Gary V on his diabetes journey and living freely with FreeStyle Libre
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Do you know anything about FreeStyle Libre? Well, you should. Because it’s the future of diabetes care. Diabetes management used to be so complicated, and for some, quite painful. However, the FreeStyle Libre system makes it easy — easy to apply and easy scan due to the unique technology inside their advanced wearable sensor. Designed with innovation in every detail, Mr. Pure Energy himself Gary Valenciano talked about it last September 14, 2022, during a webinar.
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Gary V on his diabetes journey
Some Filipinos are surprised that Gary V is actually living with Type 1 Diabetes, especially since he is known as Mr. Pure Energy. During the webinar, Gary shared that his journey started when he was just fourteen years old.
“I was diagnosed with it. I was fourteen years old. My sugar level hit 700-something plus. At least during my time, from what I know, the normal level goes from 80 to 120. I don’t know if that has changed because a lot has changed. But, when I’m within that level, I’m fine.”
Then, Valenciano continued to share the story of how challenging it was to measure his glucose even before finger-pricking was a thing.
“It was a challenge for me because the struggles of monitoring how high my glucose or how low it was, before switching to CGM started way back. I actually felt like a chemist because there was no such thing as finger-pricking for blood. It was done with a test tube, a tablet, and urine. Then, I would have to gather a few drops into a dropper, then drop it in. I would have to determine how high or low my sugar was depending on how the tablet inside would respond. So, if it was a tan-colored thing, I forgot if that was high or low. But, that’s what it would show. It was more or les a guessing game to see where I was at.”
Of course, years went by and finger-pricking to measure glucose became a thing. However, those carried some kind of struggles, too. Aside from people getting weirded out by the mention of blood, Gary’s fingertips would also thicken to the point that it becomes unrecognizable for touch screen devices.
“Then, years went by. I started finger pricking. And, I did that for a long time. In fact, my skin in my fingertips would start getting thick. When I would actually need to use my fingers for the touchscreen later on, sometimes, it would not recognize that. So, I had to use another set of fingers in order to do that.”
Then, FreeStyle Libre comes along and helped him finally live freely with his diabetes journey.
“But, the technology started advancing and I’m so thankful for that. All the more, it spurred me on to carry the advocacy and helping Filipinos living with diabetes.”
The FreeStyle Libre has a battery that powers the sensor for fourteen days. It also has an integrated circuit. This, on the other hand, accurately measures sensor current to make results available through near-field communication technology to a smartphone or a reader. Aside from that, it also has a printed circuit board assembly. This connects internal components carefully-engineered for the integrity of the wireless sensor signal. It’s also important to note that FreeStyle Libre uses NFC to scan.
The FreeStyle Libre has a small filament, the size of three human hairs and 5mm long. Diabetes patients can place this below the skin, allowing for accurate glucose readings based on proprietary wired-enzyme technology from Abbott Diabetes Care. It also has water-resistant, medical-grade, adhesive designed for great breathability for up to two weeks on a patient’s skin.
It took ten years to develop forty complex components into one easy way to manage diabetes.
FreeStyle Libre delivers easy and actionable glucose information. The sensor is small, easy to apply and wears on the back of a patient’s arm. It is factory-calibrated. So, anyone can simply apply the sensor, pair it with the FreeStyle Libre reader, and scan glucose within an hour.
Obtaining a glucose reading is easy, too. It just takes a painless one-second scan of the reader over the sensor. This scan gives up to eight hours of information without the need for routine finger pricks. The sensor can even be scanned through clothing. Aside from that, each scan of the FreeStyle Libre reader over the sensor gives a current glucose reading, the last eight hours of glucose history, and a trend arrow showing where the glucose is heading.
Since it holds eight hours of data, patients can scan the sensor once every eight hours. That way, they can capture continuous information about glucose levels. However, once the sensor is applied, patients can help monitor glucose and manage their diabetes.
To know more details about FreeStyle Libre and learn how to manage your diabetes easily, you can go to their website and find out.
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Angela Grace P. Baltan has been writing professionally since 2017. She doesn’t hesitate to be opinionated in analyzing movies and television series. Aside from that, she has an affinity for writing anything under the sun. As a writer, she uses her articles to advocate for feminism, gender equality, the LGBTQIA+ community, and mental health among others.