Lancets

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saffron15

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I acquired a blood glucose monitor yesterday though haven't used it yet. I had a demo and my reading was 6.5. I haven't yet tried it out. I'm particularly keen to find out if I can tolerate my usual 'healthy' winter breakfast of porridge. I digress and may do a separate thread when I have used it a few times. However, having got it yesterday it was serendipity that I saw a post by @rebrascora concerning using lancets more than once in a response to @Chrsyc. When I collect my new prescription I will get a sharps bin so I can dispose of them and could manage to fund more. However from an environmental point of view single use seems so wasteful.

I have never had to sanitise anything. Obviously I carefully clean cuts and put a cover on my toothbrush. Do you just leave the lancet on the finger pricker? When I had the demo yesterday I bled slowly but I didn't know if blood dries on the lancet. I haven't yet opened and examined the machine but information before I do would be helpful. It maybe when I look at the set up it will be obvious. My concern is type 1 diabetics will already have a good cleansing regime and if I am going to reuse a needle I do not want to miss an essential step.
Does it become blunt.? Will it make any difference that I do not expect to use the needle every day ( unless I get mesmerised)
Once I have read any replies I take total responsibility for what I do.
 
Welcome @saffron15 to the world of testing to help us T2’s understand what foods we can tolerate
yes the manufacturer will recommend you change the lanced in your fingerpicker after each test,
in the real world most people keep using the same one for ages
some people on here leave it for months before replacing
you will know when as it will then start to hurt and blood less easy to ooze out

I’ve re-placed the standard finger pricier with a AcuCheck fast CLIX
they have a cassette of several needles pre loaded (quite a few people on the forum use them)
 
I still have my box of 100 lancets from 2015 which is only about a quarter used so I expect they will see me out. As long as it is only you who uses it and you put it somewhere safe reusing is usually OK.
You will probably find there will be a YouTube video of how to use your monitor. Don't forget the blood is sucked into the strip by capillary action, it does not go on top of the strip. Most monitors only need a pin head size drop of blood and too much is not good.
 
@goodybags I do not need to test I just feel I'm doing everything with one hand behind my back. I was gifted the monitor so thought I'd have a go. The thought of pricking my finger is bad enough without worrying about a blunt needle. I was pleasantly surprised when it was done to me yesterday I wasn't conscious of my skin being pierced. It was gentle unlike the ones at blood doning sessions
 
saffron15 said:
@goodybags I do not need to test I just feel I'm doing everything with one hand behind my back. I was gifted the monitor so thought I'd have a go. The thought of pricking my finger is bad enough without worrying about a blunt needle. I was pleasantly surprised when it was done to me yesterday I wasn't conscious of my skin being pierced. It was gentle unlike the ones at blood doning sessions
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It should not hurt if your technique is all right.
 
@Leadinglights I can be ham fisted! The demo I received was unexpected at the end of an appointment. Thanks for mention of capillary action and I will check youtube.
When you say keep the needle safe does that mean I cannot leave it in finger pricker _ does the machine expel it? Are you talking from a sanitary point of view or from a keep away from prying eyes?
 
saffron15 said:
@Leadinglights I can be ham fisted! The demo I received was unexpected at the end of an appointment. Thanks for mention of capillary action and I will check youtube.
When you say keep the needle safe does that mean I cannot leave it in finger pricker _ does the machine expel it? Are you talking from a sanitary point of view or from a keep away from prying eyes?
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I don't know what finger pricker you have so I don't know. I have to admit I don't use a devise and just hold the lancet in my hand, far less phaff.
I suppose I was used to doing finger pricks on myself or students when at work as we were always needing blood samples for experimental purposes. I was able to get 100x the amount of blood from a finger prick than needed for the test strip. For safety reasons we used a single use lancets as there was too much risk with shared devices like the Fast Click in student hands.
 
Ah so you are an expert. I will have a good look later in the week. At the moment I'm dealing with the unexpected consequences of 4 metformin tablets. At 2 everything was perfect but I had a bad stomach last night and this evening bad runs. I'm due to go down to two tablets when I start the new drug. However I am reluctant to go to the chemist until I'm OK. Ironically I have unopened by my bed the tablets I bought to help me go just ten days ago!
 
saffron15 said:
Ah so you are an expert. I will have a good look later in the week. At the moment I'm dealing with the unexpected consequences of 4 metformin tablets. At 2 everything was perfect but I had a bad stomach last night and this evening bad runs. I'm due to go down to two tablets when I start the new drug. However I am reluctant to go to the chemist until I'm OK. Ironically I have unopened by my bed the tablets I bought to help me go just ten days ago!
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As diet is just as important as metformin why don't you go back to 2 tablets to see if your stomach settles.
 
As the person who inadvertently prompted this post, I thought I had better comment on your concerns.....

