• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Just ordered a Codefree, but what do I do with sharps?

R

ruthytoothy

Member
Messages
23
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
I'm currently undiagnosed, and GP doesn't want to test me again for 3 mths, but as I suspect I'm borderline prediabetic I have decided to start working out which foods severely affect my BG. So I've ordered the SD Codefree along with a couple of hundred strips and a similar number of lancets. From reading on the forum I gather I should put the used lancets and strips in a sharps bin and take it for safe disposal. However as my GP does not approve of me testing, how can I go about getting hold of a sharps bin, and where would I take it for disposal? I'm in Scotland, NHS Grampian, if that makes any difference. Thanks in advance!
 
You can buy sharps bins at chemist or online but meanwhile you could use empty screw top jar .Good luck with testing hope not high numbers:joyful:
 
You can get free sharps bins from Boots. When they are full, take it back to Boots and they will dispose of it and give you a new one.
 
MH2010 said:
You can get free sharps bins from Boots. When they are full, take it back to Boots and they will dispose of it and give you a new one.
Click to expand...
Will they give them for T2's though who are not on insulin. You can always use an empty pot the strips come in to put the used ones in
 
I change my lancet every 50 strips. When I do, I put the wee cap back on the needle tip, and pop in in the strip pot with all my used strips (all 50 of them) and the whole thing goes in the ordinary rubbish bin, with the rest of the household rubbish.

No need for a sharps bin at all.
 
I get my sharps box free, I just ask for one at reception and I get one free.
The full ones are returned for incineration. After speaking to my diabetic nurse you are also able to get them on prescription from the G.P. This obviously assuming you get free prescriptions through your Diabetes.

Apparantly both the strips and the lancets are classed as a Biohazard and should not be disposed of in ordinary household rubbish !!
 
martsnow said:
I get my sharps box free, I just ask for one at reception and I get one free.
The full ones are returned for incineration. After speaking to my diabetic nurse you are also able to get them on prescription from the G.P. This obviously assuming you get free prescriptions through your Diabetes.

Apparantly both the strips and the lancets are classed as a Biohazard and should not be disposed of in ordinary household rubbish !!
Click to expand...

I am guessing that you are a T1? Or on insulin?

The OP is a newly diagnosed pre-diabetic who will not have access to any of the services available to a diagnosed diabetic, and their meter, strips and lancets will be self funded.

If I broke a glass, and got blood on a shard of that glass, I would carefully and securely wrap it in newspaper, then into a plastic bag, then I would put it in the household rubbish. No need for a sharps bin there. Nor is there any need for a sharps bin for a single, minute 4mm needle, embedded in plastic, contained within a closed plastic pot.
 
Brunneria said:
I change my lancet every 50 strips. When I do, I put the wee cap back on the needle tip, and pop in in the strip pot with all my used strips (all 50 of them) and the whole thing goes in the ordinary rubbish bin, with the rest of the household rubbish.

No need for a sharps bin at all.
Click to expand...

Oops! Sounds like I've order WAY too many lancets then! This is all such a steep learning curve!

What you do sounds like it would work really well, and avoid getting my GP offside. Thanks!
 
Brunneria said:
I am guessing that you are a T1? Or on insulin?

The OP is a newly diagnosed pre-diabetic who will not have access to any of the services available to a diagnosed diabetic, and their meter, strips and lancets will be self funded.

If I broke a glass, and got blood on a shard of that glass, I would carefully and securely wrap it in newspaper, then into a plastic bag, then I would put it in the household rubbish. No need for a sharps bin there. Nor is there any need for a sharps bin for a single, minute 4mm needle, embedded in plastic, contained within a closed plastic pot.
Click to expand...

Not even newly diagnosed - my OGTT gave a "normal" fasting result but an elevated 2 hr result, so my GP says she will re-test in 3 mths, whereas I take the view that the 2hr result represents a "spike" and the sooner I get this under control the better.

So yeah, entirely self-funding meter and supplies, and moreover in doing so I'm directly going against the GP's advice, so no way on earth they'll prescribe or fund sharps disposal, and I'd far prefer to monitor without them knowing if I can get away with it.

What you said about broken glass makes perfect sense. I also wondered why special disposal of the strips was required, when elastoplasts, tissues used to deal with nosebleeds, etc, can go in the normal rubbish.
 
