pencil cup that I was ready to throw away. Today, it sits on my desk beside my blood glucose meter, acting as a rubbish bin for used test strips and leaving my desk clean and free from blood stains (eww, right?).


Then there’s the leftover blood on my fingers after a glucose test. I always wipe it with an alcohol swab, apply pressure with a tissue and then wash my hands.

Yeah, right!

I’m a wiper. I wipe the leftover blood on my finger against the side of my test strip, toss it into my pencil cup, and I’m good to go!

Finally, to repeat one of my favourite hacks, test strips vials make great hypo jars. My hypo brain always manages to lose count of the skittles I’ve eaten. This hack saves me so much time when I’m low and all I really want to do is shove sugar in my mouth as quickly as possible!

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Have any diabetes life hacks of your own? Post yours to Diabetes Queensland on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #diabeteslifehacks and the team will share them during National Diabetes Week!

A Tumultuous Night

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I’ve never had ketones in the six years I’ve lived with diabetes. Until yesterday, that is.

I performed a routine site change when I arrived home from work – probably around 2.30pm. There was no bruising or bleeding around the old site, which was another confident step away from the occlusion nightmare of three weeks ago. My blood sugar levels were in range, and I was good to go in no time.

By 5pm, I noticed my levels beginning to rise closer to the 10 mark. Dismissing it as a delayed effect of the buttered ham and cheese toastie I’d had for lunch, I gave a correction bolus.

When I sat down to dinner at around 6.30pm, I was 13. I bolussed for what I thought was a pretty accurate carb count of my dinner, with a generous correction. I did my best to eat slowly and pick at the lower carb things on my plate first, so that the bolus would have time to kick in.

After a little OzDOC banter, my levels were edging close to 20 by 8pm. I was obsessively looking at the site I’d changed a few hours ago, but I couldn’t find any reason to rip it out. It looked clean, and the boluses weren’t stinging as they went in.

I added some more carbs to my dinner bolus – this carb count was now extremely generous – and set a temp basal of 100%. I let it run for an hour, while watching my levels continue to soar into the low 20s. With no end in sight to the upward trend arrows on my Libre and feeling the high in my chest, I began to worry.

At 9pm I grabbed the insulin pen from my contingency pack, and injected six units into my stomach. It was my first insulin injection in 7 weeks. I went to check the site once again, and saw small amounts of insulin leaking out of the edges – finally noticeable thanks to the crazy correction boluses and basals of the past hour.

I ripped out the site to discover this.

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The small piece of teflon that sits under my skin was kinked, which meant I’d had little to no insulin in my system since the site change six hours ago.

My BGL was 25, which was honestly the highest I’ve ever seen it.

I checked for ketones, which were present in the mid range of 1.3. At this point, I was very aware of the possibility of having to go to hospital if I became nauseous.

Once I had changed my site, I hastily grabbed my diabetes file from the bookshelf, sending two others flying to the floor in the process. I furiously turned page after page, looking for the cheat sheet my diabetes educator had given to me a few weeks ago. The cheat sheet that I knew had quick instructions for treating ketones in the bottom left corner.

I set a temp basal of 200% to get that basal insulin kicking in my system ASAP (not educator recommended, FYI). As per the handy cheat sheet, I bolussed for correction plus 10% of my total daily insulin dose. I then headed straight for the kitchen, completely filled up my 600ml water bottle, and skulled it down to flush out the ketones. I filled it up again, ready to skull down in another half hour or so.

Slowly, but surely, my BGLs began to decline. When my meter finally rang in with a reading below 20, I breathed a massive sigh of relief.

By 11pm, I was 14, Ketones were down to a negligible 0.3, and I finally felt confident in turning off my temp basal rate.

It was a tumultuous night. By far, the worst scenario that diabetes has ever thrown at me. I crawled into bed at 11.30pm, exhausted.

Only to be woken again by a 4.30am low.

Here’s hoping that tonight diabetes lets me watch Wimbledon in peace.

FreeStyle Libre: First Observations!

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With the life of my FreeStyle Libre sensor coming to an end in a few days, I thought I’d better write some observations while they are fresh in my mind.

I first put my Libre sensor on during Diabetes Exchange in Sydney (disclosures are at the bottom of this post). We were advised that the best place to wear the sensor was on the underside of the upper arm. In similar fashion to an insulin pump infusion site, the sensor came packaged in what looked like an insertion device. It simply “clicked” into place on the arm.

