Update on my Journey

[HSSS]

More fingerprick tips.

1. Make sure you’re well hydrated. Blood flows easier and you don’t need to poke so deeply.
2. Only set the depth of the lancet to the minimum you need it, not full on stabbing depth.
3. Have warm hands, blood flows better
4. Massage from palm to tip before you poke
5. Have your kit all ready other than the final push of the strip into the meter, less chance of messing it up whilst bleeding and having to start again
6. Poke around the edges of the fingertip. Not the very top or centre. It hurts less and heals quicker. Often I don’t even feel it at all and have to wait to see if blood flows to know if it actually happened
7. Wait a moment for the blood to well up. Sometimes it takes a few seconds. If you need to “encourage” it squeeze gently from the bottom of the finger upwards not at the tip. Squeeze too hard and you bruise more.
   
8. Use a different spot each time either around a particular finger each day or a new finger each time etc.
9. learn which fingers bleed easier and better. I have some that are a pain (literally) and others that are geysers. (For me little and ring are best, index ok ish and middle hurts most. Never use my thumbs for some reason.

 

[Elsiemay]

Hi .I've just been told I'm T2. I bought a vivacheck machine and just started using it. It registered 6 before my meal and 9.1 two hours after. White bread I think. I'm reading up about which foods to eat to try get it in check.( or get rid of it and be pre again) hopefully...

 

[JayBee28]

You’re doing so well, huge congratulations. It is a massive change we have to make. I have everything crossed for you for your first review. I’m only four months into my journey so still learning loads. However, one bit of advice I would give you is to ignore your diabetic nurse and get a glucose monitor. It is so useful to test before and after meals so you can see if anything is making your levels spike. Some people can tolerate certain foods and others cannot. My friend can eat porridge, if I do, my levels go up to 12+. She can’t eat lentils, they have no effect on my levels. A meter really is the way forward.
Good luck on your journey.

 

[Blade72]

Would your wife be prepared to share her granola recipe with us? I buy a commercial keto one which is very nice, but expensive.

My daughter in law has a bad needle phobia and was recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes. To begin with she used to bring her meter over to me to do the finger prick for her when my son was at work. After about a week she managed to start doing them for herself.

perhaps your very supportive wife could do it until you get used to how it feels. Either way press the lancet fairly hard against your finger, and use the sides of fingers rotating them around. Both stop it hurting too much, it becomes just a short pin prick.

https://jenniferbanz.com/low-carb-granola