1/2 - Gen, AMPS ??? (Libre trouble, argh!)

Allie & Gen

Allie & Gen

Member Since 2025
Last post (Wednesday)

Hey friends. I thought I'd start the year with a little reduced screen time, especially since things seemed to be fairly chill over here, but ... we're having a day.

This morning, I discovered that Gen's brand-new Libre sensor had already fallen off! (I don't know if he ripped it or if it was badly placed.) So that was frustrating. I wasted no time on installing a new one, which seemed to take fine, although I was a little worried that it was further down his side than I meant it to be (and might be more accessible as a result).

However, once it was up and running, we started several hours of green numbers and frequent low glucose alarms. (I tried feeding Gen treats and getting him to eat more wet food--he was very focused on his dry again--and nothing really seemed to make a difference.) After three hours of this, the Libre started giving me a SENSOR ERROR and telling me to check back in 8 hours (instead of the usual 10 minutes). I've tried restarting the app and the phone to no avail.

It seems like I'm perhaps dealing with a faulty sensor, or a bad installation/location? This is a new one. I don't know if I can trust the numbers I was getting before, and I will say that Gen has seemed perfectly fine throughout.

I only have one sensor left. (Thankfully, I do have another in the mail from Abbott for one of the ones that stuck to the applicator weeks ago.) These damn things cost me so much money! (I wasn't planning to call Coscto about the pricing shenanigans until next week; I still think today is likely to be a bad day for it.) I can't afford to keep wasting them like this, not if I can't get the price down.

I'm giving it a few hours just in case it comes back ... and then I guess I'll replace it. @Staci & Ivy , @Lauren & Esse ... does any of this sound familiar?

I hope everyone's doing well on these first days of 2026! Safe surf to all the kitties, and happy Friday, too.
 
Hi! So I realized the other day why the price difference at Costco. I am using the libre 2+ not the 3. It is half the cost of the 3 at Costco.

Hope this sensor sorts itself out and that Gen is doing okay!
 
Jessica & Indy said:
Hi! So I realized the other day why the price difference at Costco. I am using the libre 2+ not the 3. It is half the cost of the 3 at Costco.

Hope this sensor sorts itself out and that Gen is doing okay!
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Ohhh ... but, you're not the only person who is getting a lower price at Costco. @Lauren & Esse , you use a 3, don't you?

(I wonder if I could switch to a 2+. This is really becoming an issue.)
 
Allie & Gen said:
Last post (Wednesday)

Hey friends. I thought I'd start the year with a little reduced screen time, especially since things seemed to be fairly chill over here, but ... we're having a day.

This morning, I discovered that Gen's brand-new Libre sensor had already fallen off! (I don't know if he ripped it or if it was badly placed.) So that was frustrating. I wasted no time on installing a new one, which seemed to take fine, although I was a little worried that it was further down his side than I meant it to be (and might be more accessible as a result).

However, once it was up and running, we started several hours of green numbers and frequent low glucose alarms. (I tried feeding Gen treats and getting him to eat more wet food--he was very focused on his dry again--and nothing really seemed to make a difference.) After three hours of this, the Libre started giving me a SENSOR ERROR and telling me to check back in 8 hours (instead of the usual 10 minutes). I've tried restarting the app and the phone to no avail.

It seems like I'm perhaps dealing with a faulty sensor, or a bad installation/location? This is a new one. I don't know if I can trust the numbers I was getting before, and I will say that Gen has seemed perfectly fine throughout.

I only have one sensor left. (Thankfully, I do have another in the mail from Abbott for one of the ones that stuck to the applicator weeks ago.) These damn things cost me so much money! (I wasn't planning to call Coscto about the pricing shenanigans until next week; I still think today is likely to be a bad day for it.) I can't afford to keep wasting them like this, not if I can't get the price down.

I'm giving it a few hours just in case it comes back ... and then I guess I'll replace it. @Staci & Ivy , @Lauren & Esse ... does any of this sound familiar?

I hope everyone's doing well on these first days of 2026! Safe surf to all the kitties, and happy Friday, too.
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Hi Allie, you would need another prescription for the Libre 2.
I also believe it won’t send the data to your phone. (It was why I switched to the 3).
Also, you have to physically scan the sensor on the cat to get a reading (unless it’s changed from 3 years ago when, I bailed from using a 2).
Perhaps @Jessica & Indy can confirm this information.

I know @Brianna & Xander pays $30 each at Costco (she’s in CA).

The only thing I can tell you about the sensor error is a couple of times, Ivy has been in green cycles when active I activated a new sensor and because she was surfing low, it gave me that eight hour warning.

The sensor did come back after eight hours to my surprise.
Of course I was able to poke her ear so that I knew she was actually in green numbers and that’s why I was comfortable waiting the eight hours to see if it came back.
It’s also possible that because you put it in a different place, maybe the placement is just not quite right so you’re getting weird readings.
I’m so sorry for all the aggravation!
 
