The pain of finger pricking.

[kevinr]

Hi Everyone I hope you are all fine and enjoying your Sunday if you have got nice sunny weather and it's quite warm. Where I live the weather today is very dull, right I want to ask Everyone is there something that I can put on my finger ends after I have just used my finger pricking pen as they do have a tendency to hurt sometimes but my downfall is that I can only use my left hand and fingers to get blood out. If I try to use my right hand and fingers I struggle with it. I did hear that Tea Tree Oil is supposed to be good but is it good I don't know about these things. Me a chap aged 67 who knows nothing about Life and Diabetes well I know something about diabetes it can hurt you in a lot of ways if you don't look after yourself and stick to your plan and daily routine.

 

[rebrascora]

Sounds like perhaps improving your finger pricking technique might help and mean your fingers are less sore. There are a number of tips for this. I think there is a link somewhere on the forum called "Painless Pricks". I will see if I can find it but generally the top tips are
Using the side of the finger pad rather than the front. I find ring finger and little finger are best.
Having the lancing device set at the minimum depth required to get enough blood without needing to squeeze too hard. It is usually the squeezing which causes more soreness than the actual finger prick. Soaking or washing your hands in warm water and then drying them thoroughly before lancing will really help the blood to flow more easily and make the skin more supple
One of the best tips I have found is not to press the lancing device against your finger but just touch it to the surface. When you depress the button to prick your finger, it is almost like the needle bounces rather than stabs but I seem to get enough blood like that even though it hardly seems to penetrate the skin and is pretty much painless.
Waiting a few moments before trying to get blood out can sometimes help too, which is rather counter intuitive as you would expect it to start sealing up straight away.

Anyway, hope some of those tips help you and I will see if i can find the link I mentioned.
Personally I can't see the benefit of Tee Tree Oil in this situation (unless you had an infection) and you would need to wash your hands more carefully before testing to remove it in case it compromised the test, but no harm in trying it if you still feel like you need it after you have tried the tips above.

 

[rebrascora]

Here we go....
The Painless Pricks link...

Painless Pricks

Managing blood glucose levels for type 2 diabetes. Learning how to achieve long term control by testing and diet.

loraldiabetes.blogspot.com

 

[kevinr]

Thank you Rebrascora I think I may have dropped a boo boo on my finger pricking technique as my lancet pen is set at the highest setting. I best turn it back to number 2 it might not hurt as much plus I shall have to use the side of my finger and not the main pad. I couldn't get back to you earlier on as I have just had a bad nose bleed again I have just managed to stop it flowing again.

 

[grovesy]

Many here recommend the Accu-CHEK Fast Clix, as been a the least painful lancing device.

 

[rebrascora]

So sorry to hear you have had a nose bleed. Do you get them often? Hope it is all fixed now.
Pleased my post has given you some things you can work on to reduce the soreness. I am not saying a lower setting is always best, especially if it means you need to squeeze the finger more on a lower setting to get blood, then that may be counter productive, but find the right setting for your skin is important so do experiment with that. You may find the side of your fingers has less thick skin than the pads themselves.
Warm hands definitely makes a big difference. I have quite hard skin so I always have mine on the highest setting, but just touch it gently to the side of my finger and let the lancet bounce off my skin. I could do that 8 times a day on the same finger and it not be sore. If you use the sides of the finger you also can alernate which side of each finger and thumb you use. Like you, I tend to mostly use my left hand as I am more dexterous with my right for collecting the sample on the strip.

Good luck with finding something which works for you and is more comfortable. Many people highly recommend the Fastclix lancing device as being much less painful to use. I think it may be made by Accu-Ckek. It has cartridges or drums containing 6 lancets rather than individual lancets and I think you just rotate it after each use for the next lancet, rather than having to change it every time...... Not that us St Swithin's Club members do that.... We have an "in joke" that us "naughty diabetics" on the forum only change our lancet once a year on St Swithin's day and in my case it is more or less true although I sometimes change on New Year's day as well.... Don't let us lead you astray with this though if you currently follow the proper guidance and change your lancet every time.

 

[helli]

I often hold a mug of hot tea to warm my fingers before pricking to bring the blood to the surface and avoid pressing my fingers to “milk” them as that can bruise fingers.
I also rotate my fingers and use a different finger each time (I tend to prick 4 times a day and use the fingers of one hand each day).

 

[SB2015]

I have just had a bad nose bleed again I have just managed to stop it flowing again

I hope that the nose bleed doesn’t recur.

Lots of useful tips given already. Definitely use the side of the pads as there are far more nerves in the centre so best avoided. reducing the depth setting is a very good idea. You will only need the deep setting if you have ver6 tough skin. I hope it gets easier.

I have been known to come in from the garden with a cut finger, also needing to test. Rather foolishly when I already have blood dripping, I still do a finger prick!!! Perhaps you could make a positive of a future nose bleeds and save a finger prick!!

 

[kevinr]

Hi all sorry about the delay in getting back to you but I have taken all your advice and have started using it. I have now turned down my indepth pen from 5 and a half to 2 and a half and it's brilliant not to feel pain in my fingers and also pricking the side of my fingers is better and easier. I Really like the advice on using a mug of warm tea or coffee to warm the fingers up I never seem to be away from mugs of coffee I think I maybe drinking too much coffee. Anyway thanks for all your advice it as been taken on board