Lancet technique

I don’t use this type of lancet myself but I think @Bluetit1802 does.

copilost said:

ah yes that would be me so, relax and back off, always good advice. thank you

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Washing your hands in hot water helps a lot. When I pricked my finger after a bath I got way too much blood using my normal setting.

Pressing on the puncture site for a minute or two after the prick may stop bruising too

copilost said:

What am I doing wrong?

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I use a fastclix at the 3.5 setting, all you have to do is rest it against the finger and press the button. There is no need to press it against the skin firmly to get a sample of blood.

In the 5½ years using both a multiclix and a fastclix I have never had any bruising on my fingers / thumbs

Hi
Plus the more u use your fingers for pricking the skin seems to get a bit tougher.
My thumbs are useless don't get much blood out of them and my. Pinky that is very sensitive.. So I really only have six fingers left lol

Sometimes it can be if your hands are hot or cold, blood out of a stone is me with cold hands. I use a different lancet, but it has settings 1-8 for how much it stabs. I find I have some fingers that 2 does the job but doesn’t hurt, some fingers I have to use 3 to get the blood, and 5 for my thumbs. Also when I started it was a bit hit and miss as I subconsciously pulled my finger away from the lancet as I pressed the button, I found resting my hand/finger on a solid surface such as a table helped with this.

It might be best to get the Genteel. It’s £99 but if you go to DiabeticSupplies website then you can do 10 payments of £10/£11. A life time of testing, you might as well do it in comfort.

@copilost for starting this thread with your very useful question

I've read some good tips in this thread

The thing to remember about lancing devices is that they are not staplers or nail guns. There is no need to press firmly, just a light touch agaist the finger etc. is all that is needed.

I had trouble getting out enough blood to test sometimes, particularly first test in the morning. Sometimes nothing. Dr suggested first holding the finger firmly for a minute or so and then use the lancet which seems to do the trick and gets the red stuff moving for a test.

Holding your hand below the level of your heart while massaging and pricking helps increase blood flow.

In the book, Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, I learned to test the sides of the finger pad, not the pad.

From there I developed my own technique to minimize punctures because I sometimes test 10 times a day.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I test on my left hand. On Tuesday, Thursdays, Saturday and Sundays, I test on my right hand. I remember which hand to test, by remembering that I use the "right" hand to start and end the week." In the beginning I also had a card in my test kit that I'd flip each day. On one side I'd written, "right", on the other "left". (On Sunday's, I didn't flip the card.)

At the beginning of the day, I test on the outside of the pinky finger upon awakening, then the inside of the pinky finger before breakfast, again on the side of pinky finger's pad. From their I continue on to the ring finger and continue working my way toward the thumb.

One friend had a lot of difficulty getting enough blood from her fingers first thing in the morning despite washing her hands first with warm water, which almost always works for me.

Her solution? After trying all our suggestions, she discovered that if she wrapped her hand around her morning mug of coffee or tea for 5 minutes, she could test and get adequate blood for the meter. Problem solved.

copilost said:

Some (much) guidance required.
I cannot get this lancet thingy sorted. I'm using an accu-chek fastclix (stupid spelling) if I go low on setting e.g. 2 or 3 I don't get a nice drop of blood (for Dracula my meter), if I go to 4 or 5 I get bruises on my fingers. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks
CoP

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I share your pain. Unfortunately only 5 works for me. If I try the lower ones I end up having to try over and over. So I have resorted to using 5 and am just waiting for that sharp pain. My tips are sore because am a newbie and am trying to guage my triggers so I test often.