Ugh, yeah, I don't think the 2+ is an option given all that. I need to be able to monitor him on my phone. Back to the plan to call Costco next week and try to get to the bottom of the cost differences. (I'm very worried that it will turn out to be state-specific pricing, which, ugh. But maybe not? Anyway I can tell them up front that I know people who get them for $30-35 in CA and VA, so it seems like a bit much to be charging me $77!

Well, if your sensor came back online after 8 hours, @Staci & Ivy, I guess I should give Gen's the chance to as well ... though that would mean shooting "blind" or stalling by a couple of hours for PMPS. 😬 Or try to do a blood test for the first time since we gave up back in 2021. With no help, and a cat who I am just coaxing into taking the Libre installations (relatively) calmly. I kind of hate the idea. His system has dealt with a lot of stress lately.

I can believe that he was really in green numbers (though I don't know that I trust the specifics, since the Libre has always corrected upwards for anything <68 or so in the past). It looks like he was having a bounce-breaking cycle last night. If he follows his usual pattern, after green numbers he will probably head right back up towards 400 ...

Of all the options, I think stalling his shot might be the least risky, but I'm not sure how severe the consequences could be, especially if he is in high numbers at shot time. Could anyone weigh in at all? @Christie & Maverick , @Wendy&Neko ?
 
Jessica & Indy said:
For us, it is cost. I asked Costco how much it would be if we got a scrip for the 3+ and they said it would go from $30 to $77.
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That's so weird, especially since we're, like, 2 hours away from each other. When the recall meant no one had any 3s left and I switched to the 3+, the price didn't change. It's still just $33. 🧐

Allie & Gen said:
It seems like I'm perhaps dealing with a faulty sensor, or a bad installation/location? This is a new one.
Click to expand...

I've definitely had sensors that had to be replaced early which meant putting it in an "off" spot and that definitely made a difference, though in my experience that resulted in very jagged up-and-down readings that were just really frustrating. What you're seeing sounds more like what I know @Staci & Ivy has experienced several times with the sensor being like "Wait, WTF?" about happening to be activated on low numbers. I think it can come back once it figures itself out, so it would at least be worthwhile to wait until the timer is up.

So sorry that it's so much trouble! I remember how stressful it was. I promise, it gets better.
 
He's earned a reduction down to 1.0 units today. How late past PMPS would 8 hours be (presuming the sensor comes on board then)? If it doesn't come back, nothing wrong with a half dose if you are worried. Pretend it was a partial fur shot.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
He's earned a reduction down to 1.0 units today. How late past PMPS would 8 hours be (presuming the sensor comes on board then)? If it doesn't come back, nothing wrong with a half dose if you are worried. Pretend it was a partial fur shot.
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My trouble is that I don't know for sure that he did earn the reduction - I don't know if I can trust the numbers I have. Which is pretty frustrating. I guess I may take one just to be safe.

8 hours would be roughly 2.5 hours past PMPS.
 
Brianna & Xander said:
That's so weird, especially since we're, like, 2 hours away from each other. When the recall meant no one had any 3s left and I switched to the 3+, the price didn't change. It's still just $33. 🧐
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Well, here's something else that's weird. I tried to look up the cost of a Libre 3+ sensor on Costco's Pharmacy website and the member price there was $73.61 ($75.61 with delivery). I asked @Lauren & Esse to look it up to compare, and she told me she (well, her boyfriend; it's his membership) got the same result ... but that didn't match what they'd actually been paying, which was $32/ea (pickup).

I don't understand any of this.

Brianna & Xander said:
I've definitely had sensors that had to be replaced early which meant putting it in an "off" spot and that definitely made a difference, though in my experience that resulted in very jagged up-and-down readings that were just really frustrating. What you're seeing sounds more like what I know @Staci & Ivy has experienced several times with the sensor being like "Wait, WTF?" about happening to be activated on low numbers. I think it can come back once it figures itself out, so it would at least be worthwhile to wait until the timer is up.

So sorry that it's so much trouble! I remember how stressful it was. I promise, it gets better.
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Yeah, I'm waiting on the timer for sure; hopefully that's it. My previous Libre install (not the one that came off after two days, the one that lasted the full two weeks and got us through our holiday visit) went basically perfectly, so I know it's possible. I'd be less stressed if it weren't for the financial issue.

But also, hi, it's good to see you! Happy New Year - how are you and Xander doing? ❤️ I hope things are better with his IBD.
 
Christie & Maverick said:
Sorry about the sensor troubles. If it were me and if I were already customizing and had a reduction point in mind, I’d follow it. You can always go back up.
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Thanks! And fair enough. I think I am going to reduce to 1u.

