Hi everyone, I feel like this is bit of a silly question given how much diabetes can take over your life. I’m newly diagnosed in May 2021. I am currently being treated as type 1 on novorapid and toujeo and i had my first clinic appointment a few weeks back now where the consultant has prescribed me metformin. My question is does anyone else suffer with pain in their fingertips from constant testing? I test 4 times a day on a normal day sometimes 6-8 times on a bad day. You can see under my finger tips where the needle has punctured the skin and they then become sore for a few days even though I change the finger each time I’m checking. Is there any way around this or is it something I just need to deal with? Also on a few occasions when I have gone to take a reading and I have gently squeezed my finger for enough blood it has ended up squirting up in the air like if you burst an artery or vein! Is this common also? Needless to say it’s ruined a few white T-shirts Thankyou Kel.
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Finger pain
- Thread starter Kelz7683
- Start date
- Status
janw
Much Missed Member.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
You can test on any part of your finger tip, I find down the side is better and less painful - change your finger and the location each time (either hand), that will help stop the skin getting sore and tough. Maybe you have it set too deep for the tip of your finger, mine is on 5 for the sides and that is fine, have never tried the tip myself but imagine that is a softer part of the finger. It is all a learning curve when we first start using the BG meter. Hope this helps,
Jimmy2202
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Kelz.
As said above, first thing would be to adjust the depth of the pricking device that you use.
Again, sides of the finger tips I’ve found are most effective, blood certainly shouldn’t be squirting in the air!
Finally, testing 4 times a day is at the very end of the scale - others, myself included would test up to 15 times a day (working days) which is now where the libre comes handy.
As said above, first thing would be to adjust the depth of the pricking device that you use.
Again, sides of the finger tips I’ve found are most effective, blood certainly shouldn’t be squirting in the air!
Finally, testing 4 times a day is at the very end of the scale - others, myself included would test up to 15 times a day (working days) which is now where the libre comes handy.
Hi @Kelz7683
It's odd. We are advised to inject 4 or more times a day and given instructions how to do this. However, we are advised to finger prick the same number of times and just left to do it with no instructions or recommendations.
Most lancet devices have a dial which determines how deep it goes. Some tougher fingers need deeper pricks and softer fingers need shallower ones. It takes a bit of trial and error to find the right depth for us. And it can vary ... especially dependent on the warmth of our fingers
Which brings me on to the next point. Our blood is closer to the surface when we are warmer. I often warm my hands on a cuppa before pricking so it doesn't need to go so deep.
When our fingers are cold, it is tempting to squeeze the blood out. This can cause bruising and more pain. If the blood does not flow easily, try to gently "milk" your fingers, holding them down allowing gravity to assist.
Don't clean your fingers with alcohol wipes. This makes the skin tougher so harder to penetrate. Paramedics use saline to clean fingers, not alcohol, for this reason.
Finally, there is the question of where to prick. Our finger tips seem small but compared to the lancet, they are quite large. There are debates about whether the side is best or the middle is best. I think it is down to what is best for you. I find it easier to warm and get blood out of the central fleshy part but others find this too sensitive so prefer the side.
It is surprising how often newbies complain about sore fingers (some people with type 2 have been told not to test because of the pain) but us "oldies" do it 4, 10, 15 times a day without the pain because we have learnt to do it.
It's odd. We are advised to inject 4 or more times a day and given instructions how to do this. However, we are advised to finger prick the same number of times and just left to do it with no instructions or recommendations.
Most lancet devices have a dial which determines how deep it goes. Some tougher fingers need deeper pricks and softer fingers need shallower ones. It takes a bit of trial and error to find the right depth for us. And it can vary ... especially dependent on the warmth of our fingers
Which brings me on to the next point. Our blood is closer to the surface when we are warmer. I often warm my hands on a cuppa before pricking so it doesn't need to go so deep.
When our fingers are cold, it is tempting to squeeze the blood out. This can cause bruising and more pain. If the blood does not flow easily, try to gently "milk" your fingers, holding them down allowing gravity to assist.
Don't clean your fingers with alcohol wipes. This makes the skin tougher so harder to penetrate. Paramedics use saline to clean fingers, not alcohol, for this reason.
Finally, there is the question of where to prick. Our finger tips seem small but compared to the lancet, they are quite large. There are debates about whether the side is best or the middle is best. I think it is down to what is best for you. I find it easier to warm and get blood out of the central fleshy part but others find this too sensitive so prefer the side.
