Taking blood sugar readings
10 days ago as my D meds were altered and I have been asked to take 7 readings daily although I use a strict finger tip rotation they are becoming bruised and sore and I have to keep this up for next 25 days.
Where do you take you drop of blood from and how many times a day has been your max?
Stay Safe friends.
LOVE AND LIGHT TOPAZ XXX (Dee)
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I test an average of 8 times a day and use all of my fingers. Most lancing devices have a range to set the depth of penetration of the lancet. Have you tried adjusting that to a more shallow prick?…it might help.
Hi Lou thanks yes I did that the first week testing how shallow to go and still draw blood my pen set on 2.5 the needle doesn't worry me it's the soreness afterwards. x
Hi TopazDee I have to check my 4 xdaily.I do it in my arms and thighs
Are you setting your lancet to the softest setting that will still draw a drop of blood? Give your diabetes educator a call and let her know what's happening, and she'll be able to give you some alternate suggestions. ~Lynn @Glucerna
You can get lancets designed to take blood from your forearms or thighs. Personally, I prefer the finger tips, only because I find them less sensitive then elsewhere. For some reason, although I feel the lancet prick my skin, it really doesn't seem to hurt me as much as it does others. Maybe it's the fact that my fingers are calloused from playing the guitar, who knows. I've been testing for many years.
I test 3 to 6 times per day. It all depends on what I've been eating, how stable my blood glucose has been, and how long.
That's so interesting. I have played guitar for decades also and don't have a problem with drawing blood, but I have noticed that I'm hypersensitive to heat due to all of the pin pricks in my fingers. I honestly can't complain though, I have managed to be free of symptoms of this condition and test infrequently now because I have maintained "normal" BG and A1C's for over a year now.
That's great that you have been able to maintain normal BG and A1Cs! I definitely have to congratulate you on your excellence. That is probably the best way to eliminate finger pain from lancets!
I don't feel the lancet it's afterwards, now after 10 days finger tips look bruised certainly feels like it (most feeling I have had in them since accident).
xxxx
Howdy Dee
Perhaps you have your lancet pen set too deep and it may be thiumping your finger too hard.
I use the sides of my fingers close to the nail. Doing that gives me 3 places per finger (right side, center tip, just below the nail, and left side of finger (although it may be difficult sometimes to get the lancet pen in the proper position on the left) If I need I can switch hands and do my right hand like that too (but I find that awkward applying the blood to the end of the strip)
Hiya James know what you mean about catching a drip keep trying to get the other half to do it but he is so needle phobic can't even use lancet pen on me. I keep telling him he really must try incase I ever collapse then he can report reading to medics to put wheels in motion before they arrive, he is in complete denial about my diabetes as he says it will never happen x when are you going to put on your pic? x
I haven't experienced bruising on my finger tips. When you say bruising, are you getting black and blue on your finger tips? Is it possible that you are taking a medication that is thinning your blood? I have not seen finger tip bruising due to meter testing. I definitely have many tiny puncture marks, noticeable only upon close examination.
No jigsaw just a little tiny bruise where I have pierced the skin have to put on my glasses to see them, not on any blood thinners.
Do you test on the tips or the sides of your fingers? I use the sides of my fingers and that helps a lot.
I take five a day tests and as you my fingers hurt all the time my endo said I could take them on my fore arms but are not as accurate I found from testing they are not that different if my forearm tests 230 my finger tests 223 so not that different for me she told me fingers are most accurate though but when fingers hurt also she said to use side of finger since it doubles two sides of a finger instead of one on tip of finger
Thanks very helpful be glad when I can to go back to morning testing only don't like being a pin cushion.
Stay Safe xxx