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Susan F
I am Sue, aged 55 and I am a Masters Track and Field athlete (masters are age 35+). I was diagnosed with type 1 when aged 30. I recently competed at the World Masters Championships in France in my first international competition.
Prior to the Championships I was lucky enough to be asked to trial the Libre Freestyle system by my diabetes specialist nurse, and then I would feedback details to her of how the Freestyle helped me at this higher level of competition.
It was a complete surprise to be asked to do this and so I was over the moon and excited to have this opportunity. I had read about the Freestyle and had imagined how it could improve confidence and bring stability to my athletics. As I left the nurse I felt that I had a solution to the guess work which diabetes/athletics can bring! I could not wait to try it!
I fitted the sensor 2 days prior to competing so that I could become familiar with it being attached to my arm, which was perfectly comfortable, and to digest all the wonderful information on the reader/scanner. It was fascinating to read the graphs, sugar averages and the trend arrows, giving vital details of glucose direction. Also, the novelty of quickly scanning the sensor to get a sugar reading, was just fantastic. On to athletics!
The Championships brought a roller coaster of blood sugar changes but I felt a massive sense of reassurance because I had the Freestyle. I could prepare for events knowing exactly what my sugar was doing and ensuring, without fail, that I competed to my best ability. I have never had that luxury before!
In the 2 weeks of competition I achieved the following World medals Silver 300m hurdles, Bronze 80m hurdles, Bronze heptathlon. I was chosen for the GB relay teams, winning a Bronze and Gold. My relay team were grateful to know that I was fine to run and I could show them the scanner readings!
My success is certainly partly due to Freestyle and is a must for my athletics!
Phil C
Waiting list for 12 months, my diabetic nurses stories of the Libre continued to fascinate me. She was type 1, therefore I knew this was not a flash in the pan and rather a significant piece of equipment that could change my life. Being a nurse practitioner in the acute setting working shifts certainly does not agree with being type 1. If I took my blood glucose once or twice daily it would be an achievement. Carrying my tester around definitely was not an option! I would tried CGM but it was like having 2 cannula in situ as I also have a pump, the sensor was painful and very expensive. The fact the libre lasted 14 days, wouldnt be sited near my cannula or injection sites was extremely desirable.
The day finally came on xmas eve so it really did feel like Christmas!
I was blown away the first 2 weeks, a huge learning curve to be honest. I have been type 1 for 10 years and was shocked to learn what specific foods were doing to my blood glucose. Particularly foods I believed to be slow release such as wholemeal bread etc. I think I behaved the most I ever had at Christmas time!
The next 2 week was even more important and helped control my blood glucose during a week of sickness followed by my first ever skin abscess from my cannula site, controlling my diabetes so tightly prevented my having to have surgery.
The libre has been a revelation at work, colleagues and patients are intrigued and fascinated! My work life has improved, going from 2 tests daily to on average 17-20, my lows have been cut in half, I can function better and just rest easy knowing I can simply scan at anytime without worrying about leaving the patients during extremely busy times!
£100 a month, people spend more on cigerette addiction! I definately have an addiction to the libre and cannot see my life without it now. Looking forward to my first holiday abroad with the libre next week, my other half will definately have a less stressful holiday with me being in control!!!
Pauline B
I am Veronica and have been a type 1 diabetic for 40 years. I have always tested a lot 15~20 times a day so my finger tips had become like pin cushions. I went to the USA on holiday and the fingerprint machine in Immigration would not give a print. After half a dozen attempts the grumpy immigration officer said that if I could not give a satisfactory print I would be on the next plane home! He came out of his booth, grabbed my hand and forced it hard on to the machine plate and managed to get a print. Phew! My holiday was safe.
Shortly afterwards, I got my Freestyle Libre via a friend in November 2014 because the list was closed. It changed my life and I fell in love with it - even resorting to Twitter when I ran out of sensors! That worked and I am very grateful to the user that helped me out. I soon got my own account and after 18 months my fingertips are just about as smooth as originally and I have no fears about our next USA holiday. In 40 years of diabetes, disposable needles and Freestyle Libre have been the most remarkable lifechangers. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Bethany W
Now we have used it for six weeks and very happy to have it.
When my grandaughter contracted type 1, I was devastated. It was worst to see the amount of finger pricks she had to endure. Searching the internet for a better solution, I found the Abbott FreeStyle Libre (all others were beyond our budget), but unfortunately it was not available at the time. However after waiting about a year we were thrilled get an email from Abbott to say the FreeStyle Libre was available. We were desperate to try it and it helped a lot as my daughter had cancer and she was finding great difficulty coping with her daughter's diabetes. Now we have used it for six weeks and very happy to have it. I hope the Abbott team will work even harder to improve the great product.
