Abbott Freestyle Libre 2 Sensor Pack of 2 for diabetes monitoring CGM for UK, white

I have used the sensor for a few months now and they have generally worked well. One pack was faulty and, as other reviews have said, they are expensive to replace. However, the suppier, Diabetes Pharmacy, refunded me in full quickly and with no quibble and I was able to buy a replacement, which restored normal service. They were also the best price on Amazon, though still a lot!

I purchased this as a double pack product from Amazon, because my son had purchased one from a pharmacy for me, and it had worked very well for the 14 days for which it is designed to last.However, having applied the sensor from one of the packs to my arm, switched it on through the Freestyle Libralink2 app and waited for it to register, a 'Sensor Error' message came through, that instructed me to remove it, because it was not working, and to replace it with a new one; at about £50 each, these products are not cheap and at that cost, I think it is a reasonable expectation that the product is value-for-money and reliable.I am shocked and very annoyed that, even though I am a loyal Amazon customer - spending a lot of my money on Amazon purchases - the company should supply me with a defective product.I think that my trust and expectation of Amazon quality has taken quite a bashing.

Normally I use a sensor for the instant test of my blood sugar I understand that if my sensor reads high or low to do a finger test, I have learned so much about my diabetes through using a CGM. I normally buy two sensors, I’m type 2 diabetic so I can’t get these on the NHS, I pay privately.For the first time I put a sensor on my arm and it stopped working after a day, I had no choice but to replace it so that almost £50 down the drain, however, I would still recommend these sensors especially to a newly diagnosed person as it takes away the fear of what can I eat?

I understand from friends with type 1 and type 2 diabetes that this is a very useful device not least because it will alert them when their glucose levels is too low as well as teach them what to avoid, or in which order they should eat their food. It is really helpful to visualise what is going on in your body.I tried it out after reading the “Glucose Goddess” book, half-wondering if I might have type 2 as do some members of my family, so it was nice to find I I am not diabetic ( I only went over 8 or 9 mmol/L on three occasions over 2 weeks) but it was very interesting to observe how a small handful of sweets made me peak to 14. ( my average reading being 5.6)Glucose remained steady, so never above 7 or so if I did eat veg and protein before carbs but did peak at 9 when eating Oatley yogurt and a potato dish with no protein and no salad beforehand, so the Glucose Goddess recommendations do tally with my experience: eat veg first, make sure you have protein with your carbs. A square of chocolate after a meal did not cause any spike.It was interesting to note that I had a reaction to drinking diet coke ( 9 mmol/L) so my body seemed to recognise is as “sugar”.I was alarmed to find my glucose levels dropped to 3 on several occasions at night ( I had thankfully turned off the alarm system) but from conversations with non diabetic people who tried out the app, it seems it is no cause for concern if you are not diabetic, according to their doctor. I have not checked this with my doctor but at least it stopped me worrying.A word of warning: some of the people who have tried the app and are not diabetic mentioned becoming obsessed with their glucose level- which was the case for me for the first 10 days, especially when I could not understand why my glucose level would rise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach ( it is normal), and when I was panicked it dropped so low, on occasions, at night.I’m not continuing with the experiment as I feel I have learned enough for the time-being and will definitely not have a handful of sweets on a empty stomach!This app makes you much more aware of what you are eating and how your body reacts to it. It makes you think twice before you reach for honey, cakes, biscuits, bread or have a big bowl of pasta or rice.We all react differently to food so if you can spare the money, perhaps sharing the double pack with a friend so you can try yours out for a fortnight as there is no need to do this for a whole month, it is worth the £50 or so each.My diabetic friend gave me a special plaster to put over the device and it stayed put. It was very easy to pull off.

After using this constant glucose monitor for 6 months and just fitted my 13th sensor I feel that I am qualified to write an accurate review.I am a type 2 diabetic of 15 years and have had reasonable glucose control up until the last year when I have struggled,my last hba1c result was 74mmol which as most of you know is way too high.The side effects of prolonged high blood sugar levels are well documented and very serious so it was time to take some positive action.I don't qualify for free prescriptions as I am type 2 and these sensors are not cheap but it was time to grasp the nettle.Having an instant read out of your sugar level is incredibly useful and it's possible to identify the foods that cause a glucose spike and avoid them.It has helped immensely to plan my diet and keep my glucose levels under control.The app works well although it does occasionally lose the signal for a short time.It gives you quite a lot of information including your latest estimated hba1c figure,in my case this is 41mmol which is a huge improvement and within accepted guidlines for me,in short the sensor has been a game changer.Now for the negatives,2 of the 13 sensors I have used have been faulty,one stopped working after 10 days(it should last 14 days)and the other was inaccurate and consistently indicated around 2 points lower than a fingerprick tester.Abbot customer service is excellent and a quick call to their freephone helpline and both sensors were replaced by return of post and they included pre paid packaging to return the faulty sensors.To conclude these are an excellent aid for diabetics who are struggling with their glucose levels.I have knocked a star off because of reliability issues,2 faulty sensors out of 13 is not good enough,if Abbot could improve reliability this sensor would be just about perfect.