Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Daena on July 19, 2007 at 9:26pm

angela, you got that right. alcohol swabs are also bad for our skin too because it makes it dry. i use anti bacterial wet wipes which are similar to baby wipes. they are alcohol free and very mild on my skin, which happens to be so sensitive that unknown allergens can trigger off a rash. by the way, the diabetes nurse told me that i should try to prick the 3rd, 4th and 5th fingers of my hands because the skin's softer and its easier to get blood samples. true or false?

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Permalink Reply by M on July 19, 2007 at 9:38pm

I've never been told that officially, but that's what works for me. I only test my 'pointer' finger once in a blue moon, when the others are worn out or sore. I find my two middle fingers are the best for low-pain pricking, and my little finger is more likely to hurt but also more likely to bleed well.

I think I've only pricked my thumb 2 or 3 times in all these years, and I wouldn't do it again in a hurry either!

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Permalink Reply by Stacie H on July 20, 2007 at 7:04am

Same here... I use my two middle fingers on each hand the most and save my pinkies for when I'm in a hurry and want to bleed fast!

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Permalink Reply by Swirlydoodle on July 20, 2007 at 9:57am

Wow, I test on every thing but my pinkies, which I reserve for when my other fingers get sore

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Permalink Reply by Techgirl on September 30, 2007 at 7:18am

I used to test on my fingers, which is a real pain (ha) when you spend most of your time on a computer keyboard! But the meter I have now lets you test on your forearm.... which is INFINITELY better! I'll never go back to the finger one. Oh, and I tend to change my lancets when it starts to hurt... maybe once a week or so.

I also used alcohol swabs for a long time -- while I was pregnant and taking insulin (I'm on oral meds now) -- but now all I carry in my meter kit is a couple extra lancets and those little round bandaids to keep a particularly good forearm stick from bleeding all over my shirt.

Oh, and as for lancets... I usually just buy a box at the drug store when I'm close to running out... although with a box of 150 that takes a while... (grin)

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Permalink Reply by Natalie ._c- on December 5, 2010 at 10:18pm

I prick both sides of all the fingers and thumb on my right hand. I play a string instrument called the viola da gamba, and don't want my left hand fingers to be painful. I don't have any trouble getting blood out of any of my fingers and none of them are any more sensitive than the others. Different CDEs will tell you different stories, and you just have to make up your own way of doing it -- variety is the spice of life! LOL!

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Permalink Reply by Melissa Padilla on July 19, 2007 at 11:41pm

I usually change my lancet when it starts to hurt. I guess that's about every two months or so? Two years, still haven't even used up 100 lancets. My syringes, I use 2 or 3 times, to my mother's dismay (not that she can tell me what to do anymore, I AM almost 43 now! LOL) But, as I explained to her, I know many people who reuse thier syringes, and have done so for YEARS and have never had an infection! I do wipe my vial first with an alcohol wipe and my skin is clean! AND since I have no insurance, I have to pay for ALL my Diabetes meds and supplies out of my own pocket, a little reusing can go a long way in the pocket book!! ;0) So instead of forking out $13 every few weeks for syringes, I fork it out every couple months! Same goes for the lancets! At a minimum of 4 - 6 a day ..... Lord, I don't even wanna know! I just know that I'm savin $$$$!!! LOL

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Permalink Reply by Kathy on July 20, 2007 at 4:55pm

Shhhhhhh - don't tell anybody, but I use one syringe for two days - that means at least 8x, maybe more. I've been doing this for many many years and never had a problem. I just don't like carrying a lot of extra stuff around.
And, another dark secret - I sometimes inject through clothing. If I'm busy at work, I just zip it in right through the skirt.

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Permalink Reply by Stacie H on July 20, 2007 at 7:07am

I honestly don't remember the last time that I bought a box of lancets...I just use the 10 or so that they give you with a new meter since I don't change mine until they hurt or stop drawing blood.

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Permalink Reply by Chloe on July 20, 2007 at 8:35am

I usually change the lancet about every three weeks, if I remember. I never reuse pen needles for fear of them becoming dull or painful. I was told to use alcohol on the actual insulin pen, and not on my fingers or for shots. The CDE said they dry your skin out and can make shots sting.

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Permalink Reply by Swirlydoodle on July 20, 2007 at 9:56am

Erm, every couple of weeks perhaps? Well, that is the one that lives on the nightstand at home. The one in my bag doesn't get changed nearly as often because there is no sharps container nearby, or I forget to bring extra lancets with me.

Actually, I was surprised the other day when my CDE said I didn't need to change my lancet every time. I was testing in front of her because we were doing something with my pump, and I made sure she saw me change the lancet because I thought, "Oh gotta be on my best behavior here; I am being watched!"

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Permalink Reply by MeadowLark on July 20, 2007 at 12:07pm

LOL! Who me?? Change that thing and spend more money? nah... I only change mine when it hurts to test. That means that my fingers can barely feel the prick and no blood comes out so I have to push on the lancet really hard.; that it HURTS! UGH! Change for a sharper point!:D I would guess that I change 3 or 4 times a year:)
Blessings
MeadowLark

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