Anywhere else but fingers?

[Spudz]

Hi, probably been asked a hundred times but is there anywhere else on the body from which you can take blood sugar readings apart from the fingers? I'm using the Accu-Chek instant system at the moment. If there is another part of the body that can be used, and give reliable results, would I need different lancets?

 

[Satan’s little helper]

Hello, I read once somebody using their toes? I’ve accidentally cut my forearm or gashed my leg in the past & decided to use my meter on a sizeable amount of blood before cleaning the and or covering the wound.

 

[Thebearcametoo]

Blood is blood.

What are the reasons you can’t use your fingers? Maybe we can help with technique.

We use fingers because they bleed well and are easy to get to. There’s no reason not to use toes but that isn’t always practical. The fleshy bit below your thumbs is an option or down the little finger side of your hand but it all depends on why you’re struggling with your fingers


Would a sensor be better for you? They’re very accurate these days and mean you need to do minimal checks.

 

[Docb]

I was curious about this so a little while ago I took some tests using my toes. As far as I was concerned the numbers were not statistically significantly different. Reported it on the forum but cannot remember where or when.

 

[Lucyr]

Hi, probably been asked a hundred times but is there anywhere else on the body from which you can take blood sugar readings apart from the fingers? I'm using the Accu-Chek instant system at the moment. If there is another part of the body that can be used, and give reliable results, would I need different lancets?

You can use your toes, but why do you want to stop using your fingers? If you have fingers then those are the best places to test. If you don’t have fingers then understandably you’ll need to test somewhere else.

 

[mashedupmatt]

Do you use the Accu-Chek fast-clix lancing device as well? I do and it's brilliant - once you've worked out the right settings it never hurts and you always draw enough blood to get a reading (I can highly recommend it) - and easy to use on all fingers - no need for anywhere else

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Some finger pickers used to come with alternative ’caps’ for AST (Alternative Site Testing) eg forearm.

But instruction booklets used to say that AST didn’t give as reliable results and was not encouraged unless absolutely necessary (or something similar)

 

[Leadinglights]

The ear lobe is an alternative but not easy to do yourself and get the blood into the strip so someone would have to do it for you.
Better to look to getting your finger prick technique sorted out.

 

[trophywench]

Well FWIW I've been finger pricking since they first released it to the public - mid-late 1970s - had to buy your own meter but could get the strips on prescription, so I asked sister and parents for money for Xmas and birthday, saved it and Invested in my first meter, which cost nearly a whole months salary, which was just over £30 at the time. Anyway I've been using Accu-Chek since just after the turn of the century and only have the Fast Clix lancet set at 0.5, ie the shallowest setting.