It is surprising how often newbies complain about sore fingers (some people with type 2 have been told not to test because of the pain) but us "oldies" do it 4, 10, 15 times a day without the pain because we have learnt to do it.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I had some spurters early on but none recently, maybe because I don't squeeze so much now. I do think that part of the soreness may be more down to squeezing than pricking.
My best tip is to not press the lancing device hard against the skin, just touch it to the surface and let the needle bounce in and out of the finger rather than spike it when you push the lancing device against the finger.
I'm another one who could test the same finger 10+ times a day or more and not get sore. That said, I have very dry skin and often the skin on my finger tips splits and bleeds and that is really painful especially when I am working outdoors in the winter, so for me the minor discomfort of pricking my fingers is nothing in comparison to that.
I tend to favour my ring finger and little finger on my left hand as the skin is softer on those two fingers and I get blood easier. I usually use sides of the pad but not averse to using the pad too.
My best tip is to not press the lancing device hard against the skin, just touch it to the surface and let the needle bounce in and out of the finger rather than spike it when you push the lancing device against the finger.
I'm another one who could test the same finger 10+ times a day or more and not get sore. That said, I have very dry skin and often the skin on my finger tips splits and bleeds and that is really painful especially when I am working outdoors in the winter, so for me the minor discomfort of pricking my fingers is nothing in comparison to that.
I tend to favour my ring finger and little finger on my left hand as the skin is softer on those two fingers and I get blood easier. I usually use sides of the pad but not averse to using the pad too.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hope you can reduce the depth of your lancet @Kelz7683
If you still experience discomfort with the lancing device that came with your meter it might be worth considering getting hold of a Roche ‘fast clix’ one which many forum members have found to be pretty much painless (well… as close to painless as it can be!)
I’m another who finds the sides of my fingers better than the pads - possibly because there are fewer nerve endings there as it’s not designed to be the main ‘touch sensitive’ part of the finger?
If you still experience discomfort with the lancing device that came with your meter it might be worth considering getting hold of a Roche ‘fast clix’ one which many forum members have found to be pretty much painless (well… as close to painless as it can be!)
I’m another who finds the sides of my fingers better than the pads - possibly because there are fewer nerve endings there as it’s not designed to be the main ‘touch sensitive’ part of the finger?
SB2015
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi @Kelz7683
I am another who uses the sides of my fingers, but not too near the nails (that will hurt lots!!)
On occasions I accidentally turn the dial on my finger pricier to a greater depth, I soon realise!
I don’t wash my hands first, so I use the first drop of blood to ‘clean the area, and then wait for the next drop to test.warmer hands certainly help to get the blood flowing.
I am another who uses the sides of my fingers, but not too near the nails (that will hurt lots!!)
On occasions I accidentally turn the dial on my finger pricier to a greater depth, I soon realise!
I don’t wash my hands first, so I use the first drop of blood to ‘clean the area, and then wait for the next drop to test.warmer hands certainly help to get the blood flowing.
Hi everyone,
Apologies for the delay in response I haven’t been well recently. My finger prick is currently on the 3rd setting as advised by my nurse when I was diagnosed. I will turn it down 1 and see how I go from that. I do tend to squeeze my finger so that will change also. I didn’t realise you could use the sides of your fingers as I’m newly diagnosed I was literally shown the basics before leaving hospital which was when I was diagnosed. All of your tips are helpful and I will give them all a go I appreciate all of your answers. I feel sorry for you all who test more than 4 times a day there was me feeling sorry for myself!
I have only had 1 appointment with my diabetic consultant and they are still debating on which type I have although I’m currently being treated as type 1. He told me I was doing really good monitoring my blood sugar levels and recently I haven’t changed anything yet they seem to be high mostly over 13.5 meaning I have to do a ketone test the highest reading of that has been 0.6 so not that much of a problem I just don’t understand what’s changed. The consultant did speak to me about a libre monitor if I am type 1 but again I know nothing about them….would I still need to test my blood sugars via the finger prick?
Can I ask also with regards to your feet obviously you need to keep an eye on them and I’m yet to have my first foot check as the diabetic nurse in my GP practice has been off sick for a while. What kinds of things would you be looking for that would concern you? I have recently noticed a black spot growing under one of my big toenails and I was wondering if this is something that I should be concerned about?
