FINGER PRICKING - TYPE 1 - MDI

[Robin]

NICE recommend at least 4 times a day for type 1 (befor meals and before bed).

I use finger pricks when hypo as the lag brtween BG level and libra reading make it difficult to see what is going on.

I think Gill is asking how many times people finger prick in addition to their scans. The NICE recommendation is for 'testing' so this could be either a prick or a scan.
I tend to test with a meter if I'm low but not feeling hypo, as my sensor sometimes has me in the red when a meter reading has me nicely in the 5s. Also, as you say, finger pricking when coming out of a hypo avoids over treating it if the sensor isn’t coming up very fast.
I don’t use a bolus wizard, so I don’t need to test on a meter before meals for bolus calculation. I tend to check more the first few days of a new sensor, then rely on the Libre scans most of the time, if I think it’s an accurate one.

 

[CivicFreak]

Does anyone still do finger pricking and if so how often?

I do. I use an Accu-Chek Mobile with the FastClix lancing device. For some odd reason the FastClix seems less painful than standard lancing devices.

I test 4 times a day on average; morning before breakfast, before dinner (or lunch, depending on where in the country you live), before tea, before bed. I sometimes test more often if I am going to be out and about, especially when I'm driving as I need to test before driving.

 

[trophywench]

The reason the Fastclix is more comfy is because the lancets themselves are a lot finer than the normal kind of single use ones plus of course with 10 different depths to 'prick' with so you only turn the depth dial up to the lowest one that normally gets sufficient blood out of the finger. I am a bugger for re-using the same numbered lancet though and Oh yes - they DO go blunt and start hurting when I bodge! Haven't needed to order a new box of lancet cassettes for 'some' months now and that's nowt unusual so if anyone looked at that info they'd think I hardly ever tested actual blood. That's far from the truth since I want my meter to calculate all insulin bolus and correction doses and be able to just click another button on said meter to tell my pump to deliver it. And record all that jazz on itself.

Hence during and after a stressful afternoon yesterday when my BG shot up a very silly amount (30) a lot of scanning and finger pricking, hence shedloads of corrections - apart from food. Know I had ketones cos I felt really nauseous and dizzy but since I had been correcting with insulin and drinking more anyway (as you do automatically) I didn't actually go and rummage for my ketone meter and by the time I'd finished sorting the very stressful thing by BG had started coming down again anyway. Unfortunately of course because I had another correction at bedtime I was down to 3.8 when I got up, so had a biscuit which sorted it.

 

[Inka]

I am a bugger for re-using the same numbered lancet though

Me too @trophywench ! I got my AccuChek meter and attached Fastclix pricker from my DSN who put the lancet drum in the pricker for me and explained it had 6 lancets in - then added “So that drum will last you 5 or 6 years then”

 

[mark king]

I work solely of the FS Libre sensor and adjust all my needs to its readings.
I've not had any problems due to not finger pricking any more however I do compare an occasional finger prick with my Libre results.
The Libre reader does my Bolus setting too for my Omni pump.

 

[Piglet]

I still do mine 4-6 times a day generally. Tried the Libre but did not get on with the lag it was too far away from reality for me. Sorry

 

[pm133]

I hardly ever do finger prick tests now and rely almost exclusively on the Libre.

I did finger test tonight because I've swapped my sensor (it's out of action for an hour while it boots up and configures itself) and felt a bit shaky but other than that, I would probably only finger prick now to confirm either a really bad hypo or before I corrected for a really big hyper (so I had a better feel of the size of that correction) - both of which would leave me feeling terrible.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

NICE recommend at least 4 times a day for type 1 (befor meals and before bed).

I use finger pricks when hypo as the lag brtween BG level and libra reading make it difficult to see what is going on.

That‘s if it is the only data source though, not in addition to CGM data.

What the BG fingerstick data do show (just like Abbott’s real world Libre data analysis) is that whichever method you use, the more times you check, the better your results are likely to become on average. Most likely because you have more information to react to.

I don’t think you need to double-up all the time though. A few cross-checks are wise, particularly when BG is moving, and around driving requirements.

I didn’t generally use Libre1 for meal boluses so often had at least 4 fingerstick checks a day, but that was dropping from 8-10 on fingersticks alone.

I trust G6 for bolusing, so my fingerstick use has dropped further.

 

[leonS]

N

That‘s if it is the only data source though, not in addition to CGM data.

What the BG fingerstick data do show (just like Abbott’s real world Libre data analysis) is that whichever method you use, the more times you check, the better your results are likely to become on average. Most likely because you have more information to react to.

I don’t think you need to double-up all the time though. A few cross-checks are wise, particularly when BG is moving, and around driving requirements.

I didn’t generally use Libre1 for meal boluses so often had at least 4 fingerstick checks a day, but that was dropping from 8-10 on fingersticks alone.

I trust G6 for bolusing, so my fingerstick use has dropped further.

Alliw me to explain the problem further:-
The Libre (or any other flash or CGM system) does NOT measure blood glucose, it measures the glucose in the body fluid. This level track that in the blood, but lags it by about 15 miniutes.

When I see a BG reading of say 3.6 this is not my DG at the time of reading, it is a good estimate of what my BG was 15 mibutes before.

I take some glucose. If I test again in 15 minutes after taking the glucose I will again not see what my NG is at the time of the second test, typically it will be even lower than at the first test.

I finger prick will usually confirm that my treatment has been successful. To use the libre only I would have to wait 30 minutes before deciding that more glucose was needed or not.

This a feature of the technology. My solution is to use finger pricking when hypo.

Previous data has no relevance here.

 

[PattiEvans]

I don’t generally eat breakfast so only finger prick twice a day before meals as @SB2015 says, it’s the only way to get the numbers into my pump. Or, of course, if I am hypo and again to see if the hypo treatment has worked. Otherwise I trust the Libre which is extraordinarily accurate for me.

As to Lancets, I still have a nearly full box of drums of lancets (6 per drum)given to me by one @trophywench some 4 years ago

 

[Ljc]

I am a bugger for re-using the same numbered lancet though

Me too @trophywench ! I got my AccuChek meter and attached Fastclix pricker from my DSN who put the lancet drum in the pricker for me and explained it had 6 lancets in - then added “So that drum will last you 5 or 6 years then”

Oh that did make me laugh . Thanks.

I had a funny turn last week and put a new cassette in, I really don’t know what came over me.