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Christie H
A lot of people know that I am type 1 diabetic but there are very few that actually get what that means for me. Its not just about a few fingers pricks and insulin injections, many of the complications of the disease occur later in life and they can be horrifying, something I have to think about every single day. I have struggled for years with testing my blood sugar, because why would I want to painfully prick my fingers with a needle four times a day until they are lumpy? Today this white circle will change my life, it allows me to scan my sugar rather than use needles, and I can wear it two weeks at a time. This is notavailable on the nhs, and it isnt cheap, but my parents have decided that they will make sacrifices so that I can have it. Every parent says they want their child to be healthy and happy, mine have really proved this and I am so grateful to them!
Martin H
I have been type 1 insulin dependant for 20 years since I was 38. I was 11 stone and very fit. I still weigh the same and lead the same active life.
I worked out that I have lanced my finger around 45,000 time and something had to change! How wonderful to discover the Freestyle Libre system which I have used for a year. It has transformed my life completely.
I am very active in all manner of sports and go on extreme holidays. Last summer I embarked on a 300 mile rafting expedition down the entire Grand Canyon in flood conditions and extreme heat. The rapids were up to class 8 which are huge and violent. The importance of being able to hang on, not go hypo and be as safe as possible were paramount. My sensor was generally soaked in river water every day ₸, all day and stayed put for 2 weeks. To be able to scan constantly was invaluable and made the trip hugely enjoyable. I mountain bike up Cols in the Alps and descend very severe steep tracks. I am able to scan whilst cycling which is fantastic. I ski in the Alps all season and heli ski in Italy. Traversing glaciers trying to track my blood sugar levels would be hugely dangerous as my meter does not work in extreme cold so the scanner has again been utterly invaluable to my safety as well as the others in the group. By coincidence my high mountain guide has now developed type 2. I also scuba dive and found normal testing in a wet rolling dive boat almost impossible but using the scanner in a waterproof pouch now makes this issue very simple. Again ensuring my safety.
So as far as my experience has confirmed, I feel that I cannot now do without this system and the thought of going back to finger pricking † would be a nightmare. My diabetes clinician is staggered by the improvement in my control. My HBA1c had been running at 8.6 and has now reduced to 6.5 using the Freestyle Libre sensors.
My only hope is that it becomes free on the NHS of cheaper through economy of scale as production rises.
Eugene D
Being a Type 1 Diabetic.
I decided to improve my overall fitness and to help keep my Diabetes under control, I completed 2 half Iron Man (70.3) races in 2015 and this year 2016 have another 2 planned. The FreeStyle Libre system has become my main support tool helping me monitor and keep my glucose levels stable whilst training & racing. The Free Style Libre system has proven it can handle the demands of a 1.9k swim followed by a 90k bike then a 21.1k run.
The Free Style Libre system has helped me achieve my main goals of health improvements and my HbA1c is now 5.8%.
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Charlotte M
I used to be that cautionary tale, even featuring on the front cover of a well-known diabetes magazine.
My complications can be listed quite succinctly as peripheral and autonomic neuropathy. But at times they have seemed much more my heart beats too fast, my stomach does not empty properly, my eyes don't dilate, my epiglottis is fairly temperamental, I don't feel the soles of my feet and I have been in the sort of pain that not even morphine could dull.
I am now a very different diabetic, and have reduced a myriad of medications down to just one â insulin. This is undoubtedly down to my new best friend, FreeStyle Libre. I could not have done it without you. Thank you for giving me my quality of life back.
Phillip W
These sensors have changed my life. A1c around 6.0%, Cholesterol 3.7mg/dl and twenty pound weight loss.
However, not being allowed to have them on prescription has cost me well over £1000.00 in the last year.
Worse still, even though I am prepared to pay. only one pharmacist locally stocks them and more often that not doesn't have any.
Fantastic product but the distribution and availability is shocking.
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Michael
03 December 2019
I was diagnosed with type 1 in 1982. It's a total blur the past 38 years. Going from boiling glass and metal syringes to using
all this hi technology items. However, I have kept myself fit running is my main sport. Over 50 half marathons and regular 10ks
I was self-funding with the FreeStyle Libre sensor but recently I have been allowed to receive the items free this is really good and has saved me over a 100 quid per month
But I feel this is the way forward
However since learning about the implants I feel that this is what I want.