Once again I do apologise for all the questions there’s just so much information to take in I find it easier to hear from people who are dealing with it rather than reading information leaflets etc.
Apologies for the delay in response I haven’t been well recently. My finger prick is currently on the 3rd setting as advised by my nurse when I was diagnosed. I will turn it down 1 and see how I go from that. I do tend to squeeze my finger so that will change also. I didn’t realise you could use the sides of your fingers as I’m newly diagnosed I was literally shown the basics before leaving hospital which was when I was diagnosed. All of your tips are helpful and I will give them all a go I appreciate all of your answers. I feel sorry for you all who test more than 4 times a day there was me feeling sorry for myself!
I have only had 1 appointment with my diabetic consultant and they are still debating on which type I have although I’m currently being treated as type 1. He told me I was doing really good monitoring my blood sugar levels and recently I haven’t changed anything yet they seem to be high mostly over 13.5 meaning I have to do a ketone test the highest reading of that has been 0.6 so not that much of a problem I just don’t understand what’s changed. The consultant did speak to me about a libre monitor if I am type 1 but again I know nothing about them….would I still need to test my blood sugars via the finger prick?
Can I ask also with regards to your feet obviously you need to keep an eye on them and I’m yet to have my first foot check as the diabetic nurse in my GP practice has been off sick for a while. What kinds of things would you be looking for that would concern you? I have recently noticed a black spot growing under one of my big toenails and I was wondering if this is something that I should be concerned about?
Once again I do apologise for all the questions there’s just so much information to take in I find it easier to hear from people who are dealing with it rather than reading information leaflets etc.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi
Your rising BG levels may be as a result of your insulin producing beta cells gradually being killed off..... this is what happens with Type 1 diabetes. You are in what is called the honeymoon period, where you still have some insulin producing cells left but they will be slowly diminishing. You need to speak to a DSN at the clinic about it because your insulin doses, probably the Toujeo, but perhaps both, will need adjusting. Do you keep a food diary along with your finger prick results as this will help the nurse understand what is going on.
As regards Libre, the sensor is applied to your arm and lasts 14 days and you can scan it as often as you like but a minimum of every 8 hours because the sensor itself can only store that much data, so it needs to be downloaded to the reader or phone app before it is lost. Simply swiping the phone or reader over the sensor does this. There are differences between the reading it gives you and a finger prick reading though. The finger prick is a Blood Glucose reading, the Libre sensor measures the level of glucose in the interstitial fluid in your body tissue. It takes about 15 minutes for a change in Blood glucose to be transmitted to the interstitial fluid, so the Libre reading lags behind the finger prick reading by about 15 mins. This is fine when you levels are nice and stable and not changing much, but if your levels are rising or falling rapidly it can make quite a big difference. The system has a computer program built into it to try to predict what your levels will be 15 mins later ie to predict what you finger prick reading would be but it is not to be relied upon and generally it is accepted that a finger prick is more accurate and should be used to double check any Libre reading which doesn't correspond to how you feel as well as double check when you are hypo and most importantly recovering from a hypo 15 mins after treatment, but also if you are hyper, before you calculate a correction dose. That may sound confusing but most of us find Libre a total game changer once you understand it's limitations and how to use it. It is important to do some learning about it before you use it so that you understand it better. Abbott laboratories have a Libre Academy which you can do free of charge which will teach you about it. If you google Freestyle Libre you should find the information.
As regards feet, you should wash them and moisturize and inspect them daily and always wear footwear, both in the house (slippers ect) and outside. The concern with feet is that diabetes (particularly undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes) can cause damage to the nerves and blood vessels in the extremities and the feet and eyes are particularly vulnerable to this damage. Loss of sensation can mean that sores and injury go unnoticed until infection sets in and poor circulation means that the infections doesn't heal well which can lead to ulcers developing... if not treated promptly this can escalate and sadly amputations due to diabetes are the most common cause of amputation. This tends to be more of a concern for people who have had diabetes a long time. If you are a fit, healthy, active person with good long term
diabetes control there is less risk. As someone newly diagnosed like yourself, the risk at this stage, of anything like that is very low.
The annual foot checks that the nurse is supposed to do, is a sort of tickle test where she touches parts of your foot or toes with a little fine flexible want to see if you can feel it and she will feel and assess the strength of the pulse in your.
