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Blood from a stone

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Haggis8716

Haggis8716

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Have just had to try to get blood from 6 different fingers to do a BG test, I tried warming my fingers under running water first, but that didn't work.any tips or tricks that will improve my pricking technique? I am using any of my last 3 fingers on either hand. my lancet is a Glucoject Plus (supplied with Glucomen BG meters) normaly set at 2 (range is 1-5) with 33G lancets. It is a bit warm here today, can that affect it?

Got some eventually after upping the lancet to 3, but don't want to do that too often as fingers sting for a while after.
 
I find it hard to get blood out if I'm dehydrated. As its been a hot day today, could this be a factor? Otherwise, normally it's easier to get blood out when your fingers are warm than on a cold day.
 
I found I had to have mine on a 3. Nurse said that is the usual setting.
 
Assuming you are adequately hydrated and hands are warm, then the only other thing I can suggest is swinging arms round in circles to back and front of body.
 
Staying hydrated is the main thing for me, vigorous shaking of hands if they are cold (or have gone to sleep), and if all else fails I sit with them between my thighs to warm them up. I try and avoid doing this in the office as people are likely to get the wrong idea!
 
One tip I was taught was to wait a couple of seconds after stabbing - the natural reaction of your body is to try and close the hole you just suddenly made in the skin, but if you wait a couple of seconds then it relaxes a little making the blood easier to gently squeeze a drop out 🙂
 
Northerner said:
One tip I was taught was to wait a couple of seconds after stabbing - the natural reaction of your body is to try and close the hole you just suddenly made in the skin, but if you wait a couple of seconds then it relaxes a little making the blood easier to gently squeeze a drop out 🙂
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Thats the way I normally do it. The other week my hands were quite warm when I done this and as I squeezed my finger to get a small drop of blood it decided to squirt out and over my desk at work!!! 😱
 
Northerner said:
One tip I was taught was to wait a couple of seconds after stabbing - the natural reaction of your body is to try and close the hole you just suddenly made in the skin, but if you wait a couple of seconds then it relaxes a little making the blood easier to gently squeeze a drop out 🙂
Click to expand...
Oh yes! That's what I was taught, and it's what I do, only I do it so automatically these days, I hadn't thought about it.
 
Stitch147 said:
Thats the way I normally do it. The other week my hands were quite warm when I done this and as I squeezed my finger to get a small drop of blood it decided to squirt out and over my desk at work!!! 😱
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Ah yes, the spurter (or squirter). Usually happens just after having put on clean clothes, and it sprays all over them...
 
Stitch147 said:
Thats the way I normally do it. The other week my hands were quite warm when I done this and as I squeezed my finger to get a small drop of blood it decided to squirt out and over my desk at work!!! 😱
Click to expand...
:D

I know this phenomenon quite well , it used to happen sometimes at work when I was jabbing people's fingers, I quickly learnt how to avoid the squirt , did make a ness of my table though.
 
Haggis8716 said:
As I am new to all this, I use a fresh one every time.
Click to expand...
Ok then it's either you have really tough skin or your squeeze technique isn't quite there yet or possibly it's both
When I used to bodge other people's fingers , thumbs I had the use of two hands to persuade that drop of blood out. We don't have that luxury,
After bodging , wait a couple of seconds, really just long enough to put your lancing devise down , then try placing bodged finger or thumb in the crook between the finger and thumb of your other hand and apply a gentle squeeze gradually go harder till hopefully you have success.
Sorry no idea what to do about tough skin other than go for a harder setting and press the lancing device down harder too , oooowwwwch
 
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Stitch147 said:
squirt out and over my desk at work
Click to expand...
On an EMT ride-along in an ambulance I had to take the BG for a patient we were transporting...... Talk about stuck pig!!!! most embarrassing!!!!
 
Martin Canty said:
On an EMT ride-along in an ambulance I had to take the BG for a patient we were transporting...... Talk about stuck pig!!!! most embarrassing!!!!
Click to expand...
Nothing like being generous lol.
 
the skin is thinner on the sides of the fingers and less sensitive, you're not stabbing the pads of your fingers are you? if you go for the side and then wait for a few seconds before squeezing it allows the blood to flow a bit more easily. I favour my thumbs to be honest they bleed well and without much fuss. They do occasionally bleed profusely though 😱
 
KookyCat said:
the skin is thinner on the sides of the fingers and less sensitive, you're not stabbing the pads of your fingers are you? if you go for the side and then wait for a few seconds before squeezing it allows the blood to flow a bit more easily. I favour my thumbs to be honest they bleed well and without much fuss. They do occasionally bleed profusely though 😱
Click to expand...
...although thumbs are supposed to be avoided, as are index fingers 😱 This is because they are the most important digits on our hands, and constant finger-pricking can affect sensitivity over time. I tend to use my little fingers and occasionally my ring fingers - at the sides of the pads, not the centre 🙂
 
I rarely have this problem - I used to be a blood donor and have always been a good bleeder 😉 ...I tend to use little finger, ring finger or middle finger on either hand and try and alternate them a bit.
 
Northerner said:
...although thumbs are supposed to be avoided, as are index fingers 😱 This is because they are the most important digits on our hands, and constant finger-pricking can affect sensitivity over time. I tend to use my little fingers and occasionally my ring fingers - at the sides of the pads, not the centre 🙂
Click to expand...

I shall tell my DSN she recommends thumbs because they are juicier 🙄
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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