Also ... I'm actually leaning towards not stalling? It's almost PMPS, and he's been completely fine all day, and ate well when I fed him a little under an hour ago. He's never stayed low after a big drop; he usually goes shooting right up into outer space.
 
Can you try for a pokie or are you in fear for your life? :woot: I have a civvie and all I can think is that goodness he wasn’t the one who needed pokies. In the absence of a test, I’d rather err on the side of caution and do a half dose like Wendy suggested.
 
Christie & Maverick said:
Can you try for a pokie or are you in fear for your life? :woot: I have a civvie and all I can think is that goodness he wasn’t the one who needed pokies. In the absence of a test, I’d rather err on the side of caution and do a half dose like Wendy suggested.
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I am in fear for my life and for Gen's stress levels, honestly. When we've done pokes in the past I almost never got a usable result because of how hard he struggled, and he'd hide all day after. (I bled more than he did, I think!) I have been hoping that with the holidays over, we'd have some time in which to work up to trying again, slowly. Work on getting him comfortable having his ears handled.

I wonder what would have more of a (negative) impact ... a half dose, or a full dose at a two-hour delay ...
 
Ok, no pokies, we had a caregiver here once who posted pictures of her early attempts although I will say she ended up finding a way. Well I guess you’d need to move shot time back several days if you are talking 2 hours. Something to think about. We all give fur shots, so giving a half a dose seems like a manageable compromise?
 
Christie & Maverick said:
Ok, no pokies, we had a caregiver here once who posted pictures of her early attempts although I will say she ended up finding a way. Well I guess you’d need to move shot time back several days if you are talking 2 hours. Something to think about. We all give fur shots, so giving a half a dose seems like a manageable compromise?
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That makes sense. I go back to work on Monday, so I can't move shot time around quite so much.

I may yet find a way, but I'm trying to space out the major stressors and changes at least a bit, to the extent that I can for him.
 
Sorry you are dealing with the libre nonsense. Like Staci mentioned, she's had the 8 hour timeout multiple times, and to me it seemed like some kind of software timeout in that it did come back on the nose each time (correct me if i've wrong there Staci).
 
Allie & Gen said:
Well, here's something else that's weird. I tried to look up the cost of a Libre 3+ sensor on Costco's Pharmacy website and the member price there was $73.61 ($75.61 with delivery). I asked @Lauren & Esse to look it up to compare, and she told me she (well, her boyfriend; it's his membership) got the same result ... but that didn't match what they'd actually been paying, which was $32/ea (pickup).

I don't understand any of this.


Yeah, I'm waiting on the timer for sure; hopefully that's it. My previous Libre install (not the one that came off after two days, the one that lasted the full two weeks and got us through our holiday visit) went basically perfectly, so I know it's possible. I'd be less stressed if it weren't for the financial issue.

But also, hi, it's good to see you! Happy New Year - how are you and Xander doing? ❤️ I hope things are better with his IBD.
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The way it was explained to me at Costco is... when you fill it, they run it with the manufacturer membership coupon. If you look it up, it will give you the basic price but when you fill it, it gives you the discount because they partner with Abbott for a membership coupon. That is what was stopping me from being able to refill one of my scripts. Abbott wouldn't let the coupon go through because it wasn't due yet accorsing to them. So this last time they ran it under goodrx and they were about $45 to $50 each that way. Your pharmacy tech probably didn't run the discount coupon through, is what I'm thinking. I hope I explained that in an understandable way..
 
Allie & Gen said:
Well, here's something else that's weird. I tried to look up the cost of a Libre 3+ sensor on Costco's Pharmacy website and the member price there was $73.61 ($75.61 with delivery). I asked @Lauren & Esse to look it up to compare, and she told me she (well, her boyfriend; it's his membership) got the same result ... but that didn't match what they'd actually been paying, which was $32/ea (pickup).
Click to expand...

I had that happen too, when I was trying to decide whether or not to bother transferring my prescription to Costco. It was even worse, like $121 each or something ridiculous. For whatever reason their site apparently doesn't reflect the actual price they'll charge. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Allie & Gen said:
Yeah, I'm waiting on the timer for sure; hopefully that's it. My previous Libre install (not the one that came off after two days, the one that lasted the full two weeks and got us through our holiday visit) went basically perfectly, so I know it's possible. I'd be less stressed if it weren't for the financial issue.
Click to expand...

