CHF118.–
Abbott Freestyle Libre 3 Sensor
Glucose monitors
Product ratings
Pros
Cons
34 reviews
The sugar detective on my skin
As a healthy person without diabetes, I decided to buy an Abbott blood glucose sensor - not because I had to, but because I wanted to. Call it curiosity, data obsession or just a desperate attempt to finally get some scientific proof as to why I get so tired after the third piece of cake.
Installation: Easier than IKEA furniture
Attaching the sensor was surprisingly painless. A quick prick and I had my own little technology tattoo on my upper arm. Since then, my friends have been asking me whether I've secretly become a member of a futuristic cyborg club. "No," I reply, "I'm just curious about my sugar levels after eating a whole frozen pizza at midnight."
The app: my personal sugar paparazzi
The associated app tracks every slip-up in my dietary sins with the precision of a tax inspector. "Aha! Three chocolate biscuits at 3.42 pm? Interesting!" Nothing remains hidden from my digital sugar policeman. The graphs after Sunday brunch were particularly enlightening - a sugar curve like the silhouette of the Alps.
Findings: Scientifically sound excuses
Now I can finally back up with facts why I absolutely need a nap after lunch: "Look, my blood sugar is on a rollercoaster right now!" The data provides me with scientifically sound excuses for my afternoon tiredness and justifies the extra cup of coffee.
Social impact: The uninvited party guest
At family parties, I'm now the obnoxious type who looks at his mobile after every course and proclaims: "Interesting, only an increase of 23 points after that slice of cake! I think I'll have another one." My relatives are thrilled. Not.
Conclusion: My expensive toy for adults
Was it worth the investment? Definitely a luxury gadget for a non-diabetic. But hey, while other people are spending their money on collectible figurines or expensive coffee machines, I'm investing in the ability to stalk my body in real time.
This little disc on my arm has shown me that my body reacts to sugar like a child in a playground: first hyperactive, then dead tired. Who would have thought it?
4 out of 5 stars but still 5 stars - one point deducted because my excuses for afternoon naps now sound too scientific to be really convincing.Pro
- Small talk effect
- Women find it sexy
- Positive compassion effect
- People free up a seat on the tram
Contra
- Price
- Only in one colour
- Must not be mounted on the forehead
Highly recommended for part-time diabetics
I have been using the sensors for 6 months now. The sensors work 90% of the time as they should and show me my current blood glucose values. A great thing for a diabetic if it weren't for the following points that really need to be addressed:
- Sensors keep failing (loss of signal) and then no blood glucose readings can be taken for 15 minutes. As a diabetic, I always have to take my manual meter with me. In my case, the sensor always reconnects afterwards, but the purpose of the sensor is lost.
- The app with which you can read out the blood glucose values is an absolute disaster, there are blood glucose alarms, but these cannot be paused or anything similar. You can only switch them on or off. At work I disturb everyone in the office because the alarm is really loud.
- The option to scan insulin pens has been removed (it still exists in the old app and works perfectly there) but the developers have not managed to add this feature to the new one.
- The price of CHF 120 (at the time of my review) is massively too high. I can get the sensors from my pharmacy with a prescription and fortunately only pay CHF 15 per month (instead of CHF 250 here).
At least a thousand times better than Dexcom (G4, G5 and G6), where the sensor fails every 3 days and can no longer be used afterwards. Meanwhile, the sensor is very small and has never got in my way in any situation. The adhesives last for 2 weeks or longer without any problems and the installation is very easy and painless.
Due to the failures and the high purchase price, this is only a recommendation for part-time diabetics. For professional full-time diabetics, I recommend purchasing from a pharmacy.Pro
- Pain-free blood glucose measurement
- simple
- painless assembly
Contra
- Price
- Many failures
- partly unreliable
- App absolute disaster
great thing!
Pro
- Very small
- continuous measurement
- good evaluation tools
Contra
- expensive if you have to pay yourself (elderly diabetics)
Second time the sensor quit in less than a week
This is the second time a Libre 3 sensor did not make it even one week. And Galaxus won’t replace it because I threw away the sensor since it had blood and had been in my body. Can’t ship that back to them (they really want it anyway?), so I don’t get a replacement. I recommend to buy it directly from Abbott, so when it does fail, they send you a new one.
Pro
- Measures blood glucose
Contra
- Unreliable and quits
Transmitted super fast
It's for my dog but I find it super effective for managing insulin with the help of my vet.
6 out of 34 reviews
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