Squeezing blood out and BG readings

[Hooked]

You'd get differences like that anyway, regardless of squeezing or not.

 

[Yorksman]

I always have to squeeze blood out to get a reading. I have read that it makes reading sometimes high. How can I get blood out without doing it? I have a accu check meter. Also I'm pre diabetic and after eating my blood can be between 6.6- 9 have read people with type 2 are not pleased if there BG goes over eight. Isn't that good?

The standard advice given to nurses taking capilliary blood samples for a number of tests is to pull, not squeeze. Press down and pull away from the puncture. Wipe the first drop clean and then do it again.

If you squeeze you get contamination from other fluids.

 

[Yorksman]

If I went for 10 mile run they'd have to put blood in not me take it out

With me it would have to be pacemaker.

 

[Andy12345]

oh dear ive been doing this all wrong, i prick then kinda strangle my fingertip


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[Andy12345]

ive never wiped either

this will look a weird couple of posts if anyone could only see mine lol


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[ElyDave]

one of the nurses told me to "milk it", so I tend to use that sort of pulling action, but still use the first drop of blood.

If the variation is 0.3-0.5, that seems to me to be within the variation of the test method. The calibration range for my strips is bigger than that using the standard test solution.

 

[BaliRob]

For me - no squeeze = no blood. What's the problem??

 

[Anonymous]

I always have to squeeze blood out to get a reading. I have read that it makes reading sometimes high. How can I get blood out without doing it? I have a accu check meter. Also I'm pre diabetic and after eating my blood can be between 6.6- 9 have read people with type 2 are not pleased if there BG goes over eight. Isn't that good?

The standard advice given to nurses taking capilliary blood samples for a number of tests is to pull, not squeeze. Press down and pull away from the puncture. Wipe the first drop clean and then do it again.

If you squeeze you get contamination from other fluids.

Thank goodness you left the hand out of this diagram!!

 

[phoenix]

There was one study designed to answer the first/second drop/ squeezing questions.
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/conten ... /dc10-1694

We recommend washing the hands with soap and water, drying them, and using the first drop of blood for self-monitoring of blood glucose. If washing hands is not possible, and they are not visibly soiled or exposed to a sugar-containing product, it is acceptable to use the second drop of blood after wiping away the first drop. External pressure may lead to unreliable readings

Agree about the running, can't usually stop the blood but dextrose tabs/gels on fingers can still sometimes contaminate it and give some very odd readings.

 

[Yorksman]

Another problem is the presence of platelets. These are unevenly distributed in the blood and come together whenever there is a cut or puncture and create a clot.

In the upper left hand corner of this slide of blood cells, you can see a couple of small purple dots. These are platelets. However, there are also two very large clumps of platelets which can either make getting a drop difficult, or if you sample a drop of blood with one of these in, you can even get an insufficient blood error on the meter.

Another problem is that your skin starts to thicken up if you keep pricking in the same area of one finger, making it harder to get at the capilliaries.

 

[hale710]

All pretty interesting stuff!

I have to say, on the rate occasion that I have to squeeze, it is more "milking" than squeezing. For now ill just count myself lucky that I don't have any issues so it doesn't really matter for me!

 

[Anonymous]

All pretty interesting stuff!

I have to say, on the rate occasion that I have to squeeze, it is more "milking" than squeezing. For now ill just count myself lucky that I don't have any issues so it doesn't really matter for me!

So, you are a puller rather than a squeezer? :shock:

 

[KHeggie87]

When I was in Turkey I had to have my appendix removed, being Type 1 Diabetic they had to do blood sugar tests.

What they do is prick the finger, squeeze the blood out, wipe the first bit of blood away & use the blood that's come out after that to test!

When you have to squeeze the finger the blood can become more concentrated causing a false high reading.


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[hale710]

All pretty interesting stuff!

I have to say, on the rate occasion that I have to squeeze, it is more "milking" than squeezing. For now ill just count myself lucky that I don't have any issues so it doesn't really matter for me!

So, you are a puller rather than a squeezer? :shock:

I'm probably going to stop talking around now!!

 

[Anonymous]

All pretty interesting stuff!

I have to say, on the rate occasion that I have to squeeze, it is more "milking" than squeezing. For now ill just count myself lucky that I don't have any issues so it doesn't really matter for me!

So, you are a puller rather than a squeezer? :shock:

I'm probably going to stop talking around now!!

No need. I'll butt out.

 

[janetitherington]

I have a problem with low calcium, I don't absorb or store it naturally.
When they are taking blood to check it they are not supposed to use a torniquet because this artificially increases the calcium in the sample.

So I find it entirely plausible that squeezing out your blood sample from too small a hole could also increase the glucose in it.

Why not just turn up the hole setting on your finger pricker or as I do stab the lancet in a little more to get a more naturally larger sample?
Jane.

 

[Hooked]

I have a problem with low calcium, I don't absorb or store it naturally.
When they are taking blood to check it they are not supposed to use a torniquet because this artificially increases the calcium in the sample.

So I find it entirely plausible that squeezing out your blood sample from too small a hole could also increase the glucose in it.

Why not just turn up the hole setting on your finger pricker or as I do stab the lancet in a little more to get a more naturally larger sample?
Jane.

At the risk of going off topic. I find what you say here really interesting, Jane. I recently had blood test taken and one of which was bone profile. The Dr's receptionist told me the result was that I had low calcium, "but not low enough to be of concern". The blood sample was taken from my arm and using a tourniquet. I wonder how much that might have affected the results.

 

[janetitherington]

Normal calcium levels should be between 2.2 to 2.4.
From experience I believe the torniquet can increase the calcium in the sample by up to 0.2 of a point.

A major symptom of low calcium is tetany, other wise known as pins and needles ( but more intense).
Also if you tap your facial nerve which lies just below your cheek bone - on both sides, but don't tap the bone, this will do nothing- and if your face twitches, then your calcium is pretty low.

Another one, but it has to be really low by this point- is the blood pressure cuff.
Inflate the cuff and if your hand, starting with the thumb starts to turn in to make a fist- beyond your control- then your calcium is very low and your need to do something about it.

Jane.

 

[toomanyairmiles]

I was told my by consultant and DSN on the day of diagnosis that I should squeeze it out. I'm a T1 but I don't see why that would make a difference!

There is a layer of fluid under your skin, the lancet is designed to go through it without releasing the liquid - if you squeeze you are in effect diluting the blood sample.

 

[toomanyairmiles]

I always have to squeeze blood out to get a reading. I have read that it makes reading sometimes high. How can I get blood out without doing it? I have a accu check meter. Also I'm pre diabetic and after eating my blood can be between 6.6- 9 have read people with type 2 are not pleased if there BG goes over eight. Isn't that good?

I had a great deal of trouble getting enough blood out of my fingers - I called Bayer (who make my meter) support line and they advised that there is an alternative head for the finger pricker which has a wider aperture and allows you to use the heal of your hand or your stomach rather than a finger. Problem solved for me.