Got home from work today and had to juggle a bunch of crap between the car and the house. Took my Freestyle Libre glucose reader out of the cupholder and stuffed it in the cargo pocket of my uniform pants with my phone so my hands would be free to carry all of the other crap.

Got inside, started shedding the belt, vest, gun, and all that other crap. Got my boots off, emptied my pockets onto the counter then straight to the laundry room to get the uniform in the washer.

Started the laundry, got dressed, then went to the kitchen. Wife is at some church thing but she left food on the stove so I started heating that up. It got done and I put it on a plate then went over to the counter to grab my reader to check my blood sugar before I ate. Not there. Immediately realize that it's probably in the freaking washer. Run to the laundry room and the damn thing is already agitating. Any other time it would have taken forever to fill. Find my pants get in the pocket and of course the reader is in there. Completely soaked, water running out of it, screen fogged over. It's dead, Jack.

So now I've gotta call the doctor's office (which of course isn't open until tomorrow), wait on hold, deal with menus, and get them to send a prescription refill to the pharmacy. That's gonna cost me like $100, and to make matters worse I've only had the current sensor on for two days, and their stupid readers will only talk to one that has been started with that particular reader, so that's wasting another $40. And now a good portion of my day off tomorrow will be dedicated to fixing this stupid bullshit of my own creation .

On top of that, I now have no way to check my blood sugar because the only test strips I have in the house are Abbott, and that reader was the only compatible device that I had to read them.

Why can't they make critical stuff like this a little more robust and tolerant of daily life? And why can't I sync a new reader to an existing sensor? That's just stupid.

This was my third reader...the first one fell out of my hoodie pocket into the toilet about three years ago (DRT just like the current one), and the second one lasted about a year before it just decided to stop working all on its own. I've had this one for a little over a year, so my only consolation is that it was probably getting close to suffering the fate of #2.

But ultimately, why do I have to be so freaking stupid?

Thanks, I needed to get that out...I feel better now.

I’m a Type 1 and wear a Dexcom sensor that works for 10 days. I haven’t had to prick my finger in months and don’t even carry a tester anymore; I used to 100% of the time. They also don’t have such a bullshit startup requirement.

The libre would work with a phone (if you start the new sensor with that phone), but it has to be NFC capable, and mine isn't.

So I went to Meijer to try to get a replacement. I showed her the waterlogged reader and the sensor on my arm. She said doesn't matter, they need a prescription to sell the readers (nevermind that if I had a compatible phone I could just download an app to do the same thing, and I have an active prescription for the sensors and one stuck in my arm). Doctor's office doesn't open until tomorrow so I can't get one tonight.

I decided to just buy a strip reader to get me through until I can get a prescription and a new libre reader ordered. Should have been easy, except Meijer is remodeling their store and moved all the diabetes stuff somewhere and nobody could tell me where it was. I looked for like 20 minutes and finally the Pharmacist told me to check with the service desk. Got to the service desk and there was nobody there. Apparently the desk isn't staffed after 8pm. So I ambushed one of the self-checkout girls, who was super helpful and went back and helped me look. We looked for a while, she made a phone call to a manager, we looked some more, finally found the entire diabetes rack shoved back down a hallway in the seasonal goods section.

So at least now I have a way to check it, and I can punish myself for being an idiot by stabbing my finger repeatedly until I get a new one. So. Freaking. Stupid.

You're not alone, sir. I stepped into the shower the other day. Lathered up my hair and was halfway through rinsing it out when I realized that I had my hearing aids in. Tossed them into a bowl of rice for awhile and they're still working, but that was almost a $1500 mistake.

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but that was almost a $1500 mistake.

Yeah, that makes the libre reader look like small potatoes. Glad they're still working!

My wife just washed her hearing aids. By the time she realized hers were missing, they had dried out. New batteries and they still work.

I just make it an automatic habit to check every item of clothing that has a pocket as it goes into a washing machine even if I *know* there’s nothing in the pockets because there often is something I missed.

