My first HbA1c result and new meter

[JanetS]

Saw my nurse this morning: quite a good visit. Result of blood test is 6.5. She has also given me a meter to self test; blimming 'eck, the instructions fold out like a broadsheet newspaper! :?

First question: did anybody, when they were first given their meter, obtain control solution and test it? I have a OneTouch Vita.

First attempt at lancing: did you hesitate? Were you scared? Did you go straight in and click? Does it hurt? I am considering doing a practice test this evening!

Nurse did add a sharps bin on the scrip but my pharmacist said it wasn't necessary. So I haven't got one. Can I just put the used lancets (once capped) and test strips in the normal rubbish?

Final question. I am off on a cruise next week (flying out). Where do I pack everything, with security enforcements in mind? Are the lancets allowed in the cabin, if I wanted to make sure everything was kept with me?

Sorry for all the questions, but all this is new to me (as you could appreciate), and I want to do the right thing.

Many thanks in advance.
Janet

 

[Synonym]

Hello Janet,

Wow, fancy getting the meter at last! :shock: As for the sharps bin if it was on the scrip it is not up to the pharmacist to decide whether you get it or not so I would push for it if I were you, otherwise how are you going to responsibly dispose of the sharps? :?

No, I have never had any control solution – suppose I ought to get some! :roll:

The thought of using the lancet can be worse than just doing it! Start with a smallish number as that is shallower and see how you go. You just have to do it! :lol:

I have not flown with the diabetic kit yet but so long as you have your prescription copy with you I think you will be fine and yes, it is better to keep it with you rather than in the hold.

I see the weight loss is going well too - well done! 8)

 

[Emelia]

Hi.

I work for the NHS and all sharps which include lancets are to be put in a sharps bin, not in with the rubbish, someone could get a needlestick injury, naughty pharmacy!

When I went on a cruise, I kept the needles I needed for the flight in my hand luggage along with a letter from the hospital confirming I am a diabetic, and it was fine. The cruise company were great, a sharps bin had been put in my cabin and there were even sugar free sweets and cakes in the restaurant, lovely!!

Hope you get used to testing

Em

 

[cocacola]

First question: did anybody, when they were first given their meter, obtain control solution and test it? I have a OneTouch Vita.

I didn't get control solution with my Abbott Freestyle. I put in a request on their website and a week later it arrived in the post FOC.

First attempt at lancing: did you hesitate? Were you scared? Did you go straight in and click? Does it hurt?
Janet

Yes of course it hurts :lol: I still hesitate pressing that button after 6 weeks

 

[meisonlyme]

First attempt at lancing: did you hesitate? Were you scared? Did you go straight in and click? Does it hurt? I am considering doing a practice test this evening

I hesitated! I've actually been testing my sugars for about 5years now and even now, I will have times where it can take me a few minutes to click the button. sometimes it hurts but usually it doesnt. What you need to do is make sure you have the "depth" setting on the lowest one you possibly need, otherwise it will hurt. I made that mistake the other day with mine and knew about it!

I was told that most people only need their lancet depth set at 1 or 2, and that my diabetic nurse personally didnt know anyone above that setting and that they would usually only see people who needed a higher setting on their lancet than that who had worked on like building sites for along time so have developed thicker skin on their fingers.

So anyway what I'm trying to say is dont worry if you are abit scared the first few times and it takes you awhile to build upto it- I still get that feeling with the meter too.

 

[Synonym]

First attempt at lancing: did you hesitate? Were you scared? Did you go straight in and click? Does it hurt? I am considering doing a practice test this evening

Don't know how you did that but Synonym didn't say that - it was the OP! :roll: :lol:

 

[JanetS]

Hi all, thanks for your replies!

Right, did my tests today, for the first time, and surprisingly I wasn't bad with the pen. Oh, another question! My very first test was this morning, the fasting one. I did another 2 hours later and instead of getting the up/down arrows it read Control Test. Is this normal? Then I did a second test straight after and the reading was the same as the fasting, yet I'd had food!

So the readings were: Fasting 5.2
Control 5.4
2 hrs after breakfast 5.2

Then 2 hours after lunch 6.1
2 hours after supper 8.2

My pharmacist was insistent that because the lancets come with caps they don't need a sharps bin. I may go in to him tomorrow and raise the question again.

I kept my repeat prescription to take away with me, to show all my medication. I will probably ask at the check in desk/or at least show them the meter and accessories. They can either say in the hold or in the cabin, I'll let them decide as per their guidelines.

As for whether it hurts or not: I was surprised that it really really wasn't that bad!

I don't intend testing every day (don't think my finger tips could take it! :lol: I tend to get dermatitis quite bad so this wouldn't help matters), but at least I've got my meter and can see how I'm getting on.

Thanks folks!

 

[JanetS]

Oh, and thanks Synonym! But I've not been actively dieting recently. When I had the food poisoning the weight loss was rapid! Now I have the appetite of a donkey's!! :lol:

I asked nursie if she could increase the Metformin but she said no, they only prescribe it in the beginning for weight loss and that I should join WW or Slimming World for help with dieting. Erm, no...I think I'll try by myself.

As for a sharps bin on the ship, I can probably find a small tin to take away; I'll use that. As said just now, I don't intend using it all the time, so it wouldn't be worth it.

