3 ms·
I've been using one of these for about 6 weeks, and I find it is not very accurate, but the convenience that allows checking the readings very often nearly make
by lucas_membrane 8y ago
I've been using one of these for about 6 weeks, and I find it is not very accurate, but the convenience that allows checking the readings very often nearly makes up for the huge error bars. The libre freestyle 14-day is usually within 15 mg/dl when the reading is between 80 and 100, but above that range, it is usually off by 20 to 30 percent of the correct value (not 20-30 mg/dl) and mine has never read much higher than the finger-stick test, only lower. The lower numbers make me inclined to believe it, but they are simply not true, the meter gives only about one significant digit of accuracy throughout its range, and it is pretty far off or refuses to produce a reading when my blood sugar goes below 60 mg/dl.
Still, being able to see at a glance whether one is 100 or 200 is quite useful. Medicare pays about $500/month for the attachable sensors, which are extremely convenient and non-problematic so far.
There is a far better wearable system ready to go but not in production, a combined sensor and automated insulin dispenser, that has passed human trials, but no one wants to go into production with it because of liability issues. Given that people are riding in self-driving cars and landing in aircraft on autopilot, each of which are also potentially fatal and involve a larger set of variables, I wonder if and how long it will take to progress in this regard.
- pimeys 8y agoThe libre is meant for monitoring the trend of the glucose, used together with a fingerstick reader. You can calibrate the values if you use xDrip to get better accuracy. If you're interested in using a closed loop, take a look into AndroidAPS or Loop, how to build one by yourself. It's all open source and works really well. Been a user for some years now. You just need to compile it by yourself and own the right hardware.
- lucas_membrane 8y ago> The libre is meant for monitoring the trend of the glucose, used together with a fingerstick reader. Then it gets to be an issue with cost and convenience, as hauling around both systems with lancet device and strips and insulin and syringes and glucose tablets is a nuisance for anyone who does not carry a purse. Test strips cost around a dollar each (if one eschews the likes of Walmart), and it is very difficult to get Medicare to pay for more than 3 per day. I do not know if they will pay for any now that they are paying the higher monthly cost of the libre sensors.
- zby 8y agoAre you sure that the reading were 20-30 percent off and not just delayed? Libre and other sensors measure sugar level in the extracellular fluid and it takes some time before glucose gets there from blood. The delays make the comparison difficult. Also if it gets too high or low then people react and quickly change the slope of the graph, then the sugar level in the extracellular fluid would not reach the same extremum as the sugar in the blood.
- lucas_membrane 8y agoIf the monitor problem were only a delay problem, my libre monitor would read higher than the finger stick when my glucose is heading downward, but I have never seen that.
- DavideNL 8y ago> and I find it is not very accurate i have the same experience, the Libre was very inaccurate for me as well. > There is a far better wearable system ready to go but not in production, a combined sensor and automated insulin dispenser, that has passed human trials, but no one wants to go into production with it because of liability issues. Well there's this, even if it's not a "100% pancreas replacement" yet: https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/products/minimed-670g-insulin-pump-system#system https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/products/minimed-670g-insu... "Automatically adjusts your basal (background) insulin every five minutes based on your CGM readings."