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Squeezing finger

lucylocket61

lucylocket61

Expert
Messages
6,394
Location
Wrexham
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Does squeezing my finger to get the drop of blood for testing make a difference to the result?
 
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Apparently interstitial fluid may interfere with the results. I sometimes have to squeeze but I'm hardly ever surprised at my readings when I have done this.
 
All I know is that underneath the skin but before the capillaries is the interstitial fluid. This also carries glucose (it is what the Libre sensor measures) and it runs about 15 minutes behind glucose. Squeezing can bring out this fluid along with the capillary blood. That much is clear, but what significant difference it makes for T2's not injecting insulin and only after trends, I really don't know. The advice is to wipe away the first speck of blood after a prick and use the second. This is easier said than done when blood doesn't appear. It doesn't appear in me, so I do have to squeeze but do try to "milk" the finger from base towards tip rather than squeeze from side to side. No idea if this helps or not.
 
Never read/heard that before.

I tend to be pleased if I get a large enough drop of blood to test with, which is a very small drop for my meter.

It is easier to get blood out (of a stone) after exercise has warmed me up and got the juices flowing but this doesn't really fit in with a fasting test.

Squeezing isn't advisable but repeated prongings aren't to my liking either.
 
My daughter was telling me this at Christmas. She started her nursing degree last September and was watching me try to get a drop of blood and told me not to squeeze my finger, for the reason stated. Told me to warm hands and hold finger downwards. I still struggle to get blood tho.....
 
lucylocket61 said:
so does the introduction of interstatial fluid affect the result up or down?
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I don't honestly have a clue, but doubt if it makes a very significant difference.
I usually run my hand under the hot tap, flap it about to get the drips off, dry on a towel and take a stab. Works pretty well most of the time.
 
miahara said:
I don't honestly have a clue, but doubt if it makes a very significant difference.
I usually run my hand under the hot tap, flap it about to get the drips off, dry on a towel and take a stab. Works pretty well most of the time.
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Same for me, if my hands are warm there is no need for any squeezing, plenty of blood especially as my TEE2 needs a tiny amount.
 
There are times when it easier to get blood out of a stone than my finger.... not a lot else to do... I should I am a wimp and will not go lower than 1.5.... other times it's like a stuck pig.... blood everywhere.
I have often wondered if it makes a difference.
 
hankjam said:
There are times when it easier to get blood out of a stone than my finger.... not a lot else to do... I should I am a wimp and will not go lower than 1.5.... other times it's like a stuck pig.... blood everywhere.
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Same here, although I do give a finger a squeeze if I am to lazy to change the depth from 3.5 to 4 to get a drop of blood to show.

Got a bit of a gusher the other week, hence the bloody left finger in my avatar.
 
Annoying I've found the side of my fingers that's away from me gives blood more easily than the side facing me. So I'm contortioning my hand awkwardly to get the blood onto the strip...
 
I had more difficulty than usual getting a drop this morning and had to squeeze quite hard and my reading was 6.5 which is high for me as it’s usually between 4.8 and 5.8 so I tried again on a different finger, the blood flowed easier with a result of 5.4 followed by another reading of 5.5.
 
Daphne917 said:
I had more difficulty than usual getting a drop this morning and had to squeeze quite hard and my reading was 6.5 which is high for me as it’s usually between 4.8 and 5.8 so I tried again on a different finger, the blood flowed easier with a result of 5.4 followed by another reading of 5.5.
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I've had that happen with or with squeezing the finger hard, any surprises are always a good reason to retest like you did. I do the same thing. I just chalk it up to a bad strip.
 
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