Lancets and finger pricking

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Caroline1967

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi
I am having real problems with finger pricking as I just can't seem to get any blood out!
I know that sounds crazy but I sometimes have 5 or 6 attempts before I bleed enough to test.
I have thought about using the lancet without a holder but then I am worried I will jab it in too far and end up with sore fingers.
Has anyone got an ideas please?
I currently have a glucoject dual plus and a SD Biosensor and get have them set on 5 and get nothing!

Thanks
Caroline
 
Are your hands warmed before you prick them?
Warming your hands (e.g. cuddling a cuppa) will bring the blood to the surface.
What part of your finger are you picking?
Some people find they get more blood out of the centre id their finger pad and others get more out of the side. It is worth experimenting.
You mention you have your meters set to 5. I am not sure what that means. Is that the depth control on your finger pricker? It is definitely worth setting it deeper if possible.
Is the lancet correctly placed in the finger pricker?
It is possible to not seat the lancet correctly and then the finger pricker won't work properly. Maybe try it on someone else.
The last option is "milking" your finger. This is squeezing the blood up the finger. Take care with this as it could cause bruising.
 
One of the most important tips is to ensure your hands/fingers are warm. This might be soaking them in warm water for a few minutes or hugging a cuppa.
Am I understanding correctly that you have the depth set at the maximum of 5 and still not getting blood? If so, having warm hands should help or wriggling or drumming your fingers to stimulate circulation to your finger tips or even clapping to encourage blood flow.

Are you holding the lancing device firmly against the side of the pad of whichever finger you are using? Many people here on the forum, swear by the Accuchek Fastclix lancing device and being the most effective and painless. I bought one but personally don't find it any better than my normal cheapy one but then I never have problems getting blood.
 
Thanks for replying
My hands are always cold - even if I try to warm them up so that may be part of the problem.
I meant 5 as the depth on the lancet and it doesn't go any higher.
I prick the sides of the finger tip as I was shown by the nurse.
If it was just one of them devices I would say maybe I was doing it wrong but it is happening with both of them.
I will keep on trying!
 
rebrascora said:
One of the most important tips is to ensure your hands/fingers are warm. This might be soaking them in warm water for a few minutes or hugging a cuppa.
Am I understanding correctly that you have the depth set at the maximum of 5 and still not getting blood? If so, having warm hands should help or wriggling or drumming your fingers to stimulate circulation to your finger tips or even clapping to encourage blood flow.

Are you holding the lancing device firmly against the side of the pad of whichever finger you are using? Many people here on the forum, swear by the Accuchek Fastclix lancing device and being the most effective and painless. I bought one but personally don't find it any better than my normal cheapy one but then I never have problems getting blood.
Click to expand...
Perhaps my hands are simply too cold! I will try warm water!
I have just looked at the fastclix and it is quite a lot more expensive so I shall try warm water first!
Thanks
 
I too have the Glucoject Dual Plus lancet and have the exact same problem. I find I get more blood out of the pad or tip of my finger than I do the side, though it's more painful. I too will try warming my hands more before trying and see how I get on. We'll compare notes 😉
 
Caroline1967 said:
Hi
I am having real problems with finger pricking as I just can't seem to get any blood out!
I know that sounds crazy but I sometimes have 5 or 6 attempts before I bleed enough to test.
I have thought about using the lancet without a holder but then I am worried I will jab it in too far and end up with sore fingers.
Has anyone got an ideas please?
I currently have a glucoject dual plus and a SD Biosensor and get have them set on 5 and get nothing!

Thanks
Caroline
Click to expand...
Hi Caroline,
I had real trouble at first getting blood too.
Tried the warm water, hugging a cuppa, shaking/rubbing hands.
I now focus on warming up one finger by rubbing and squeezing it before I prick it, then gentle stroking to get the blood. Mostly that works!
Having a Libre now means less finger pricking, though I check when it tells me I’m very high or low.
 
I use the lancet in my hand, there is no real danger of pricking too deep as the pointy bit is short.
I find the best place to prick is just to the side of the pad, so if you put your thumb on the pad of the middle finger of that same hand, press gently and prick just to the side.
You only need a drop the size of a full stop for most monitors i.e. 0.5 micro litres which if it was clear liquid you would struggle to even see.
Be ready with your strip.
 
Mmm perhaps my monitor is not brilliant either as I have had lots of occasions when the blood has reached up far enough and I have an error message. I am going to go with warming my hands and if that doesn’t work I shall try the lancets in their own.
Thanks
 
I’ve had loads of different meters over 30+ years, and in my experience some lancing devices are a lot more reliable, accurate, and comfortable than others.

My finger-bodger of choice is the Roche Fastclix

Reliable, and good depth adjustment. The lancets come in drums of 6, so I can reuse one lancet until it starts to hurt a bit, then flick to a fresh one.

There are a few more lancing tips on this old blog post by AlanS too:

Painless Pricks, by Alan S
 
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