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I’m the kind of person who easily gets annoyed by things. I fiddle with my watch, my medic alert bracelet presses too hard on my skin, and I am always picking at scabs. So I was pleasantly surprised that I have hardly noticed the Libre sensor. So far, the sensor has held nicely on my arm. I had one bath where the sensor was submerged in water for some of the time. I’ve had showers and changed my clothes every day, where the sensor is inevitably subject to some bumps and friction. The sensor is starting to look a little grubby around the edges, though, as it heads towards the end of its life.

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Being Winter, my sensor often sits under warm clothes and I notice it less. It is likely exposed to lesser impact and outdoor activity compared to the warmer months of the year. I’m also not sure how comfortable I’d feel wearing this $95 sensor to the beach under some rough waves.

Some of the other bloggers raised the issue of the Libre not having alarms to alert them of high and low blood glucose readings, which is a very valid point. I am not particularly concerned by this. Just as with finger pricks, I check often enough to be able to catch any impending highs or lows. I’m all for something simple, and that minimises the diabetes junk that I have to carry around with me. The Libre fits the bill nicely. As with anything, more features will mean an even higher price tag.

A great deal of my Libre use has been checking my glucose levels after meals. This has given me an insight into where my levels are heading after I eat, and in evaluating the need to readjust settings and ratios on my new insulin pump. We were told that data may be less accurate than a finger prick when glucose levels are rapidly changing, so please bear this in mind around my observations. 

My Libre reader has typically run around 1-2 mmol higher than the reading on my meter. I have also noticed a more significant difference where my Libre presents a reading greater than 15mmol. I have found greater accuracy where my levels are in single digits, and where there is no active meal bolus in my system.

That being said, the Libre has been super convenient to have while I’m transitioning to the insulin pump. It’s been a huge relief on my fingers at a time where I would likely be using test strips like water. Every morning, I plug it into the computer and upload the data to Diasend. It gives me access to detailed graphs that have tracked the movement of my levels through the night, which is extremely helpful in making decisions around my overnight basal insulin rate.

I walked around without my meter and test strips while I was in Sydney quite comfortably, too. The reader was quite easy to carry around, and fitted nicely into a t-shirt or jeans pocket. It was a really convenient tool to evaluate my blood sugar levels after some big Sydney meals, and a reliable indicator of glucose trends. I would definitely consider buying a sensor next time I plan on travelling.

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After a week and a half with my sensor, I am also feeling extremely challenged not to micromanage data. It’s extremely challenging to look at those annoying trend arrows after meals and not respond to them. It’s for the same reason that I’m not particularly interested in using a Continuous Glucose Monitor (not to mention the price!). I will definitely miss the convenience and the detail of my Libre data when my sensor shuts down on Thursday, but I am also very much looking forward to a break.

You can find out more about the upcoming Australian launch of the FreeStyle Libre at freestylelibre.com.au.

Disclosure: Abbott paid for my travel and accommodation expenses to and from Sydney. I received a FreeStyle Libre reader and 2 sensors free of charge. There was no expectation that I would blog about the Libre. All opinions expressed here remain my own.

Hey, Sydney.

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Today, I’m attending my first “official” diabetes event since I started my blog. I’m headed to Abbott’s Diabetes Exchange Program in Sydney, where I’ll learn more about the FreeStyle Libre which is launching in Australia soon.

What is the FreeStyle Libre, you ask? It’s a glucose monitor that measures blood glucose readings by “scanning” a small round sensor worn on the arm, rather than traditional finger pricking. I wrote about it in more detail over here.

I’m just an ordinary guy living with diabetes. While I don’t blog for the perks and the recognition, it’s a huge testament to my writing here that I would be included in such an event. These sorts of things never happen to me, so yeah it’s a big deal.

I’m also really excited for the opportunity to meet some of the folks in the Oz Diabetes Online Community who will also be present. While I love the Diabetes Online Community, these guys mean the most to me out of all of my DOC connections being closer to home. I watch their activity online with great interest and I try to follow their example when writing about diabetes here.

Which brings me to some disclosures. Abbott has paid for my travel and accommodation expenses to and from Sydney. I have been given a FreeStyle Libre reader and 2 sensors free of charge. There is no expectation that I will blog about the Freestyle Libre or anything else discussed at the event. I have not been paid to write anything. Any opinions expressed here and on social media are voluntary and remain my own. I have actually had to take time off work to attend this event.

You can follow along using the hashtag #DX2Sydney on Twitter later today, and keep an eye on my Facebook page, which you can ‘like’ here.

While I’m on the topic of travel, can I just say that Lost has ruined my life forever? I’m obsessing over the diabetes supplies I’m packing, wondering whether they will be enough to last me if I were stranded on a tropical island! Not to mention that stupid ending in the church…

See you soon, Sydney.