 

[hanadr]

Janet.
i test on my forearm. My meter says I can and for a T2 only using Metformin, it's perfectly adequate. The speed at which blood sugar changes varies in different places, But a Metformin only person doesn't usually change fast. I find it hurts far less, because there are fewer painsensors in that area than in the finger tips
Hana

 

[cugila]

Anybody considering using (AST) Alternative Site Testing should always discuss it with their GP or relevant HCP before doing so.

Whilst your meter may be capable of this method it is not always suitable for many Diabetic's. I am a Type 2 and I was informed by my Endocrinologist that it was not suitable and not recommended.

Ken

 

[kmckinty]

Hi

I was only diagnosed in January and found testing no bother. For a while I wondered why I found it so easy when others seemed to dread it so. Last weekend I worked it out. As a teen I made my own clothes and spent last weekend hand sewing a load of centenary badges onto my camp blanket (I am a Guide leader). I was tired and about halfway through I caught on. Sticking needles in my fingers is something my body is REALLY used to :lol: Sewing when tired I do it ALL the time.....

At one point I had to move the needle away quickly to stop the cat getting it stuck in his overly inquisitive paw - and stuck it down between my nail and the quick! It was only when I found that mldly irritating that I caught on.

Obviously Guiding helps make you immune to testing issues

 

[Beav]

The first time I did my testing it hurt ALOT! The guy who set the finger pricker in the hospital was dark and he tested it on himself first then put a new needle in for me. As dark people have thicker skin than white people he had it set 2 levels higher than I needed :?

 

[Pinnig]

I don't think the colour or pigmentation is a factor in skin thickness. Anatomic location, age and gender play a part but light or dark shouldn't make a difference.

 

[JanetS]

I took the meter away with me on holiday and one day had such trouble drawing a sample. I think it depended on whereabouts on the finger I tried it. (Can't think of any specific reason...)

 

[Janemm]

I took the meter away with me on holiday and one day had such trouble drawing a sample. I think it depended on whereabouts on the finger I tried it. (Can't think of any specific reason...)

Hi,
I often have trouble getting a blood sample out of of my fingers. Think its when my hands are cold.
My surgery gave a small plasticy pill bottle/jar to take away on holiday, and then I just transfer them to my sharps box.
take care.

 

[Synonym]

Hi Janet

I find that the pinky and next finger are the best ones to use and if you wash your hands well in warm water this really helps. Hope you are lancing the sides of your fingers and not the pads. :shock:

Hope you had a lovely holiday.

 

[moonstone]

Blood tests
Wash your hands in hot water first - it will draw the blood to the skin and make it easier to draw blood on a lower setting. Or you can point your hand down and, with the other hand, constrict the base of your chosen finger for 10-15 secs, to keep all the blood in it before testing. If you are cold, it will be harder because the blood vessels will naturally be constricted. Use the sides of the fingers rather than the middle, I find you a) get blood easier and b) using the middle - for me - seems to sometimes get the bone, which feels hideous, really hurts and kind of makes the bone vibrate for a bit... who needs that??

Lancets and disposal of sharps
There will be no problem keeping your lancets with you in your cabin at all, so you can stop worrying about that. It's not some kind of 'right' that you need to assert - it's a medical device that you use to manage your condition effectively, there's no issue at all, and you should ensure they are available to you at all times. Have I misread your original question maybe? I'm sorry if I have. The way I've read it, I'm given to believe you think someone might be within their rights to take your lancets for safekeeping and only give them back to you at their discretion. That wouldn't even enter their heads, it just wouldn't happen. I can't see why you'd even need to tell them unless they specifically ask you if you have sharps with you. Rules for flights are very, very different, but they still don't take your lancets off you. Whether I've misunderstood your question or not I can see you're concerned, so I would suggest you take your repeat prescriptions away with you and also have a letter from your GP or diabetic nurse confirming you are diabetic and need those devices to monitor and manage your condition.

Your pharmacist should provide the sharps bin immediately, without question, because if a binman got an injury from it (which is possible even if you cap it on its way into the rubbish, because rubbish gets moved around in the bags) then you could be sued and if you were, you would be found 100% liable. I was told this by my diabetes nurse on the day of diagnosis, and she is right. I take my sharps bin travelling with me, the one I got on prescription is only tiny and you can put it in your luggage and then your cabin. I have a massive 5 litre one at home (from the local council, not from a prescription) for daily use because I am a type 1 diabetic who uses several lancets and needles every day.

 

[Beav]

I took the meter away with me on holiday and one day had such trouble drawing a sample. I think it depended on whereabouts on the finger I tried it. (Can't think of any specific reason...)

I also find this from time to time. If I tend to do the test on one finger more than the others the skin starts to harden therefore I have to switch to another hand or sometimes even turn it up a number if all fingers are starting to harden (Skin on the fingers)

 

[JanetS]

Thanks Synonym, I had a great holiday! Yes, I am pricking on the sides of fingers.

I don't use the meter all the time. At the moment, I have used lancets in a small metal container; I bought a set of them in IKEA, some time ago. They were ridiculously cheap, and are about 6 in the set, ranging from tiny to..well, bigger!

I really MUST contact my pharmacist to get that prescription sharps bin, I've just been pretty lazy since coming home last week. I know it should be sorted out soon.

Meanwhile, when I test again I will use the methods suggested above. Many thanks.