Oh trust me, I understand the financial strain! Even if they were $10 each it would be expensive to replace them as often as we needed to at first. It's expensive as hell. I hope I've never made you feel like it isn't a big deal. I spent a lot of time panicking that we were going to reach a point where we simply couldn't afford to even see his numbers. Fortunately that didn't happen, but it was a rough road. I wish so badly that we could help with application, etc. ☹️

Allie & Gen said:
But also, hi, it's good to see you! Happy New Year - how are you and Xander doing? ❤️ I hope things are better with his IBD.
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Hi! 😁 Happy New Year to you and Gen too!! We are actually doing pretty well the past couple days. I really hope we're coming to a crossroads and finally turning down the right path. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
 
Monster's Mom said:
The way it was explained to me at Costco is... when you fill it, they run it with the manufacturer membership coupon. If you look it up, it will give you the basic price but when you fill it, it gives you the discount because they partner with Abbott for a membership coupon. That is what was stopping me from being able to refill one of my scripts. Abbott wouldn't let the coupon go through because it wasn't due yet accorsing to them. So this last time they ran it under goodrx and they were about $45 to $50 each that way. Your pharmacy tech probably didn't run the discount coupon through, is what I'm thinking. I hope I explained that in an understandable way..
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Hmm, interesting. Well, I'm going to call customer service and chat about it to see what they say. I will say that the tech who rang me up was not super helpful, but I was also in a huge rush and the whole warehouse was mobbed because it was only a few days before Christmas. Hopefully next time I can take the time to talk things through more thoroughly.

I wonder how all this works with mail delivery. I thought at least one person here mentioned that they get their Libres delivered, but I wonder if these coupons can be applied with their delivery process! (I was hoping I'd be able to set it up, because it's at least an hour each way to my nearest Costco by bike or transit.)

Brianna & Xander said:
Oh trust me, I understand the financial strain! Even if they were $10 each it would be expensive to replace them as often as we needed to at first. It's expensive as hell. I hope I've never made you feel like it isn't a big deal. I spent a lot of time panicking that we were going to reach a point where we simply couldn't afford to even see his numbers. Fortunately that didn't happen, but it was a rough road. I wish so badly that we could help with application, etc. ☹️
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You absolutely didn't make me feel like it wasn't a big deal! I'm just really anxious about it because my finances are generally in rough shape right now, and there's the surgery coming up, etc etc. And Costco charged me $218 (plus tax) for my last three sensors, in person (@Monster's Mom offers some insight into why that might have happened, at least).

Brianna & Xander said:
Hi! 😁 Happy New Year to you and Gen too!! We are actually doing pretty well the past couple days. I really hope we're coming to a crossroads and finally turning down the right path. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
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That is so good to hear! I really hope so too. 🤞 I've been thinking about you guys (in part because, well, Gen had a few poop-related issues of his own in recent weeks 😅).
 
Update: the Libre has, in fact, come back online! And Gen's BG is now ... >400. Which I could have predicted, but. Sigh.

Well, hopefully this one will last more than two days, and I will come to terms with losing all that data. /cranky completist

Goodnight, friends. Thanks for all the support as always! ❤️
 
Allie & Gen said:
Update: the Libre has, in fact, come back online! And Gen's BG is now ... >400. Which I could have predicted, but. Sigh.

Well, hopefully this one will last more than two days, and I will come to terms with losing all that data. /cranky completist

Goodnight, friends. Thanks for all the support as always! ❤️
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So glad to hear it!! I hope it behaves from now on. Get some rest! 💜
 
Allie & Gen said:
Update: the Libre has, in fact, come back online! And Gen's BG is now ... >400. Which I could have predicted, but. Sigh.

Well, hopefully this one will last more than two days, and I will come to terms with losing all that data. /cranky completist

Goodnight, friends. Thanks for all the support as always! ❤️
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Hooray!! 🎉 Allie and Gen
I’m so glad it came back (as mine did too, @Seth&Bell you did remember my experience correctly) 💓

It seems he may have actually had a lower cycle which caused the sensor error and then the big nasty bounce.

Hoping today you get more consistent numbers and he comes back down from the spaceship 🚀 bounce.

Maybe try calling your Costco and ask to speak to the pharmacy manager or pharmacist in charge and explain what happened.
Try asking if the clerk possibly didn’t find the discount properly and you need a credit (maybe they can do that over the phone).

And see if they can have that information on your account for future purchases).

I do know at my pharmacy all of the information is in Ivy‘s account and every time I order the Libre the price is the same because they just seem to be able to apply the same coupon each time.
I don’t have to ask and it’s always the same cost.
I’m hoping that Costco will be able to get it right and then you won’t have the hassle each time.

Hopefully, once you get this straightened out, this will be one less point of aggravation on a continual basis 💓

If you don’t get satisfaction with the pharmacy, I would call customer service in the store itself and ask for a manager.
Keep us posted and obviously we will keep trying to come up with ways to support you until we get this sorted out for you 💕
 
Allie & Gen said:
/cranky completist
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This made me literally lol because I feel the same way.

Sorry I missed the tag! I'm celebrating the new year with a terrible cold. But yes, we use the 3+s. And that "check back in 8 hrs" thing happened to us with the current Libre we have on now, could be placement or could be that getting it up and running when he's in the greens messes with it.
 
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