Dear Beth,
one thing to consider when buying sensors from abroad is “what happens with faulty sensors? what’s the return policy?” because, once in a while, everyone stumbles upon a faulty one. When bought locally, at least where I live, Abbott promptly sends a new one for free in exchange for the faulty one, all postage paid.
I don’t know about the 10-day sensor’s compatibility, but I can tell you that the Librelink app I use with my Samsung S7 (android version 8.0.0) phone also works with the Freestyle Libre 2 sensors that are available to buy in several Εuropean countries (but sadly, it won’t necessarily support the alarms function that the Libre 2 offers).
The leap is definitely worth the trouble. At the same time, ample research is sorely needed, in order to avoid frustration, since there are varying degrees of “worth”.
As far as Librelink compatibility is concerned, I would advise you to triple-check.
Just in case it helps, here’s my relevant experience:
I live in Greece, where only the 14-day Libre sensor is locally available. After 24 years of finger-pricking (4~10 times a day) I acquired my first 14-day sensor 3 months agfo. Although I never really seemed to mind the constant pricking, within the first 12 hours of use, I felt considerable relief: A previously unconscious anxiety subsided, after being abruptly revealed and acknowledged. The oh! so detailed information about the fluctuation of my blood-sugar level was exactly what I always needed, and didn’t dare to hope for! Or not ?
…Within a couple of days I realized that “o.k., this IS better, but it would be sooo much better if I could have alarms!” So I shopped around and ordered a couple of Libre 2 sensors from the U.K. (best price I could find, at 75 euro/ 85 USD each, incl. delivery). Unfortunately, when those arrived, I found out that MY Librelink app just didn’t support the all-important Alarm function: it only worked with the functions the 14-day already had! Taking into account that the Greek National Healthcare System gives me 100% coverage for the 14-day Libre for free, I had just burned 150 euros for no reason…
I had already invested considerable time & effort researching the web, before even ordering the Libre 2. And I continued researching, with ambiguous results. Finally, I concluded that the Librelink app probably exists in different versions for different countries, and the country where one’s smartphone is registered, is the decisive compatibility factor. I tried in vain to download Librelink (even “Librelink 2” !! according to one website) following links from the Canadian, Australian, Italian & U.K. Abbott websites. Every time, at the final step, the PlayStore would inform me it was “not available for download for any of my devices” - all registered in Greece, of course. It seems I can only download the one version destined for the Greek market (and since Abbott does not offer Libre 2 sensors in the Greek market, I am only given access to a “lighter” version, which is lacking the essential bluetooth compatibility that Libre 2 needs to unfold its “optional alarms” possibilities).
I read far too many web pages in vain, I even had live chats with Abbott representatives from 3 different countries. The U.K. representative, during our live chat specifically assured me that “there is only one version of Librelink and upon initialization of a Libre 2 sensor, your Librelink app will automatically reveal the menu for the BT and alarm functions”. He could be right by what he knows, maybe there’s only one U.K. version…
Of course, I could spend a further 100 euros and buy an Abbott reader, but I resent both the extra cost and having to carry around 24/7 (+ and remember to charge) yet another smartphone-like device.
A Dexcom would probably be very nice (excluding the extra bulk), but at almost double the monthly cost, too expensive for me. So I am currently researching a 3rd-party solution.
Nicholas