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Has anyone had problem getting enough blood...

brush-head

brush-head

Member
Messages
7
Location
Glossop, United Kingdom
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi I just started in the DUK testing programme. I've done two tests but the main problem I'm having is getting enough blood to do the self test. Even though the finger pricker is at its longest/deepest it doesn't seem to penetrate my skin enough to get a reasonable amount of blood for the meter. I've used 10 strips & lancets for two successful tests & three error codes telling me I'd smeared the blood &/or not enough blood to sample.
Now my skin is fairly ancient I'm only a week off my 70th birthday but, I'm active (walking, cycling etc) & keep my skin in reasonable condition for my age (live in a soft water area & use aqueous cream to stop it drying out & the skin supple).
Anyone any ideas or suggestions?
I've got a year's supply of lancets & strips so at current success rates it will only last a couple of months! I expect to waste a few but I didn't think it would be this hard to draw blood!
 
Try warming your hands (possibly using warm water then dry them!) and/or shake your hands to drive blood to ends via centrifugal force!
 
I have problems if my hands are cold or the lancet is blunt. If they're cold I warm them up, hold my arms down, and/or occasionally shake them (like @CollieBoy) in the hope of getting more blood going in the right direction. I sometimes do this after I've done the prick if I feel I've not got enough blood there to test. It's well worth getting to know how big a droplet is enough for the strip to accept - thinking a too small drop will do (when I should know that it won't!) is my main reason for failure.:wideyed:

Robbity
 
brush-head said:
Hi I just started in the DUK testing programme. I've done two tests but the main problem I'm having is getting enough blood to do the self test. Even though the finger pricker is at its longest/deepest it doesn't seem to penetrate my skin enough to get a reasonable amount of blood for the meter. I've used 10 strips & lancets for two successful tests & three error codes telling me I'd smeared the blood &/or not enough blood to sample.
Now my skin is fairly ancient I'm only a week off my 70th birthday but, I'm active (walking, cycling etc) & keep my skin in reasonable condition for my age (live in a soft water area & use aqueous cream to stop it drying out & the skin supple).
Anyone any ideas or suggestions?
I've got a year's supply of lancets & strips so at current success rates it will only last a couple of months! I expect to waste a few but I didn't think it would be this hard to draw blood!
Click to expand...
I'm the same age and have just been testing for about 6 weeks. I find it best to wash my hands in warm water, then dry them, and then tub the finger I'm going to use for 10 seconds and that usually works for me.
 
Or even 'rub' the finger I'm going to use. Must check before I send! ☺
 
brush-head said:
Hi I just started in the DUK testing programme. I've done two tests but the main problem I'm having is getting enough blood to do the self test. Even though the finger pricker is at its longest/deepest it doesn't seem to penetrate my skin enough to get a reasonable amount of blood for the meter. I've used 10 strips & lancets for two successful tests & three error codes telling me I'd smeared the blood &/or not enough blood to sample.
Now my skin is fairly ancient I'm only a week off my 70th birthday but, I'm active (walking, cycling etc) & keep my skin in reasonable condition for my age (live in a soft water area & use aqueous cream to stop it drying out & the skin supple).
Anyone any ideas or suggestions?
I've got a year's supply of lancets & strips so at current success rates it will only last a couple of months! I expect to waste a few but I didn't think it would be this hard to draw blood!
Click to expand...
I suffer the same problems and I was advised to do the wash in warm water and then massage the blood to the end of your finger use the smaller fingers (little and ring) prick the finger and don't squeeze it straight away. Hang your hand down by your side for a few seconds and then give it a squeeze. Try and relax you won't bleed if you are tense.
Hope this helps.
 
I have problems getting enough blood even though I warm my hands - I tend to give up after three attempts!!
 
I also have difficulty getting enough blood and tend to squeeze the blood out. Even practice nurses have difficulties when taking blood tests and frequently they have to have 3 goes on both arms. I reckon I'm just too mean to part with it!
 
Dinkeroon said:
I suffer the same problems and I was advised to do the wash in warm water and then massage the blood to the end of your finger use the smaller fingers (little and ring) prick the finger and don't squeeze it straight away. Hang your hand down by your side for a few seconds and then give it a squeeze. Try and relax you won't bleed if you are tense.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
That improved things a lot. A qualified success mainly 'cos I try to take my first reading before I've eaten or drunk anything including my meds & was a tad tense which I expect to go once I'm really used to the fiddling around - this is only the start of my 3rd day testing & I'm still making mistakes but expect things will get better as I get used to the process.
 
As well as using the above advice make sure you are well hydrated, plenty of water will help.
 
Just thought I'd post my experience after just under a week of testing. Thank you to those who offered advice when trying to get blood. I've almost got this right now but all this hand washing is playing havoc with my skin! I have found that if I've been to the shops it's easier to draw blood - it's very hilly where I live. And a five mile + walk does wonders for getting your levels down. I find rubbing the finger (s) I'm going to use for about a minute or so effectively pushing the blood toward the spot of puncture, works well for me. Once again thank you to those who provided help on this forum.
 
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