Have you changed your lancet?

[Northerner]

Today is St Swithin's Day, a day when tradition dictates that all diabetics must change their lancet! 🙂

 

[LeeLee]

Did mine a fortnight ago. 😛

By the way, when the nurse did the pre- blood donation finger prick, she insisted on putting a plaster on it!

 

[AJLang]

I've forgotten how to change a lancet😛 I did change one last year but it didn't feel any different so didn't bother again🙄

 

[Copepod]

Haven't even changed a bent needle on one of my pens. But probably a good idea, so I can leave sharps pot when I leave this house.

 

[Redkite]

We use a fresh lancet every time! Is this unusual? 🙂

 

[Northerner]

We use a fresh lancet every time! Is this unusual? 🙂

I think it's fairly unusual, hence the 'tradition' that has developed 🙂 I'm still on my first box of lancets since being diagnosed 5 years ago, although I do change them every few weeks - as it is a multiclix this means a new drum every few months!

 

[AlisonM]

Thanks for the reminder, it's at least three months since I changed my last one and my fingers were beginning to complain. I'm very bad at remembering to change lancets and am still on the box of them I was given at diagnosis, almost four years ago.

Why is it we change our needles every time, but not the lancets?

 

[Highlander]

Been thinking about changing mine for a few days now. So had better get on with it!

 

[Northerner]

Thanks for the reminder, it's at least three months since I changed my last one and my fingers were beginning to complain. I'm very bad at remembering to change lancets and am still on the box of them I was given at diagnosis, almost four years ago.

Why is it we change our needles every time, but not the lancets?

I don't know! I've always used a new needle, although originally the notion was that the needles would be reusable when pens were first introduced, so it would save money. I think I saw early on that picture of a used needle under a microscope looking all tatty. I also feel that, as I am likely to be injecting insulin for a long time (well, ten years at least until the cure, or so they tell me 🙄 ) I should minimise problems with my injection sites, so prefer needles as sharp as they can be.

 

[Lauras87]

We use a fresh lancet every time! Is this unusual? 🙂

I do the same redkite as I find using the same lancet more than once sore.

 

[pav]

We use a fresh lancet every time! Is this unusual? 🙂

I always (99.9%) use a new lancet to do a test, it might get used a couple or so times if I don't get the blood droplet (use the lowest depth penetration). I have reused the fastclix lancets more than once as did not have enough of them.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

We use a fresh lancet every time! Is this unusual? 🙂

You can change the lancet??!?

 

[Phil65]

....It's amazing how easily the blood flows after changing it! 😉

 

[Riri]

I change mine every morning.

 

[ch1ps]

I change mine when it gets bent or blunt. Probably not the best idea though 😱

 

[jalapino]

Ok I am going to sound soooo stupid in the diabetes world....but!!!.....my dn tells me to use lance only once? as it goes blunt?....now I do this...so am I the only one?....it makes sense so I do use once then put a new one on...please tell me I am not completely stupid? 😱

 

[pav]

Ok I am going to sound soooo stupid in the diabetes world....but!!!.....my dn tells me to use lance only once? as it goes blunt?....now I do this...so am I the only one?....it makes sense so I do use once then put a new one on...please tell me I am not completely stupid? 😱

If you are, then so am I , there are pics somewhere showing a needle that's been used once, then showing how it goes after several uses. I will add the pics were done by one of the needle companies.

 

[jalapino]

If you are, then so am I , there are pics somewhere showing a needle that's been used once, then showing how it goes after several uses. I will add the pics were done by one of the needle companies.

Phewww!!! 🙂

 

[Redkite]

Ok I am going to sound soooo stupid in the diabetes world....but!!!.....my dn tells me to use lance only once? as it goes blunt?....now I do this...so am I the only one?....it makes sense so I do use once then put a new one on...please tell me I am not completely stupid? 😱

You're eminently sensible! Lancets wouldn't come in boxes of 200 if you were supposed to change them only once a year

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I confess my infrequency of changing is mostly down to laziness (probably every few months?), with the other parts being equally split between a lack of correlation between fresh lancet and pain-free test (I often find fresh ones hurt more until they are 'worn in' and then are comfy for a while before becoming blunt) and also to the advice I got from DSN when first diagnosed... "well you're supposed to change them every time, but not everyone bothers, and as long as it's only you using it it's up to you"