8/26 My freestyle libre sensor failed

Chris and Checkers

Chris and Checkers

Member Since 2021
I just woke up and thought I would check Checkers BG and my Freestyle Libre said that the sensor has failed and I should put on a new one. It is day seven and it is supposed to work for 14days. also don't trust the recent data now that it has failed prematurely.

I don't have another sensor at home and no test strips or lancet etc, (nor have I manually tested before). Of course I have to work tomorrow too. I will have to pick a manual glucose meter after work. Any recommendations on any reasonably priced quality testers that you can get in Canada. I noticed that the list of recommendations is from 2018.

Checkers is eating a lot now, so is it safe to shoot in the AM without testing beforehand?

It is 2am here so I am going to try to sleep. Checkers is looking fine.


https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/8-23-checkers-amps-430-85-10.251877/#post-2842099
 
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Since Checkers has had DKA it's not a good idea to skip. It's not ideal to shoot without testing, but he is staying pretty high right now. Under the circumstances I think you are okay to shoot since he is eating. I don't have any suggestions on meters in Canada.

Here is your last post: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/8-23-checkers-amps-430-85-10.251877/#post-2842207

We always link to the last post so it is easy for people to look back and see what advice you were given before.
 
Thanks, I won't be able to pick it up until after work so not an immediate hurry.

How often is it recommended to test? Both preshots and then some?
 
Bandit's Mom said:
I know that the Bravo is the cheapest meter in Canada:
https://diabetesexpress.ca/products/bravo-meter?_pos=1&_sid=8a3784bdc&_ss=r

Going to tag a few members from Canada for suggestions on which meter to get right away:

@Butters & Lyla
@thebigfuzz
@AmandaL&Belles
@Roxy450
Click to expand...
Honestly I use an inexpensive GE meter from Walmart. The strips are $58 for 100 which was the cheapest of the selection that I saw. I haven’t looked into the bravo but I know you can get it online for free and pay for the strips (around $40 for 100). I know you need one ASAP so I guess my advice is just go to wal mart or the pharmacy and pick which ever one you feel like!
 
You can only get the Bravo meter online and it and the strips have to be mailed.

I used the FreeStyle Lite meter. It takes the smallest drop of blood. Strips are $80-90 per 100. (Strips are crazy expensive in Canada.) You can use your PC points at Shoppers. Call around though. Some people have said that strips are cheaper at Costco (no need for a membership to use the pharmacy).
 
I agree with @Red & Rover (GA). Freestyle lite is a good choice, small blood drop. You can get the One Touch Ultra 2 at the pharmacies in Canada, but it needs a lot of blood, so it wasn't my first choice. I got frustrated with it pretty quickly since it kept giving me errors. If you have a Sobey's near you, check there, sometimes they have sales of a certain brand where 100 strips are $69 and they give you the meter for free. This week it is the Contour Next / Contour Next One. Haven't seen any sales on test strips for FSL in about 18 months, maybe longer :(
 
Bandit's Mom said:
I know that the Bravo is the cheapest meter in Canada:
https://diabetesexpress.ca/products/bravo-meter?_pos=1&_sid=8a3784bdc&_ss=r

Going to tag a few members from Canada for suggestions on which meter to get right away:

@Butters & Lyla
@thebigfuzz
@AmandaL&Belles
@Roxy450
Click to expand...
Hey u can order on Walmart.ca they got some pretty cheap ones just make sure they come with strips!! U can also call freestyle libre and tell them it was defective and they will replace it for free . Will take a week or two to receive but well worth it !!
 
Chris, I see you are still checking daily for ketones, that is good!
I’m glad he is eating well.
I think you should consider doing the TR with DKA so recently in the picture. We need to get those high numbers down.
You can go back to SLGS later but at the moment the dose will most likely need to be changed more than every 7 days.
Would you be OK to change to TR?
It is interesting to see that 1 green and a few blue BGs in the sea of red and pink. He could be bouncing from the green BG……this is cycle 5 if he is bouncing, so we could expect to see a drop in BGs by/during the next cycle if the high numbers are due to a bounce.
Did he eat well the morning of the blue/ green BGs do you remember?
 
We use the one touch ultra 2, but Christie is right, it needs a pretty good drop of blood. The strips are about $80 for 100. There might be meters that are cheaper.

I think that @Sue and Luci has mentioned a service where she orders them online and submits data for diabetes research in exchange. It is a monthly fee, but cheaper. I am not sure if it applies to Canada though.
 
Red & Rover (GA) said:
You can only get the Bravo meter online and it and the strips have to be mailed.

I used the FreeStyle Lite meter. It takes the smallest drop of blood. Strips are $80-90 per 100. (Strips are crazy expensive in Canada.) You can use your PC points at Shoppers. Call around though. Some people have said that strips are cheaper at Costco (no need for a membership to use the pharmacy).
Click to expand...
I also use the FreeStyle Lite because of the smallest blood requirement. I am in the US and after reading here I get the strips on EBay - you have to check for expiration dates but once I'd been testing a few months I started stockpiling. It can be a bit irritating shopping around for the best price all the time, but occasionally you can get a really good deal for a large collection of strips (usually with a few short-expiration boxes slipped in). Doesn't help you right now but good for ongoing. Good luck!

I've also called the Libre manufacturer in the past about 'defective' monitors and they sent me 2 replacements.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I went to Walmart on Thursday and asked the pharmacist, they didn't have the freestyle lite. I got the Contour Next One meter free with the strips.

I Tried getting blood from Checkers ear and hardly saw any blood, tried several times but gave up.

Friday morning I had to work and didn't have time to try again. But I did attempt it for his pm preshot. This time, I got a bit more blood but not enough for the test strip. I have been reading all the articles and watching the videos but have yet to get enough blood for testing. I wish my libre sensor lasted a bit longer so I could have time to master the manual testing.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Chris, I see you are still checking daily for ketones, that is good!
I’m glad he is eating well.
I think you should consider doing the TR with DKA so recently in the picture. We need to get those high numbers down.
You can go back to SLGS later but at the moment the dose will most likely need to be changed more than every 7 days.
Would you be OK to change to TR?
It is interesting to see that 1 green and a few blue BGs in the sea of red and pink. He could be bouncing from the green BG……this is cycle 5 if he is bouncing, so we could expect to see a drop in BGs by/during the next cycle if the high numbers are due to a bounce.
Did he eat well the morning of the blue/ green BGs do you remember?
Click to expand...

Actually, the day with the blues he wasn't eating much so I gave him Mirtazapine.

I would be afraid to adjust his dose just yet until I am able to do some manual testing. I have yet to have any success with that.

I would love to try another libre sensor but they cost $99.99 in Canada and it only last 7days.

His appetite is good now, and he has been quite perky the last couple of days. So it is nice to seem more normal. He is still peeing and drinking more often.

Unfortunately, this morning I gave him a fur shot, I am really frustrated with myself for doing that. I hope it doesn't mess any progress he is making.

I have a few days off, so, I am going to try to get the blood glucose testing right.
 
Chris and Checkers said:
Unfortunately, this morning I gave him a fur shot, I am really frustrated with myself for doing that. I hope it doesn't mess any progress he is making.
Click to expand...
We have all given a fur shot at one time or another….it is very frustrating though. He’ll get back on track.
The freestyle libre is supposed to last 14 days!
I’m concerned about the high BGs he is still getting. How long is it since he came out of hospital with the DKA.
We really need to look at increasing the dose of insulin to get those BGs down a bit.
Keep trying with the hometesting as it’s important we know what is happening with them so we can increase the dose. im glad you are testing daily foe ketones….very important.
HOMETESTING LINKS
 
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