changing lancets......

[jonesy]

i make my son change his lancet every test, but i've been reading on another forum and it seems some people use the same lancet till it's blunt or change it 'every july'!

some people on there were saying they can make a multiclix barrel last weeks.

am i being over cautious???

what's the norm on here?

jonesy

 

[yipster29]

I got told by my specialist to change after 4 uses but I do tend to leave it in until I feel it's getting blunt. It does hurt less when I change it every 4 uses but I haven't had any issues leaving it longer

 

[shedges]

Yipster - SNAP!

I change mine when I feel it hurting and/or getting blunt.

For reference, that can be anything up to a few weeks (but don't tell my nurse :roll: )

Sam.

 

[shedges]

Sorry... Should quantify that. A few weeks at 4 tests per day.

 

[ebony321]

Like other sharps you should only use lancets once to prevent infection and of course sore fingers!! people who say they dont change it everytime have just fallen out of routine, like in hospitals they only use them once for a reason, they are meant to be disposal thats why they made a multiclix one because it can get tiresome having another thing to do,

its good you change them everytime!!

 

[SophiaW]

We move the barrel on to the next lancet about once a week. We test around 8 times a day, sometimes more. We do this because of the advice we were given by our diabetes nurse who said the lancet doesn't need to be changed each time. We've not experienced any problems in the five years of doing it this way.

 

[noblehead]

Jonesy,

As your lad is so young it would be advisable to ignore what you have read elsewhere and to change the lancet after every test as per manufacturer's recommendations and the advice given out by his HCP, more-so because this will make testing more comfortable and less painful. Please don't forget that you do not pay for prescription and so they should be no limit on the quantity of needles prescribed.

Nigel

 

[meisonlyme]

I change my lancet after every use. The only time a lancet gets used more than once is if I am out and have run out of lancets and need to test because of a hypo. I normally remove the lancet straight after testing but if out will leave it in the device until I am home.

 

[iHs]

Hi

I'm now a fully grown woman and have never had an infection from a used insulin pen needle or lancet. I do change my lancet on a Softclix about every 20 tests though as more tests you do, the more the lancet gets shorter.

Been diabetic since 1965 so can't be bad.

Regarding kids testing themselves, there was a link a while ago on diabetesmine to a very small lancet called Tiny so worth having a look at

 

[jopar]

I am change if it's blunt or it's july...

The first lancets available were pure evil, and did make fingers sore as they were far from fine.. Oblong flat going into a point at one end.. They slashed rather than pricked the fingers :shock:

With lancets today, correctly set, should feel no pain nor cause unecessay damage to the area, so should avoid sore fingers and long term damage but you do have to constantly rotate fingers etc..

Infection risk is pretty low but not impossibe, neither me or my husband have experience either infections or long term damage and we've been using lancets for too many years to care to remeber..

But at the end of the day, if you are happier with changing lancets with every test I would continue with what you are doing

 

[cugila]

It's one of those things........we all know the correct way which is to change the lancet after each and every use.

However, most of us tend to do what we think is best, personally I change my lancet drum (Accu-Chek multiclix) every week. It has 6 lancets and I test around 6 times a day at the moment. So 36 uses. I too have never had any infections or sore fingers. Is that down to good luck, good hygene ?
Who knows.

On here we tell people do what you have been told is the correct way........doesn't mean to say it is what we all do. However, I would never advise anybody to re-use needles for injecting however fastidious you might be.

Ken

 

[Jen&Khaleb]

I turn the barrel on the multiclix at the end of every day. I couldn't afford to change lancets everyday as these are something that are paid for here (Oz) by me and there is no subsidy. I've never had a finger problem and I most certainly never reuse needles.

 

[Dustydazzler]

I used to change mine every time, then I started changing it every morning. Now I change it when I can't remember how long ago when it was last changed! I think if you have the time and energy to change it then you should, and im sure we've all seen the photos of a re-used needle Vs a new one, but personal experience is that it's not that bad if you used the same one a few times!

 

[Talos]

Got to admit, I change the lancet every 6 months or so, if I remember