My wife once somehow missed a crayon in one of the kids pockets and it went into the dryer and made a huge mess.

I came damn close to getting the shower with an IWatch on!

You couldn't have done this last week?
I threw my old Libre reader out with the garbage when I found it. I've switched to phone forever ago. I'm on my last Libre 2 sensor. Friday, I switch to the Libre 3 Plus sensor.

My "pharmacy" was unable to get the 3 sensors for the longest so I went back to the 2. Thankfully they are stocking the 3+

Well, I called the doc this morning and since my reader is dead they're just going to take the opportunity to upgrade me to the 3+. Unfortunately, this means I'm out the cost of the other 2+ sensor that I already bought and is currently in my medicine cabinet, but at least it's only one. The 3s are supposed to be better, and I imagine they'll be easier to get going forward as the 2s get phased out.

Still a stupid, expensive, and a PITA mistake, but at least there may be some benefits to the outcome.

I feel for you.
I have an 11 year old that wears a Libre and has for like 2 years now.
He swims on 2 swim teams so he swims pretty much everyday and multiple times a day a couple days a week.
Let me tell you how that goes and how much that cost as he does not have diabetes so insurance covers EXACTLY ZERO.

Thankfully the Libre folks are pretty good about free replacements for the sensors that fall off.
However we always get a long winded response about proper application.

We used to use a reader because he is always getting juggled between my wife, myself, and the in-laws just based on who is working and who is taking what kid to what sport.
Those things are not durable at all. My mother in law got a new phone and we ended up using her old phone as the reader and just pass it around.

If only someone would make it so only a watch is needed and not a constant phone connection.
That would make our life so much easier.

If it makes you feel any better:

A couple weeks ago, I changed the oil on the minivan. I couldn't find a funnel to put the new oil in, so I cut the bottom off an empty 1 liter Diet Mt. Dew bottle that was sitting in my work bench.

Today, I filled my 20 gallon sprayer with water and went to grab the 1 liter Diet Mt. Dew bottle I left my the work bench that I use to measure the 16 fluid ounces of weed killer per 20 gallons of water.

That bottle cost me 10 cents; MI deposit. Now I have to find another bottle which'll be another 10 cents.

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Originally posted by 92fstech:

Still a stupid, expensive, and a PITA mistake, but at least there may be some benefits to the outcome.

Blame it on high/low blood sugar.

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However we always get a long winded response about proper application.

Yeah, I've been through that one. Usually because it got hung up on a vest, or pack straps, or ripped off in DTs training. They have been pretty good about replacing them when I ask, though.

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Blame it on high/low blood sugar.

There ya go, lol .

I use the same sensor but use my phone. Download the app and start a new sensor or wait until the sensor would run out. Problem solved.

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Originally posted by NapoleonSolo:
I use the same sensor but use my phone. Download the app and start a new sensor or wait until the sensor would run out. Problem solved.

I would do that, but my phone isn't compatible. Either need an iPhone on or one one of the few Androids that offers NFC. When this one dies my next phone will have them at capability, because carrying a separate reader is annoying.

I did the same with my Bose ear buds, except mine went thru the dryer too.

I make it a practice to frisk every pocket in my pants (I have cargo pants with multiple pockets) and I still manage to miss things. And it's not the same pocket every time.

One day, I'll miss the chapstick in my front right pocket. The next day, it's the knife in my lower right pocket. Then the car keys in my lower left pocket.

I don't know what to tell you how to fix it. if you figure it out, let me know.

Don't sweat the Apple Watch in the shower thing, I do that every night. If you check the exercise app on it, it has a choice for swimming, so I figure it's safe.

Pharmacy got me the 3 plus yesterday. It does seem like they had an easier time getting those than the twos. The "3" sensors are also MUCH smaller, which is a great thing as they're less obtrusive and hopefully will be less prone to snagging stuff and getting ripped off. This may have been a happy accident after all.