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Reusing my Lancet

lucylocket61

lucylocket61

Expert
Can I use a lancet more than once please? If so, how many times?

I am on benefit and having to somehow find the money to test, so every little cost cutting thing would help.
 
Yes, but my doctor will not prescribe either a meter or testing strips or lancets. He says I should not test. I have bought the SDCodefree meter kit to start me off.

So getting a free prescription doesnt help here. I could get them free if he would prescribe them.
 
Problem being if you are not prescribed a meter and test strips, you have to find the money to buy your own supplies!

If you are on diabetic meds then free prescriptions are available but not for those who choose not to take meds for the diabetes but have other conditions..I speak from experience lol

Regarding the lancets, I think most people reuse them. When I have test strips I reuse mine until they get blunt!
 
It does seem to be a bit of a lottery. Here in Somerset, my husband had a monitor virtually shoved up his nose with the diabetes nurse trying to decide which of three he should have. They are really pushing the self-monitoring here. It's very unfair that you want to be more aware of your levels and they won't help you. If you feel very strongly about it, could you change your doctor? A last resort, I know.

I'm sorry I couldn't be of more use.

Julia
 
lucylocket61 said:
Can I use a lancet more than once please? If so, how many times?

You can re use it if you want until it goes blunt.

I am on benefit and having to somehow find the money to test, so every little cost cutting thing would help.
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Most finger prickers including the SD will accept any make of standard lancet. Look on eBay. The only exceptions are Accu chek Softclix and Multi clix.
 
lucylocket61 said:
I appreciate all the replies, but they dont answer my question.

Can i re-use a lancet and, if so, how many times?
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I looked at a past thread on this subject Lucy. Most said they used the same one for ages. Till it gets blunt like Daisy said.

Whoops. Not Daisy :oops:
 
Yep, I use mine til they hurt, depending how many test I do, usually I swap once a day, but I have a pack of 200 which cost me £12. This is lancets Im talking about. My machine wont allow me to re use test strips as it tells me there is an error.
 
I get away with using 1 every day.... haven't had any issues with this. Here you pay full price for lancets. I test so many times during the day I'd be going through a lot of them if I changed lancet every single time. I already fly through test strips for Accu-Check Nano.
 
I meant re-using lancets, not test strips. :crazy:

I am confuddling everyone. But now I will save money on lancets and spend on test strips instead :D

So Happy tonight. I just did my bedtime test and its 5.7 - the lowest since my fist doctors finger prick test weeks ago. Low carbing is working :D
 
even tho mine are free (unfair that t2's don't always get same privelidge :( ) i use them for aaaages until i can feel em going blunt. when i say 'aaaages' i mean i test around 5-8 times a day and don't change lancet for about a week (erm, sometimes longer!? oops). every DSN i've ever spoke to says i should change after a few times max (one said EVERY time), but my fingers tell me this is unecessary! yep, save your money & buy strips before lancets. you'll feel when it needs changing, when it starts to hurt!
 
I re-use my lancets as well, sometimes it can do me for a week even though i test 4/5 times a day. I dont know about anyone else but I feel that soon i will just have to squeeze my finger to produce blood!
 
SweetHeart said:
It does seem to be a bit of a lottery. Here in Somerset, my husband had a monitor virtually shoved up his nose with the diabetes nurse trying to decide which of three he should have. They are really pushing the self-monitoring here. It's very unfair that you want to be more aware of your levels and they won't help you. If you feel very strongly about it, could you change your doctor? A last resort, I know.

I'm sorry I couldn't be of more use.

Julia
Click to expand...

Hi Julia, I'm also in Somerset and was told by my diabetes nurse in no uncertain terms that they do not give out testing equipment, nor do they recommend self-testing, so policy clearly differs from practice to practice! :crazy:

Lucy, I change my lancet about once a week. Congrats on the low reading :thumbup:
 
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