Type 2 testing kit

[Di Adams]

Hi,
Have taken some advice and just bought an Accu-Check blood glucose testing kit was/had been very wary to use it, but finally got up the courage to do it and it was not as bad as i thought it would be nor as painful
I tested last night approx 4 hours after eating and my levels were 8.8mmol/L and today on waking test was 7.3mmol/L. have read that these figures are not good, any ideas?

 

[Robbity]

What are you eating?

Test immediately before and 2 hours after eating so that you can see how much your glucose spikes. Keep a food diary to identify what causes the worst ones - which will be starchy or sugary food for the most part - and cut down on or avoid these.

Your waking level tends generally to be the last to come down, so concentrate on improving your diet first. But also have seach for information on dawn phenomenon and liver dumps - both the forum and our main Diabetes.co.uk site have a lot of useful information.

Robbity

PS If you have a Fastclix gadget for pricking your finger, use the lowest possible setting you can to actually get a reasonable sized blood droplet. Lower settings will hurt least!

 

[Di Adams]

What are you eating?

Test immediately before and 2 hours after eating so that you can see how much your glucose spikes. Keep a food diary to identify what causes the worst ones - which will be starchy or sugary food for the most part - and cut down on or avoid these.

Your waking level tends generally to be the last to come down, so concentrate on improving your diet first. But also have seach for information on dawn phenomenon and liver dumps - both the forum and our main Diabetes.co.uk site have a lot of useful information.

Robbity

PS If you have a Fastclix gadget for pricking your finger, use the lowest possible setting you can to actually get a reasonable sized blood droplet. Lower settings will hurt least!

Thanks Robbity, much appreciated, am still trying to get use to all this stuff,

 

[Di Adams]

Thanks Robbity, much appreciated, am still trying to get use to all this stuff,

Also forgot to ask how many times can you prick fingers and how long it takes to heal before pricking near the sight

 

[martsnow]

Hi and welcome, I am a Newbee of six weeks

I answered this question a few days back,

Always use the sides of the fingers about an eighth of an inch below the nail (the pads hurt)
Some people prick each of their fingers both sides in rotation until they have used all 20 sides then start again
I try to avoid the thumb and the forefinger because these are the ones used to pick up small object, as I found out yesterday, I type with my two forefingers, and hit the space bar with my thumb

Having said all this I only use the little finger of mt left hand, it seems to be the least sensitive even thogh it does look a bit like a pin cushion (I test eight times per day)

Hope this is of help

Regards

Mart

 

[Di Adams]

Hi and welcome, I am a Newbee of six weeks

I answered this question a few days back,

Always use the sides of the fingers about an eighth of an inch below the nail (the pads hurt)
Some people prick each of their fingers both sides in rotation until they have used all 20 sides then start again
I try to avoid the thumb and the forefinger because these are the ones used to pick up small object, as I found out yesterday, I type with my two forefingers, and hit the space bar with my thumb

Having said all this I only use the little finger of mt left hand, it seems to be the least sensitive even thogh it does look a bit like a pin cushion (I test eight times per day)

Hope this is of help

Regards

Mart

so the finger heal quite quick if used in rotation. or can you prick the finger if necessary 1 or two more times

 

[martsnow]

so the finger heal quite quick if used in rotation. or can you prick the finger if necessary 1 or two more times

You can prick the same finger repeatedly if you want, as I said my little finger gets pricked eight times per day,

Just to ease the monotiny, I am trying to improve my aim, by trying to hit exactly the same spot, after six weeks I am becoming a bit of an expert....... lol

My little finger looks a bit like a watering can nozzle...lol

 

[Robbity]

I'm left handed so preferably I use my right hand for "blood letting", and tend to mainly use that little finger most as this gives up blood most easily, and the ring finger occasionally to give it a rest. Using the sides of my fingers hurt more than the pad though it's supposed to be the other way round. For me there's no problems from repeated use of the same finger, and it doesn't often get sore: if it hurts the I've either got the lancet at too high a setting or it's blunt and time to change it. I've never used forefinger and thumb on either hand because, as @martsnow said, they're my precision handling tools.

I think to a certain extent you need to find a routine that suits you best - many people rotate fingers, and the WHO recommend using middle and ring fingers. Just remember to wash hands before pricking - a bit of a contamination can cause incorrect results, as well as a small possibility of infection. Here's a detailed lesson on how to test.

Robbity