If you can get hold of a multiclix which are with accu chek meters the lancets are enclosed and so can be binned They are also very gentle ,sometimes you can get a free meter from accu chek which comes with the multiclix
CAROL
 
Don't worry! You are supposed to change them every time.

But in the 3 years i have been testing, i have never had a problem, never had an infection, and i only change the lancet when it gets blunt - which is about every 50 stabs.

Other ppl round here change every 10th, 20th, or every single stab.
Just do what works for you.

:)
 
Brunneria said:
Don't worry! You are supposed to change them every time.

But in the 3 years i have been testing, i have never had a problem, never had an infection, and i only change the lancet when it gets blunt - which is about every 50 stabs.

Other ppl round here change every 10th, 20th, or every single stab.
Just do what works for you.

:)
Click to expand...

So do you clean the lancet between uses, and if so, how? I'm guessing the likes of alcohol wipes could contaminate my samples?
 
Although I use the Codefree meter, I use the Accu Chek Fastclix stabber. If you can get hold of one they are better. You buy drums of lancets. Each drum holds 6 lancets. You wind them on when you want to change one. At the end of the 6 lancets, you remove the drum and replace it. The lancets are all contained within the drum and do not protrude. Disposal is just in ordinary household waste (it says this in the instructions, so it is safe) I only change (wind on) my lancets when they get blunt and you know this because they don't draw the blood as easily and hurt more!
 
Brunneria said:
Don't worry! You are supposed to change them every time.

But in the 3 years i have been testing, i have never had a problem, never had an infection, and i only change the lancet when it gets blunt - which is about every 50 stabs.

Other ppl round here change every 10th, 20th, or every single stab.
Just do what works for you.

:)
Click to expand...
Thanks! I've now used the same one twice and my finger hasn't fallen off so I think I'll try getting more use out of them!
 
ruthytoothy said:
So do you clean the lancet between uses, and if so, how? I'm guessing the likes of alcohol wipes could contaminate my samples?
Click to expand...

Well, you have to understand that I am disgustingly unhygienic, and any health professional would shoot me on sight.

I am also blessed with a stonking immune system, and have never been prone to skin infections.

So I don't use any sterile wipes or clean the stabber at all between uses (there are people all over the place flinching in horror as they read this).
I just stab, toss it back into the case, and then use it again next time. And I lick my finger to clean up the drop of blood too.

See? told you I am disgusting.

Having said that, diabetics who have uncontrolled/high blood glucose are prone to lowered immune systems and skin infections, so everyone needs to make their own judgement on how they want to proceed with stabber hygiene. I suppose the key message is know yourself, and your immune system, and proceed accordingly.
 
ruthytoothy said:
Not even newly diagnosed - my OGTT gave a "normal" fasting result but an elevated 2 hr result, so my GP says she will re-test in 3 mths, whereas I take the view that the 2hr result represents a "spike" and the sooner I get this under control the better.

So yeah, entirely self-funding meter and supplies, and moreover in doing so I'm directly going against the GP's advice, so no way on earth they'll prescribe or fund sharps disposal, and I'd far prefer to monitor without them knowing if I can get away with it.

What you said about broken glass makes perfect sense. I also wondered why special disposal of the strips was required, when elastoplasts, tissues used to deal with nosebleeds, etc, can go in the normal rubbish.
Click to expand...
I tend to bend the pin on the lancet by pushing it against my drainer then pop it into a used strip box or straight into my normal rubbish. If you are worried about used strips just run the end of it under a tap and the blood will wash out
 
The official health and safety line.. You should change your lancet every time you test. Firstly because they are designed for single use which means they can go blunt, increasing the risk if micro injury and infection, and secondly because technically the microscopic dried blood left on the lancet can alter you blood sugar results and also can be a source of infection. All 'sharps', (needles and lancets) should be disposed of in a sharps box, except those multi lancet systems which are self containing. In addition to your own personal safety there is a risk to others who may come in contact with your used sharp (anyone from dustmen to nurses). I think many people don't realise that if a 'worker' experiences a 'needle stick' injury then they have to go through a 3 month testing process to ensure their health is safe - because they don't know where the sharp has come from! Not only is this expensive to the NHS it is a terrible stressful time for the individual involved.
Saying that, I believe that everyone should be able to make their own informed choice about their health and the processes involved in maintaining their health so please don't think I am critising or judging anyone!! Sue xx
 
Back
Top