Paul M
02 December 2019
I was diagnosed with Type 1 about eight years ago, having had the classic symptoms of thirst, frequent trips to the toilet and unexplained weight loss. I'm a competitive white-water canoeist so finger prick testing was always difficult on the water. I also have extra challenges on race days where I must carefully time eating, insulin and closely monitor my levels right up to the point I get to the start line. But I've never used diabetes as an excuse for a bad race. There have been a couple of times I've not been at my best because of low or high sugars, but most of the time if I have a bad race, it's nothing to do with diabetes! I started using the FreeStyle Libre system about two years ago and it's been life-changing, both during sport and normal life. Understanding which direction my levels are going and what's happening overnight have been great, along with being able to test even when I'm on the water?. Over the last couple of years, I've been British veterans champion, and won a medal at the European Masters Games. I'm really keen to encourage other Type 1's to get involved in competitive sport, as diabetes certainly isn't a barrier.
David s
02 December 2019
My name is David Simpson and I'm 55 years old, I have had type 1 for 14 years. my control has always been quite good but in recent years my weight has crept up and I didn't have the right motivation to exercise vigorously.
I have always loved swimming but after a bad experience with a hypo at the pool years ago I lost the confidence to swim other than a splash around. that changed when I got my FreeStyle Libre system and i found I could take my monitor to the poolside in a seal able plastic foodbag. I can check my sugars as often as I feel necessary and now swim? every second day. It made a great difference and I feel fitter, lighter and my control is better than ever.
Kate T
I am 39 and I have been diabetic since I was 3. I have seen many new innovations in diabetes come and go over the years, and not many except the pump, have significantly changed my diabetes care. I have managed my diabetes the best I can with finger prick tests, and endured the highs and lows. When I first saw the poster for the Libre in my diabetes clinic I was very intrigued and went online straight away to buy one. Though I dont particularly like doing finger pricks (who does?) I was most interested in seeing if it proved useful in seeing trends. I though if it did then I might use it every so often to see what was happening.
The first thing that I noticed on using it was all the information that I now saw between finger prick tests the rises and falls between the snapshots in time that fingersticks provide. I could see spikes after meals and rises overnight and now I could see how they happened. I have information on what foods have different effects on me, different exercise, the dawn phenomenonal. I have brought my HbA1c down from 55 to 43 which is great, but having read that its spikes that cause complications I now aim to improve my time in target and stay in range for more of the time.
There is a practical element of it being very easy to scan rather than fingerprick † whilst running which I love.
The biggest impact the Libre has had though is on my work. I work as a psychotherapist and listen to clients 1:1 for an hour at a time. Now I can see the arrows and know if my glucose is likely to rise, fall or stay the same then I can literally preempt hypos, meaning that I wont go unexpectedly low halfway through a client telling me their deepest anxieties. And I dont get anxious that I will! I have used the Libre continuously since that first sensor over a year ago.
Beverly B
My name is Bev, I am 57 years old and I am a learning support worker in a primary school. I have been a Type 1 diabetic for 18 and a half years. I have been using the FreeStyle Libre system for just over a month and it has completely changed my life.
As you can imagine, working in a primary school is very busy and fast paced, there is always something to do. My FreeStyle Libre system means I can monitor glucose levels, something I do more than 10 times per day, without causing a fuss, without having to wash my hands, and without having to make extra time to do so. Gone are the days where I need to find a quiet spot to test my levels to avoid worrying the children. It has also been a big talking point in the staff room, with most people knowing someone affected by diabetes, many of them are intrigued to know how the device works.
As part of my role at school I run an after school table tennis club. Having my Freestyle Libre system means I dont miss a second of the action, and I can keep both eyes on the children at all times!
Table tennis is a big hobby of my mine, having played for nearly 40 years. Playing league matches, I have always needed to take time out in between games to test my blood sugar levels. Now, with my Freestyle Libre system, by the time my opponent is ready to serve, I have already tested my levels and am ready to go!
In a nutshell, the FreeStyle Libre system has completely changed my life and I honestly couldnt imagine life without it!
Nicola M
My name is Nicola. I am 56 years old and I have had Type 1 diabetes for 37 years. When I was first diagnosed there was no home blood glucose testing at all. We just had fizzy urine testing tablets.
