New York Times video about Type 1

[Northerner]

This is a video I came across about a recently diagnosed Type 1 girl and how it affects her daily routine. Probably nothing new to most of us, but I thought it was interesting to see how things are being reported. What did surprise me was that she was injecting lantus using a vial and syringe - why not a pen? She later says she has 15 units, so it's not a huge amount or anything. She also gets her blood drops from her forearm, which I found unusual.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2008/11/12/health/1194832631064/living-with-type-1-diabetes.html

 

[tracey w]

This is a video I came across about a recently diagnosed Type 1 girl and how it affects her daily routine. Probably nothing new to most of us, but I thought it was interesting to see how things are being reported. What did surprise me was that she was injecting lantus using a vial and syringe - why not a pen? She later says she has 15 units, so it's not a huge amount or anything. She also gets her blood drops from her forearm, which I found unusual.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2008/11/12/health/1194832631064/living-with-type-1-diabetes.html

will watch it now thanks, think both of these are quite common in america, from videos ive seen on you tube re diabetics.

 

[sasha1]

Hi Northerner...

Going to give that a watch....ooo..blood from her forearm....yes we were shown alternative blood testing sites...sorry to say...some in my opinion are a bit barbaric....😱

Heidi
🙂

 

[bev]

Thought it was good checking her blood from her arm! Does anyone do this? I know we have a clear plastic thingy that we can put on the pricker - but i dont know what the difference is from the clear and the coloured plastic top?Bev

 

[katie]

Thought it was good checking her blood from her arm! Does anyone do this? I know we have a clear plastic thingy that we can put on the pricker - but i dont know what the difference is from the clear and the coloured plastic top?Bev

ive tried it once to see what it's like but it leaves a mark, so I thought i'd stick to my fingers because no one will ever notice marks on them! also it isnt as quick and easy.

 

[Urbansoulpie]

I always test blood from my forearm, I find it a lot less painful and don't have to worry so much about walhing before hand (unlike when testing blood form your finger tip).

It marks slightly but it doesn't bother me, I just enjoy it not hurting like in my fingers!

 

[Steff]

i have never tryed the clear plastic thing out yet it took me 5 days to get over the phobie of pricking my fingers ,mind looking at the leaflet i got with my meter getting from the thigh could be ok i have quite meaty thighs

 

[Urbansoulpie]

The link didn;t work for me - brought up a video about Japan??
Has it moved?

Thanks.

 

[Steff]

The link didn;t work for me - brought up a video about Japan??
Has it moved?

Thanks.

not that i know of i just clicked it there and was taking to the correct link/video

 

[Northerner]

I always test blood from my forearm, I find it a lot less painful and don't have to worry so much about walhing before hand (unlike when testing blood form your finger tip).

It marks slightly but it doesn't bother me, I just enjoy it not hurting like in my fingers!

I found a page about testing using your forearm and this is what it says:

Although forearm testing can give sensitive fingertips a break from testing, forearm testing should only be used at the right times.** Studies show that test results using samples taken from the forearm may differ from fingertip samples when blood glucose is changing rapidly, such as within 2 hours after a meal, an insulin dose, or exercise.

Only use forearm testing before a meal, an insulin dose, or physical exercise, or 2 hours after a meal, an insulin dose, or exercise.

If you test within 2 hours after a meal, an insulin dose, or exercise, you should test from your finger.

When blood glucose is changing rapidly, fingertip samples show these changes more quickly than forearm samples.

When your blood glucose is falling, testing with a fingertip may identify a hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) level sooner than a test with a forearm sample.

You should use fingertip testing whenever you have a concern about hypoglycemia (insulin reactions), such as when you drive a car, particularly if you suffer from hypoglycemic unawareness (lack of symptoms to indicate an insulin reaction), since forearm testing may fail to detect hypoglycemia.

If the results from the forearm do not match how you feel (high or low), test from the fingertip and use those results.

The page is here if you want to read more:

http://www.lifescan.com/products/meters/armtesting/

 

[Steff]

now can you find any info on the thigh northener🙂, not my own thigh of course

 

[Northerner]

now can you find any info on the thigh northener🙂, not my own thigh of course

Yes! Found this:

The fingertips and the palm hold the most recent 'memories' of your blood glucose. Fingertip and palm testing tell you what your blood glucose level is right now.

On the other hand, lagging test sites such as the forearm or thigh tell you what your blood glucose was around 20 to 35 minutes ago - not what it is right now. That difference can be crucial if your blood glucose is dropping fast --- a forearm test might tell you that the level is fine, because the forearm is a lagging test site, while a fingertip test correctly alerts you to a low number. Because of this, lagging test sites cannot replace the fingertip or palm completely for any person.

Several monitoring companies give people the choice to test their blood glucose using alternative sites. However, lagging test sites such as the forearm or thigh are only reliable when your blood glucose levels are relatively stable, such as fasting blood glucose.

 

[Urbansoulpie]

Thanks for the info Northerner, I understand the results aren't as reliable as with the finger tip test, especailly in cases of hypo's but I must say when I only had the option of using my finger tip I would go for months without testing my BG.
I know this is a stupid thing to do, but I really hated the fact that my fingers would get so sore.
So in my case, forearm testing is a step forward!

 

[sofaraway]

Thanks for posting
I found I couldn't get enough blood and it hurt more from my forearms so stick to my fingers. I think in the US more people use syringes because of insurance coverage.