Moved onto Insulin and terrified!

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@lanibanani79 great news that you have managed to inject. I think it is something we get used to.
As far as the finger pricks, there is no reason why it should be so painful if you get your "technique" right.
Have you adjusted the injection depth on the lancet? Do you use the side of your finger rather than the pad? Are your hands warm when you stab them? These are all things to consider to reduce any pain.
I know the Libre sounds fantastic. (and it is) but it will not stop all finger pricks so I encourage you to master the art of painless (or low pain) finger pricking.
I also encourage you to read the threads about the limitations of CGMs - as I mentioned it will not replace all finger pricks so it is important to understand when you can trust it.
 
lanibanani79 said:
Thanks everyone for all your advice, it been a great help!

I finally tried it this morning and it wasn't as sore as the finger prick. I'll be glad when they give me the Libre!
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The fingerpricking shouldn’t make your fingers sore as @helli says. What pricker do you have? Have you got it on the lowest depth that will allow you to get enough blood? Are you pricking the sides of your fingers?
 
Inka said:
The fingerpricking shouldn’t make your fingers sore as @helli says. What pricker do you have? Have you got it on the lowest depth that will allow you to get enough blood? Are you pricking the sides of your fingers?
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I also found finger pricking made my finger sore before cgm. I don't think its necessarily technique, though good technique will help, but if you finger prick over a certain number of times a day your fingers will just be sore
 
Tdm said:
I also found finger pricking made my finger sore before cgm. I don't think its necessarily technique, though good technique will help, but if you finger prick over a certain number of times a day your fingers will just be sore
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Not in my experience.
Before I got Libre, I was pricking my finger 10 times a day without pain or numb fingers.

It is one of my soap boxes to respond to Abbott and media who talk about "painful finger pricks".
 
Tdm said:
I also found finger pricking made my finger sore before cgm. I don't think its necessarily technique, though good technique will help, but if you finger prick over a certain number of times a day your fingers will just be sore
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Some people might be more sensitive than others but they shouldn’t be sore. During my pregnancies, I pricked my finger 14 plus times a day and sometimes as many as 20 times and they were ok. There are always things that can be done to improve matters. The modern fingerprickers are very good. Look up ‘the guillotine’ if you want an example of horror 😱 I detested that thing and it was evil (it was an early fingerpricker that was very much like a guillotine and was terrifying, inaccurate and butchered your finger).
 
lanibanani79 said:
Thanks everyone for all your advice, it been a great help!

I finally tried it this morning and it wasn't as sore as the finger prick. I'll be glad when they give me the Libre!
Click to expand...

Great to hear @lanibanani79 - you are off and running now. They’ll get ever easier from this point on.

Soon enough you’ll not even be able to clearly remember whether you‘ve dosed for this or that meal it will have become so automatic - or you’ll seamlessly dose for a cafe lunch under the table while still continuing the conversation with your friend :D

Do keep asking for comfirmation of your diabetes type too. Getting checked for GAD antibodies and cPeptide can help give pointers for LADA vs T2.

And Libre is (sadly) not usually offered unless you have autoimmune diabetes at the moment.
 
Well done, @lanibanani79 ! The first injection is the scariest - after a while you will find you're doing it on autopilot and not even thinking about it, as Mike said. You'll know you're not bothered by it any more when you start thinking that having an extra injection once in a while is a good idea (maybe if you want a cake mid-afternoon) - recently I even decided that having an extra injection every day is a good idea (for me, on the insulins I'm using, which are different from yours).

I agree with everyone else, finger-pricking shouldn't be painful so do try some of the suggestions people have made about doing that differently (turn down the number, warm your fingers, use the sides of your fingers, and use both sides of all of your fingers in turn). Libre is great for seeing the direction your blood sugar is going, but it is unreliable at the upper and lower ends so you'll still need to test every time it says you're hypo, and every time the reading on the Libre doesn't match the way you feel, and probably other times too.