Over the years I have seen many types of glucose testing and finger pricking devices come and go. From metal lancets and huge blood glucose testing machines needing a pipette full of blood to test. I thought they were great at the time but oh how far we have come.
I love love love the Libre system. It makes my life so simple. Especially as a busy shift working midwife when it is not always possible to get away to do a finger pricking test † . A quick scan and I can be reassured that all is well. I also travel to Australia quite a lot and again the Libre makes it so easy to keep on top of things while traveling through time zones. Never ever a problem going through security. My Australian granddaughter calls my sensor my magic circle. I call it my best friend.
Elisha B
Elisha was diagnosed with type1 diabetes at age 4. She is now 6 so has lived with diabetes for two years. With growth spurts Elishas blood glucose levels are rapidly changing. The freestyle libre enables the continuous monitoring without the sore fingers that Elisha was experiencing. As Elishas mom night testing is so much easier with the libre †.
Nikki S
I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 49, pretty late in life by all accounts. The diagnosis came as a complete shock. I had become very ill and the months following diagnosis are a bit of a blur. Pre-T1 I was super fit. I climbed, ran, cycled and scaled high altitude mountains, there was no stopping me... until Type 1! I fell into what I now call my diabetic black hole and retreated from life, stopped doing all of the things I loved and became pretty depressed. I read about the FreeStyle Libre before it was even available and got hold of it just as soon as I was able. It has changed my world. I have climbed out of my hole and started doing the things I love. Pricking my finger so many times a day left me feeling down and defeated. Now, I can check my glucose levels on the go, I can do so discreetly and without fuss. The data that is available to download is amazing and although I am still getting to grips with it all, it has really helped me understand my patterns and highlighted what I need to do and when to keep my HBA1C at a good level.
I'm not saying that I don't have days where I feel angry, upset and resentful... I think these feelings are inevitable but the Libre has improved the quality of my life significantly and I cannot imagine being without it. It has given me so much confidence that I am starting to plan a challenge for 2016 that will push me mentally, emotionally and physically. After that, I have been asked by my hospital to talk to young people with T1- to hopefully inspire them and also convey the important message that you can still get out there, push yourself and do pretty much everything that non-T1's can do if you want to.
Discovering the FreeStyle Libre was like someone turning the light on for me after having been in darkness for 6 months... incredible!
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Adrian L
18 June 2020
In my early days of living with diabetes, over 20 years ago: my wife and I were looking at a perfectly good blood sugar reading and wondering whether I needed a bedtime snack. She commented that it would be more useful if we could know whether the level was rising or falling, rather than just what it is. At the time, having this sort of information was a mere fantasy but she was in fact visualising a future in which we would have this information at a glance, giving us power over our condition.
Anita G
10 June 2020
Exercise was once a nightmare never knowing when that hypo was going to come. With the FreeStyle Libre I’ve the knowledge I need to manage much better, improve my time in range and be stronger fitter and more confident with exercise. Long distance cycle rides are doable as well as walks in the park.
George C
15 June 2020
September 2015 I was invited to inject insulin, I weighed 19.5 stones. Declined and GP referred me to dietdoctor.com. Adopted High fat, low carb diet. 24th Dec. 2015 I had lost 4 stones and my blood sugar was well controlled. I have never looked back. Throughout the four months my GP took fortnightly checks complete with blood tests. Everything went well and has remained so, my cholesterol levels, which were never a problem, are slightly reduced. At the time of writing I am 91 years old.
Celebrate your success and inspire other people living with diabetes. Share your story about living In the Zone today.
₸ Sensor is water resistant in up to 1 meter (3 feet) of water for a maximum of 30 minutes. Do not immerse longer than 30 minutes. Not to be used above 10,000 feet.
† A finger prick test using a blood glucose meter is required during times of rapidly changing glucose levels when interstitial fluid glucose levels may not accurately reflect blood glucose levels or if hypoglycaemia or impending hypoglycaemia is reported by the system or when symptoms do not match the system readings.
Ω The reader can capture data from the sensor when it is within 1cm to 4cm of the sensor.
Ѱ For children aged 4-12, a caregiver at least 18 years old is responsible for supervising, managing, and assisting them in using the FreeStyle Libre system and interpreting its readings
‡ 60-minute warm-up required when applying the sensor
The shape of the circle sensor unit, FreeStyle, Libre, and related brand marks are owned by Abbott. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. No use of any Abbott trademark, trade name, or trade dress in this site may be made without the prior written authorisation of Abbott Laboratories, except to identify the product or services of the company.
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