Abbott, maker of Freestyle Libre, is notifying people who use the Libre 3 that three lots of sensors may be giving false high blood sugar readings. Of course we all know the danger of thinking you’re high when you’re not, injecting insulin and finding you’ve just induced a bad hypo.

The three lot numbers are:

You can find the lot number on the bottom of your sensor box as pictured above. It’s written in white on black background. If you no longer have the box you can find the lot number in the Freestyle Libre app.

Abbott says the issue affects only a small amount of sensors but if your sensor is in one of these three lot numbers visit the site and select “CONFIRM SENSOR SERIAL NUMBER.”

I don’t know why it’s so rarely mentioned but everyone who uses a CGM should know about compression lows. It’s a false low that occurs when you are leaning on your CGM sensor. It happens most frequently overnight, if you wear it on the back of your arm as instructed. You turn in your sleep and bam, the weight of your body is pressing on the sensor on your arm. The picture above is a clear demonstration how I must have rolled onto my CGM last night while sleeping.

I wrote about this previously as well, but thought it worth repeating.

It’s a funny thing writing a blog for this long. If you’ve been with me for a while you’ve noticed I post less frequently and the pieces are shorter. When I come across something I feel is worth sharing, something newsworthy or just an insight, I’ll post it. The remainder of the time, I’m just out here living my life. That said there are some classic articles the seven years I wrote on the Huffington Post if you want to see.

The living took me to London the past two weeks. It was actually a wedding that prompted the trip, but while there I got to meet a gentleman, Alan Sinclair, who’s dedicated much of his medical and academic career to advancing care for type 1s as they age and become elderly and frail. I’m currently on a committee under his stewardship. The main committee of medical professionals and researchers is establishing guidelines for health professionals who care for elderly/frail T1Ds who use CGMs in setting such as hospitals and nursing homes. Alan and his wife kindly and generously had me and the husband to his home for a beautiful lunch, and pronounced immediately that I was the star, since I’m the one who lives with this condition. I didn’t argue as I sipped my rose in his garden.

You realize how 20 years ago such a committee wouldn’t exist. We didn’t have CGMs and people with type 1 diabetes didn’t live as long. Just like the Joslin Institute now gives medals to those who’ve lived 80 years with type 1, things are getting better, even if it feels at times like it’s happening at a snail’s pace. Were I still in London, I’d say, “Brilliant, let’s keep cracking on!”