• Guest, the forum is undergoing some upgrades and so the usual themes will be unavailable for a few days. In the meantime, you can use the forum like normal. We'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Finger tip question - no squeezing?

M

MimT

Active Member
I've read how you shouldn't squeeze your finger to get a drop of blood for an accurate glucose reading. I usually have to. Sometimes even when I do that there's not enough blood and I have to prick a different finger tip.

I've tried setting the lance on the highest setting but even then I have to give a gentle squeeze. And the highest setting leaves a bruise. On a lower setting there's no bruise and I usually have to squeeze at least a little bit.

Wondering what other people do.
 
MimT said:
I've read how you shouldn't squeeze your finger to get a drop of blood for an accurate glucose reading. I usually have to. Sometimes even when I do that there's not enough blood and I have to prick a different finger tip.

I've tried setting the lance on the highest setting but even then I have to give a gentle squeeze. And the highest setting leaves a bruise. On a lower setting there's no bruise and I usually have to squeeze at least a little bit.

Wondering what other people do.
Click to expand...
If you don''t already, maybe try one or more of these top tips:

Wash your hands in warm water prior to testing.
Rub your hands together, a bit like you would if they were cold
Drop your hand by your side and swing it back and forth a couple of times Those all should help with blood flow.

If nnoe of those things work, then massage the palm of your hand, bellow the finger you have pricked, towards your finger tip.

If that, or a combination of the foregoing doesn't work, resort to cussing. :)

Personally, I find the most important things are that my hands aren't cold, and that I am well enough hydrated.

Good luck with it all.
 
I have read that also but can't see why it would make much difference to an already inaccurate test.
Would it make any difference If your watch was fast or slow by 5, or 6 minutes, you would still have a pretty good idea of the time.
The only way to get a truly accurate blood sugar level is to get it tested in a lab. The best we can get from our meters is +/-15%.
Maybe a squeeze does add a few percent to that figure but if the only way I can get a sample of blood to test is with a little squeeze, having some idea of where my levels are is better than not testing at all.
 
AndBreathe said:
Wash your hands in warm water prior to testing.
Rub your hands together, a bit like you would if they were cold
Drop your hand by your side and swing it back and forth a couple of times Those all should help with blood flow.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'll try that. I've been shaking my hands beforehand to try to get the blood flowing, but not always using warm water to wash them.

catinahat said:
Maybe a squeeze does add a few percent to that figure but if the only way I can get a sample of blood to test is with a little squeeze, having some idea of where my levels are is better than not testing at all.
Click to expand...

I think the impact can be to decrease the reading as often as increasing it, or there's a good chance there's no impact. I've just found a paper that suggests it's okay to squeeze gently - as long as you don't apply too much pressure.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose: The Use of the First or the Second Drop of Blood

There is no general agreement regarding the use of the first or second drop of blood for glucose monitoring. This study investigated whether capillary glucose concentrations, as measured in the first and second drops of blood, differed ≥10% compared ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
 
catinahat said:
I have read that also but can't see why it would make much difference to an already inaccurate test.
Would it make any difference If your watch was fast or slow by 5, or 6 minutes, you would still have a pretty good idea of the time.
The only way to get a truly accurate blood sugar level is to get it tested in a lab. The best we can get from our meters is +/-15%.
Maybe a squeeze does add a few percent to that figure but if the only way I can get a sample of blood to test is with a little squeeze, having some idea of where my levels are is better than not testing at all.
Click to expand...
I was told to avoid this because it tends to decrease the BG reading. The logic is that you're contaminating the blood with interstitial fluid, which usually has a lower glucose content because it hasn't yet seen the glucose in the blood - so it's diluting your blood.

Anyways, it's unlikely to make a huge difference if you squeeze.
 
Last edited:
Jasmin2000 said:
In the clinic we're told to avoid this because it tends to decrease the BG reading. The logic is that you're contaminating the blood with interstitial fluid, which usually has a lower glucose content because it hasn't yet seen the glucose in the blood - so it's diluting your blood.

Anyways, it's unlikely to make a huge difference if you squeeze.
Click to expand...
And I have always been suspicious that my finger prick readings are lower than they should be. That is why. Thanks :)
 
I was told not to squeeze my finger because it bruises it.
But i was told I could “milk” my finger - squeeze the blood from further up the finger.

However, I find warming my hand before pricking avoids the need to squeeze.
 
Being hydrated definitely helps with me, also if I’m having trouble getting a bead of blood, pricking my little finger always works although it hurts more :rolleyes:
 
I wash my hands in warm water and stay hydrated and I still have to squeeze my fingers and the centre of my hand and that's just to get a small amount of blood and that's when I get a different result on the libre 2 then I feel so it doesn't matter what you do because it is always the same you have to squeeze your finger and I have had to since I was diagnosed in 1994 and back then you were told the only way was to squeeze your finger tips and hand and that's after you washed them and the only thing that it is is the oxygen in your blood it's exactly the same in your feet it doesn't go around after awhile and you have to do what is needed and when you are in hospital the nurses squeeze your fingers so you can't win which ever way you look at it with this question
 
After much trouble with this and trying hand warming etc. I found I could only get a drop of blood consistently by pricking the tip or pad of the finger and massaging the blood to the finger tip - like milking a cow. I could very rarely get any blood from the side of my finger, beside the pad, as I was instructed to do.

It's only recently after I got a new meter, which came with a new lancet device, that I discovered the problem was the lancet I had - a Glucoject Dual Plus. For whatever reason not all lancets are created equally. Whether it's the depth of the needle or its diameter I don't know, but I can consistently get a drop of blood from the side of my finger with the lancet that comes with the Contour BG meter, and I don't have to massage it much to get a drop. If the 'milking a cow' thing doesn't work for you, maybe give another lancet a try?
 
MimT said:
I've read how you shouldn't squeeze your finger to get a drop of blood for an accurate glucose reading. I usually have to. Sometimes even when I do that there's not enough blood and I have to prick a different finger tip.

I've tried setting the lance on the highest setting but even then I have to give a gentle squeeze. And the highest setting leaves a bruise. On a lower setting there's no bruise and I usually have to squeeze at least a little bit.

Wondering what other people do.
Click to expand...
We're advised to avoid squeezing the finger hard @MimT, because this risks diluting the blood specimen with interstitial and intracellular fluid and may give a false reading.

A short, gentle squeeze will simply push some blood out onto the test strip,

If unsuccessful, try pricking the side of your thumb. Some of us find this more effective than fingers.

Make sure you have ample to drink. I would aim for 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day. You can't beat water from the tap, but sugar-free drinks, including tea and coffee, all count.
 
LivingLightly said:
Make sure you have ample to drink. I would aim for 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day. You can't beat water from the tap, but sugar-free drinks, including tea and coffee, all count.
Click to expand...
Please be aware @MimT, you probably are, that a glass of water immediately before you test is basically too late. It takes an estimated 70 minutes for fluids swallowed to be assimilated into the body's tissues.
 
Back
Top