I'm new to testing and find I have to squeeze around the area of the blood taken to get it to form a drop however I've read thats not good. Would it lower or higher your blood glucose reading and why?
What is the effect of 'milking' your finger?
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Generally no, if i didn't squeeze i would have to make pretty big hole in myself it make ti flow freely! However your best to have warm hands so if im cold i wash in hot water first - this helps it flow more freely.
The guidance generally is that if your having to squeeze excessively then you could be pulling other fluids out of cells which can distort the figure, but some squeezing is ok
The guidance generally is that if your having to squeeze excessively then you could be pulling other fluids out of cells which can distort the figure, but some squeezing is ok
Hi, yes I've always been told it can change the reading but not always in the same direction. By squeezing directly neare where your lancet went in it forces the blood out but not uniformly. So it is hard to predict whether the result will be higher or lower than the real value.
I usually try to make sure my hands are warm and then shake my hand in a downwards motion a bit to make sure blood is properly circulating. I've also always been advised to squeeze as far away from the finger tip as possible - so from the palm down the finger. If I've been exercising though I can't stop the blood fast enough even on the lowest lancet setting so trying to get the circulation pumping a bit more definitely helps!
I usually try to make sure my hands are warm and then shake my hand in a downwards motion a bit to make sure blood is properly circulating. I've also always been advised to squeeze as far away from the finger tip as possible - so from the palm down the finger. If I've been exercising though I can't stop the blood fast enough even on the lowest lancet setting so trying to get the circulation pumping a bit more definitely helps!
JohnEGreen
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My son worked on a hospital ward for sometime where it was one of his responsibilities to test patients blood sugar readings he found sometimes milking the finger was the only way he could obtain a sample this did not involve squeezing after pricking the finger near the sight of the puncture but rather for thirty seconds or so gently applying pressure with his finger and thumb from the base of the patients finger towards the tip of the finger then using the lancet to obtain a blood sample.
MrsA2
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The 3 fingers on my right hand bleed ok, especially after a wash with hot water, but on my left hand the middle finger hardly bleeds at all, so much so that I have given up using it just using the ring and little fingers instead.
I'm relatively new to this so no idea if that it right or not, but seems to work for me so far
I'm relatively new to this so no idea if that it right or not, but seems to work for me so far
Resurgam
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I have always needed to put gently pressure on my fingertip to make a large enough bead of blood - I do get some, just not enough. I am a musician so my fingertips are a) precious to me and b) altered a little by 60 years of playing musical instruments. The results seem to be consistent and accurate. If I do not get enough blood, which is very rare, I just stab a different finger. I don't insist that the finger bleeds.
Lilylala
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I don't know if any one else has found this but my left hand fingers produce a lower reading than my right hand fingers?. Also I suffer from raynards so my fingers are constantly very cold so yes I have to milk my Lancet sight to gain blood for testing .The same is said whenever I have had to have bloods taken for testing.
