Hi I'm 19 and was diagnosed with Type 1 on Thursday and have recently been diagnosed with epilepsy too. I am terrified of needles and feel very down. Need to chat to this group for help and advice. My finger tips are bruised due to the finger blood testing , does anyone have any ideas? Thank you xx
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- Thread starter sarahbee
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Kaylz
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- Type 1
Hi there @sarahbee and welcome to the forum 🙂
We are a very friendly bunch here and there is always someone around to offer advice
What finger pricking device are you using? Have you tried changing the depth setting on it? Also which part of your fingers are you actually using? its much more comfortable to use the sides but can still bruise and be painful xx
We are a very friendly bunch here and there is always someone around to offer advice
What finger pricking device are you using? Have you tried changing the depth setting on it? Also which part of your fingers are you actually using? its much more comfortable to use the sides but can still bruise and be painful xx
Matt Cycle
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- Type 1
Hi Sarah and welcome to the forum. 🙂 As Kaylz said you can adjust the setting on the finger pricker. In terms of needles there are covered insulin needles so you don't have to see the needle going in. May be worth speaking to your DSN (specialist nurse) about this. What insulins have they put you on?
Ljc
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- Type 1.5 LADA
Hi again Sarahbee. Ouch , ouch It sure sounds like your devise is on a too higher setting , try the second setting and when about to bodge your finger , don’t press the devise to hard against the Side of your finger .
Have a read of this blog
painless-pricks by Alan S
Have a read of this blog
painless-pricks by Alan S
Hi Kaylz and Matt I'm using ACCU-CHEK Performa Nano, should I use depth 1? I ve been using 3. I ll try the sides tomorrow . I'm seeing the nurse on Wednesday so Ill ask about the needle covers. I'm going for CBT to help me inject as Mum is having to do it for me at the moment.I'm on Degludec insulin 6mls Thank you both x
Kaylz
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- Type 1
Try it on 1 and if that's not enough to easily obtain a sample put it up to 2, the sides are definitely better to use! 🙂, you can, if you google insulin injection aids you will get results for the kind of thing Matt is talking about, I myself do 3 injections a day but my mum does my 4th for me as it goes into my hip xx
Hi sarabee. Make sure your hands are warm. Skin is softer. Welcome 🙂
Kaylz
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- Type 1
It gets easier and dare I say it just becomes natural instinct xx
Matt Cycle
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There are a number of covered pen needles on the market for those such as yourself with anxiety about injections. This is one from Novo.
https://www.novonordisk.com/patient...-and-injection-support/NovoFineAutocover.html
Degludec (Tresiba) is a basal or long acting insulin. Are you injecting a bolus (short acting) insulin e.g NovoRapid as well before meals?
Matt Cycle
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- Type 1
That's understandable. It's a massive shock at first but try not to worry as in time things will become more straightforward and do mention the covered needles when you see the nurse on Wednesday. 🙂
Lucy Honeychurch
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Hi and welcome 🙂
You could ask your team about an i-port, a device you can inject into eliminating injecting into your skin. Let us know how you get on 🙂
You could ask your team about an i-port, a device you can inject into eliminating injecting into your skin. Let us know how you get on 🙂
TheClockworkDodo
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- Type 1
Hello Sarah and welcome 🙂
I'm needle-phobic too and I'd be completely and utterly unable to inject myself with needles I could see. I use the Autocover ones in Matt's link and they make it easy, it's just like pressing the end of a pen against your leg, you don't need to see the needles at all. The only downside with the Autocover ones is they are slightly longer than the standard needles for diabetics - I think there are other makes of covered ones which are shorter - but we're talking mms here, so it makes very little difference. In fact I now find injecting myself so easy I sometimes choose to have an extra injection, if I want a snack or something!
Definitely turn down the finger pricker! You should barely feel it and it shouldn't leave bruises. I have mine set to 2. It sometimes takes a few goes to get it to work, if my hands are cold, but that's much better than having it turned up more! And only ever use the sides of your finger tips, there are nerve endings in the front of your finger tips so it will really hurt if you prick there. Also, you may have been told to only use your middle two fingers, but most of us forget that and use all our fingers and thumbs as well, in turn. So long as you only use the sides it shouldn't matter (it might if you use the fronts, which is why they tend to tell you just to use the middle ones).
I'm needle-phobic too and I'd be completely and utterly unable to inject myself with needles I could see. I use the Autocover ones in Matt's link and they make it easy, it's just like pressing the end of a pen against your leg, you don't need to see the needles at all. The only downside with the Autocover ones is they are slightly longer than the standard needles for diabetics - I think there are other makes of covered ones which are shorter - but we're talking mms here, so it makes very little difference. In fact I now find injecting myself so easy I sometimes choose to have an extra injection, if I want a snack or something!
Definitely turn down the finger pricker! You should barely feel it and it shouldn't leave bruises. I have mine set to 2. It sometimes takes a few goes to get it to work, if my hands are cold, but that's much better than having it turned up more! And only ever use the sides of your finger tips, there are nerve endings in the front of your finger tips so it will really hurt if you prick there. Also, you may have been told to only use your middle two fingers, but most of us forget that and use all our fingers and thumbs as well, in turn. So long as you only use the sides it shouldn't matter (it might if you use the fronts, which is why they tend to tell you just to use the middle ones).
trophywench
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
You can use any of your fingers,, I've never had much success with my thumbs or my index fingers, but it's quite a distance between the top of the nail bed to the bottom of it, and if you don't go too deep in future, you won't get bruises as long as you constantly rotate where you 'bodge'.
I'm not familiar with your fingerpricking device, I use a different Accu-Chek one that uses cassettes of 6 individual lancets - the ends of which you never have to see. It may well be less 'vicious' than the one they supply with the Nano and it's certainly worth asking if you can try one. If your nurse hasn't got one, if you ring Accu-Chek you can ask them to send you one - explain you are a T1 and 'new' and having probs, with a bit of luck they'll send you one free. I only have mine set on 1 and I've regularly been making many holes in my fingers since they invented meters! This one, you can adjust in 0.5's - so if you need 0.5 or 1.5 etc it's no prob. (The maximum 'depth' is 5 though - wonder iwho, apart from elephants, needs that!)
I'm not familiar with your fingerpricking device, I use a different Accu-Chek one that uses cassettes of 6 individual lancets - the ends of which you never have to see. It may well be less 'vicious' than the one they supply with the Nano and it's certainly worth asking if you can try one. If your nurse hasn't got one, if you ring Accu-Chek you can ask them to send you one - explain you are a T1 and 'new' and having probs, with a bit of luck they'll send you one free. I only have mine set on 1 and I've regularly been making many holes in my fingers since they invented meters! This one, you can adjust in 0.5's - so if you need 0.5 or 1.5 etc it's no prob. (The maximum 'depth' is 5 though - wonder iwho, apart from elephants, needs that!)
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