How do you test blood sugars if you're needle phobic?

[Vidar]

I'm not quite phobic of needles but after 5 months of daily injections, pokes, prods and pricks the thought of doing anything like checking my bloods fills me with dread.

Are there other options?

 

[Bluetit1802]

Only if you self fund a Libre but they are expensive.

 

[LooperCat]

Only if you self fund a Libre but they are expensive.

And still require a needle to insert - while hidden in an applicator you do still need to break the skin to insert it. Plus you need to do occasional fingerprick tests to ensure accuracy, it’s not a cure-all panacea, sadly.

 

[Bluetit1802]

There is a good lancet device you can buy. It is the Accu Chek Fastclix. This has the lancets hidden inside a plastic drum. You never see the lancets. All you see is a small drop of blood on your finger.

 

[Scott-C]

Hi, @Vidar , Nemaura Medical have recently had their SugarBEAT product CE marked for sale in Europe, they say will launch in the UK in 2019, but the company has been promising it for years, so who knows when. Getting CE marked is sometimes a clue that it's near to market as there's little point in getting it checked while still in development. Their press release says it will be comparable in price to bg testing strips, but, again, it's a case of wait and see.

It's a daily patch stuck on your skin and an electric current sucks glucose out of interstitial fluid under the skin and measures that every 5 mins so you get a conntinuous trace, which is much handier for tracking trends instead of the occasional "spot-check" bg reading.

https://nemauramedical.com/sugarbeat/

However, their test results put accuracy below those of traditional cgm, so no-one really knows how it will pan out in the real world.

Unfortunately, non-invasive testing has had a long and unsuccessful history with plenty of contenders which have tried, failed, been repackaged, tried and failed again.

It's covered in detail in this book length pdf if you're interested in the subject:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAAegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw1hKyO_nOrqAg6KgGn57hf0

 

[Robbity]

I wasn't actually needle phobic but I was completely terrified at the thought of having to prick my finger - I did a lot of research and ended up buying a Fastclix. It still took me a lot of courage to start using it, but certainly not having to see the needle at all was a very great boost psychologically and with the correct setting the prick doesn't necessarily have to hurt at al! However, for a while I still had to "close my eyes and think of England" to be able to use it but the idea of being able to manage my diabetes by testing reactions to foods was a very great incentive for me and helped overcome my fears!

Robbity

 

[Caprock94]

There is a good lancet device you can buy. It is the Accu Chek Fastclix. This has the lancets hidden inside a plastic drum. You never see the lancets. All you see is a small drop of blood on your finger.

Beat me to it. You don't actually have to see the needle with most lancet devices.

 

[nomoredonuts]

It's been discussed on here before - the business of lancet-changing - and I admitted to using one for a day or two, or three...
I sometimes find that with my gnarly old man-fingers, I need several goes with a fresh lancet to produce anything worth testing, ( I set the needle on 2). When the end starts to fold over a bit is when I get a decent drop of blood out!
I'm currently trying alternative jab-sites to see if that helps.

 

[TriciaWs]

I used to be severely needle phobic, but gradually managed to improve. I still can't watch a needle going in though. I used a fairly standard lancing device (GlucoRx) but only see the tiny needle end as I fit it - then just press on the outside button and it shoots in and out without me having to watch. It is a tiny prick and seals up fast unlike my experiences of them trying to get blood from my arm.

 

[hankjam]

If someone is doing it to me.... I close my eyes and "go somewhere else".
Pricking myself, line it up and look out the window and hit the release.

 

[ShortStuff]

I can understand how you feel, I know if I HAD to do it every day I’d soon feel that way.

It’s a shame nothing non invasive seems to work, the new one above sounds interesting and I’ll definitely give it a go when it comes out (as long as the the ‘reader’ isn’t stupidly expensive.

In the meantime, I agree with other people who have said the ‘fast clix’ is fabulous. I’ve bought a couple of spares and enough lancets to last me a very very long time, just in case they
discontinue it. Personally I use each needle until it feels less sharp, so they last ages, but it’s definitely less of a prick when they’re new, so buy plenty and refresh the needle regularly and it’s honestly not bad.

Others I’ve had have been horrible and a right faff.

 

[nomoredonuts]

If for any reason the button doesn't fire when I press it, I have to withdraw, place it, then "fire " again. What a wimp!!