Yes, I leave the used lancet in the finger pricking device and now that I have a CGM I don't use it daily like I used to before, but I genuinely only change it once a year on St Swithin's day and personally, I don't experience/notice problems of it becoming obviously blunt even after a year of multiple daily use pre CGM.... and some days I was testing up to 16 times a day.
As a Type 1 I do not have a special cleansing routine and in fact none at all for my diabetes apart from my CGM application, which needs the skin to be clean and dry for the sensor to stick. I very rarely wash my hands before testing as I suffer from dry skin and too much washing makes that worse. Mostly, I just prick my finger, wipe away the first drop of blood, usually on the back of my other hand and gently squeeze out a second that I use to test, so the first blood sort of cleans the site of any obvious surface contamination (washes the skin if you like) and the second drop is my sample. There are times up at my stable yard, where I don't have washing facilities, where I have to choose the least dirty finger to test and even with obvious dirt (hands get pretty mucky in that environment) I have never had an infection as a result of testing using a well used lancet, even with obviously dirty hands and I don't change it afterwards even in these circumstances. I have been reusing lancets since diagnosis 5.5 years ago and never had an infection in my fingers as a result, even in these rather extreme circumstances.

The key thing to remember is not to use that used lancet on someone else. We can sometimes be tempted or encouraged to test friends and relatives from time to time out of curiosity or perhaps health concerns and they always get a new sterile lancet as obviously there is a greater risk of blood contamination from another person and then I go back to my "in use" needle until 15th July 😳 and ditch the one used on a third person in my sharps bin. I have several lancing devices, one with each of my test meters (us insulin dependents need back ups in case one fails and usually end up with 2 or 3) so I do have 2 or 3 lancets to change on that date, but my main one takes the brunt of the work, with just very occasional use for the other 2 with lots of days weeks or even months in between. The lancet remains in the lancing device and is retracted within it, so should not pose a risk to anyone else rummaging through our stuff (think airport security etc) unless deliberately used.

Hope that answers most of your questions but if I missed anything, just ask.
 
I also have the box of lancets from when I was diagnosed (16 years). Like others I am now using sensors so that reduces the need for finger pricks. When I was testing regularly, I just used them same lancet for days and days, so long as I didn’t use it on any one else it was fine. I now have a fastclix one and again reuse for ages.

I do not wash my hands before testing. Like @rebrascora I get the first drop of blood, wipe that away (that cleans the area) and then test on the next door that comes out.

Using your test kit is great for finding out your reaction to foods, as we all respond in different ways.
 
@rebrascora thank you for your helpful and entertaining answer. I'm feeling OK today and will have soup for lunch and two metformin. I haven't decided whether to go to pharmacy tomorrow or Saturday but my first test result in July was 69 and it's now 58 so I am going the right direction. Today it's still waters but I'm going to take it easy.
I had a childhood of tree climbing digging holes and scuffed knees although not on a farmyard or stable. Despite being hit by diabetes I think I have a strong constitution which is why getting the runs yesterdaywas a suprise. You have answered all my questions and more.
 
@SB2015 what do you wipe the blood away with, tissue flannel or hand. I had read you shouldn't use wet wipes because of their content.
Thank you for warning about using a used needle on others but I wouldn't be so daft but I can see others may do it thoughtlessly.
 
saffron15 said:
what do you wipe the blood away with, tissue flannel or hand. I had read you shouldn't use wet wipes because of their content.
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If your lancet device is adjusted appropriately, there should be very little blood to wipe away.
I tend to just lick it. Your hands should be clean when testing to avoid contamination with any foodstuff (or, if you still read a real one, newspaper print, apparently).
But a tissue should be fine. Alcohol wipes should be avoided because the alcohol can harden your skin. And they are individually wrapped, non-biodegradable, land fill waste fillers.
 
I wipe each drop, so 2 per test, onto the back of the other hand and if hands are relatively clean then I will lick it off after testing, but I can frequently be found with 2 red stipes on the back of one hand. My diabetes war paint! 😱 In that position, it doesn't make contact with anything other than my gloves when I am working, so don't see it as a threat to anyone..... but then I mostly work and live on my own and animals don't seem to be offended by it.
With the use of CGM, I am much less frequently striped up with red these days.
 
I use a tissue.
 
The lancets in my preferred finger-bodger are concealed within a ‘drum’ of 6, there’s no way to access them. I’ve been shamelessly reusing lancets for decades, only ever changing then when they start to feel a bit ‘ouchy’.

As long as my hands are ‘normally’ clean, I’m happy. Meter manufacturers usually recommend washing and drying your hands before each BG check.

And like @helli I just lick my finger afterwards 🙂
 
I very rarely change my lancet , and have been known to use only one needle for all my jabs per day.
 
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