Also agree you should be asking for C-Peptide and GAD antibody tests to check whether you're really type 1 or 1.5 (it comes to the same thing).
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
And Libre is (sadly) not usually offered unless you have autoimmune diabetes at the moment.
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The most recent guidance [https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng28/chapter/Recommendations#blood-glucose-management] does allow for some limited prescribing to type 2 so the net is slowly widening

Continuous glucose monitoring​

1.6.17 Offer intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM, commonly referred to as 'flash') to adults with type 2 diabetes on multiple daily insulin injections if any of the following apply:
1.6.18 Offer isCGM to adults with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes who would otherwise need help from a care worker or healthcare professional to monitor their blood glucose. [2022]
1.6.19 Consider real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rtCGM) as an alternative to isCGM for adults with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes if it is available for the same or lower cost. [2022]
 
Inka said:
The fingerpricking shouldn’t make your fingers sore as @helli says. What pricker do you have? Have you got it on the lowest depth that will allow you to get enough blood? Are you pricking the sides of your fingers?
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I have it at the lowest setting and I've always used my thumb as every other finger is painful.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Great to hear @lanibanani79 - you are off and running now. They’ll get ever easier from this point on.

Soon enough you’ll not even be able to clearly remember whether you‘ve dosed for this or that meal it will have become so automatic - or you’ll seamlessly dose for a cafe lunch under the table while still continuing the conversation with your friend :D

Do keep asking for comfirmation of your diabetes type too. Getting checked for GAD antibodies and cPeptide can help give pointers for LADA vs T2.

And Libre is (sadly) not usually offered unless you have autoimmune diabetes at the moment.
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Thanks

The nurse did say I'd be offered the Libre in a few weeks so maybe this varies depending where you are.
 
lanibanani79 said:
I have it at the lowest setting and I've always used my thumb as every other finger is painful.
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What pricker is it? Some are much better than others. The thumb isn’t recommended. I think because it’s tougher but I can’t remember for sure. Make sure you just hold the pricker to the side of your finger not press it.
 
@lanibanani79
Just to add a bit onto what @trophywench said about my diabetes my way.
Its fairly decent for info but I also love it because I can see "some" blood results on there without nagging my GPs to tell me them.
Coverers a1c, kidney tests, cholesterol. Eye test results get logged in there too and feet check are supposed to but mines never been done 🙄.
Also tracks prescriptions issued (not a request service) but its usually a strong indicator that its been processed at least :D
It took a while to get it all sorted so defo go register and do the steps asked for and be prepared to wait for full access.

Have you managed to secure a script for libre? I'm in S Lanarkshire and its taken me over a year to get it (literally today I got the nod). Multiple sites state in Scotland MDI = Libre but in reality it wasn't the case for me. I hope you don't have to jump through hoops to get it.
 
Inka said:
The fingerpricking shouldn’t make your fingers sore as @helli says. What pricker do you have? Have you got it on the lowest depth that will allow you to get enough blood? Are you pricking the sides of your fingers?
Click to expand...
lanibanani79 said:
Thanks

The nurse did say I'd be offered the Libre in a few weeks so maybe this varies depending where you are.
Click to expand...
I'm glad you will have it, it will be very useful
 
Inka said:
The thumb isn’t recommended. I think because it’s tougher but I can’t remember for sure.
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I think it's because the thumb is so important, like index fingers. It's not terrible if one of the other fingers hurts for a day or two, but there's a reason our opposable thumbs are regarded as special.
 
lanibanani79 said:
I have it at the lowest setting and I've always used my thumb as every other finger is painful.
Click to expand...
It is recommended to "rotate your fingers". Using your thumb all the time is likely to make it sore but alternating each finger (despite some of the advice, I treat all fingers equally and never avoided a finger) will share the load.
Before I started using the Libre, I had a strategy for this: I would use my left hand on odd dates (1st, 3rd, 5th, ... of the month) and my right hand for the other dates. I then split the day into 4, separated by meals (waking until breakfast, after breakfast to lunch, etc.) and use a different finger for each daily segment. As a result, each finger would typically get used a couple of times every two days.
I always left my thumb as a "spare" (when I injured a finger) as it has thicker skin so not s easy to pierce.

I also invested in an Accucheck FastClix which is more robust and easier to use than the prickers that come with the meters. Some find the FastClix as gentler on the finger tips.
 
trophywench said:
I recommended she get a Fastclix straight away! Another awesome bit of kit and my fingers certainly appreciate it.
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Fastclix all the way for me too!
 
Another vote for the FastClix. Pre-CGM I used to look for a spot without an overly visible mark as it does hurt doing it in the same place in short order. Also side of the fingers not the pads. Finally, contrary to received wisdom, you are allowed to change your lancet more than once a month if it starts to hurt 😉
 
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