If you are concerned about this black spot, you could take a photo and email it to your doctor or nurse including information that you are a newly diagnosed diabetic and have been told to check your feet and this is concerning you. If you have had Covid then I believe there is a condition called Covid toe where dark spots appear on the toe ends.... or could it just be that you have dropped something on your toe and bruised under the nail? Include info on if it is sore or itchy or painless.
Hope that has covered all your queries, but if not ask again. Try not to worry. We all know it is really overwhelming at first and there is a massive amount to take in, but it kind of all comes out in the wash.... You just slowly learn to manage it most of the time and sometimes it all goes great and other times it doesn't play by the rules and gets a bit frustrating, but you gradually get the hang of steering it back towards the track and then it suddenly starts behaving again and you wonder "What was all that about??"
Your rising BG levels may be as a result of your insulin producing beta cells gradually being killed off..... this is what happens with Type 1 diabetes. You are in what is called the honeymoon period, where you still have some insulin producing cells left but they will be slowly diminishing. You need to speak to a DSN at the clinic about it because your insulin doses, probably the Toujeo, but perhaps both, will need adjusting. Do you keep a food diary along with your finger prick results as this will help the nurse understand what is going on.
As regards Libre, the sensor is applied to your arm and lasts 14 days and you can scan it as often as you like but a minimum of every 8 hours because the sensor itself can only store that much data, so it needs to be downloaded to the reader or phone app before it is lost. Simply swiping the phone or reader over the sensor does this. There are differences between the reading it gives you and a finger prick reading though. The finger prick is a Blood Glucose reading, the Libre sensor measures the level of glucose in the interstitial fluid in your body tissue. It takes about 15 minutes for a change in Blood glucose to be transmitted to the interstitial fluid, so the Libre reading lags behind the finger prick reading by about 15 mins. This is fine when you levels are nice and stable and not changing much, but if your levels are rising or falling rapidly it can make quite a big difference. The system has a computer program built into it to try to predict what your levels will be 15 mins later ie to predict what you finger prick reading would be but it is not to be relied upon and generally it is accepted that a finger prick is more accurate and should be used to double check any Libre reading which doesn't correspond to how you feel as well as double check when you are hypo and most importantly recovering from a hypo 15 mins after treatment, but also if you are hyper, before you calculate a correction dose. That may sound confusing but most of us find Libre a total game changer once you understand it's limitations and how to use it. It is important to do some learning about it before you use it so that you understand it better. Abbott laboratories have a Libre Academy which you can do free of charge which will teach you about it. If you google Freestyle Libre you should find the information.
As regards feet, you should wash them and moisturize and inspect them daily and always wear footwear, both in the house (slippers ect) and outside. The concern with feet is that diabetes (particularly undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes) can cause damage to the nerves and blood vessels in the extremities and the feet and eyes are particularly vulnerable to this damage. Loss of sensation can mean that sores and injury go unnoticed until infection sets in and poor circulation means that the infections doesn't heal well which can lead to ulcers developing... if not treated promptly this can escalate and sadly amputations due to diabetes are the most common cause of amputation. This tends to be more of a concern for people who have had diabetes a long time. If you are a fit, healthy, active person with good long term
diabetes control there is less risk. As someone newly diagnosed like yourself, the risk at this stage, of anything like that is very low.
The annual foot checks that the nurse is supposed to do, is a sort of tickle test where she touches parts of your foot or toes with a little fine flexible want to see if you can feel it and she will feel and assess the strength of the pulse in your.
If you are concerned about this black spot, you could take a photo and email it to your doctor or nurse including information that you are a newly diagnosed diabetic and have been told to check your feet and this is concerning you. If you have had Covid then I believe there is a condition called Covid toe where dark spots appear on the toe ends.... or could it just be that you have dropped something on your toe and bruised under the nail? Include info on if it is sore or itchy or painless.
Hope that has covered all your queries, but if not ask again. Try not to worry. We all know it is really overwhelming at first and there is a massive amount to take in, but it kind of all comes out in the wash.... You just slowly learn to manage it most of the time and sometimes it all goes great and other times it doesn't play by the rules and gets a bit frustrating, but you gradually get the hang of steering it back towards the track and then it suddenly starts behaving again and you wonder "What was all that about??"
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