• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

Newbie T2 Unable to "prick myself" to test blood sugar..

Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
S

Suebron

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi At risk of being called a wimp..I am just not able to monitor my blood sugar levels as I can't prick myself. Gave testing machine back to GP who said it didn't matter as "you're only T2 diabetic". Have been taking 80mg Gliclazide daily. Am I the only person who can't do this test,and is there an alternative please? Thanks for any help
 
Hello Sue and a very warm welcome to the forum. I hope you soon feel as much at home here as the rest of us. Regarding being a little bit reticent to the prospect of sticking sharpened metal into your fingertips to draw blood? There is nothing wimpy about this. Only a nutter or a masochist would actually enjoy the prospect and none of us actually like it. The thing is though the information that the tests provide you with really empowers you with knowledge about what your condition is doing and in my own opinion this is pretty much essential. Your doctors comment about it not matter in as you are 'only type 2' sums up the 'dark ages attitude' of some of the medical profession. It actually does matter and matter a lot. There are a few things you can try to reduce the negative feelings that you have regarding finger prick testing. The first which may be one that you are already aware of is the fact that your autolet should have a number of settings on it which will have the effect of pushing the ground metal lancet end into your finger less or more deeply. If you start off on the shallowest setting and then keep adjusting deeper until you are able to draw blood this is probably the gentlest way of getting yourself started. If you find that you cannot face doing this to yourself then if you have a partner or family member living with you then get them to do it for you. Another alternative is to utilise blood from your forearm. Your autolet should be supplied with some kind of adaptor which will allow you to draw blood from the top of your forearm. If you are unable to face this either then a number of us on here use what is know as a 'flash test glucose monitoring system'. The device is called a Freestyle Libre and manufactured by a company called Abbott. There is a sensor which is self administered into the top rear section of your upper arm. You hold a reader up to it when you want to take a glucose reading and the reader records a result.a bit like buying a bag of frozen Brussels sprouts or a skateboard from Tesco really. Each sensor will offer you unlimited tests for a 14 day period. The system is not cheap to buy unto and each sensor works out at about £50.00 so you are looking at approximately £100.00 per month once you have paid for delivery. The reader costs about £60.00. Some forum members appear to absolutely love the things. Others have not had such a quite positive experience with the system. None of us however can dispute the fact that the system removes the need for finger prick blood tests. You can see the system on the Abbott Website HERE Whatever you end up doing the knowledge of what your blood glucose levels are is pretty much essential. I hope whatever you do you are able to find a compromise that you can get along with on a daily basis. Once again you really are not a wimp 🙂
 
Hi and welcome to the forum!

You're not a wimp it's not a nice prospect to have to test but I have to agree it's essential if you want to understand your BG levels and how they react to different foods - this information helps you have much better control and ultimately look after yourself better.

I use a traditional lancet and meter too and make sure my hands are warm before testing and use the side middle part of my fingers as for me that reduces how much it smarts; I never use my thumbs either. I can say it really does get easier the more you do so please try and stick with it, it's a two second feeling of it smarting and then it goes which for the benefits of knowing what you can eat and more importantly enjoy without worrying what your BG might do is definitely worth it.

I hope you find a way
 
Hi Sue, great answer from DL. My autolet has been set on 2 for the last 17 years, just enough without being too painful (although once in a while it generates an 'ouch' moment). Early days, but it is important to test so that you're in charge of your diabetes not the other way round, give it some time. 🙂
 
Fantastic reply from Diabeticliberty...either he types like the wind or it took him ages.

I'm also T2 and tested for about 6 months to get a clear picture of what and when I could eat without doing myself more damage. After that I felt able to stop and just crack on with a T2 friendly lifestyle. Testing was an invaluable part of this process and I'd strongly advise you to grit your teeth and struggle on. I know it's difficult to believe, but after a very short time it simply becomes routine.
 
you are not a wimp, I know loads of people who find it difficult to let anything sharp come into contact with their skin, some of them are quite beefy policemen and rugby players too.

There are benefits to self testing like knowing what your levels are like and if you are unlucky enough to have a hypo(less likely in types 2s but you are on gliclizide so worth it) you will know through testing.

Have you got anyone round who'd be willing to help you do the testing? When I was working I used to do it for a colleague because they had problems doing it for themselves and they had family who did it at home
 
Not a fan at first, but I settled into it. I would say the first few weeks are key for Type2 whilst you work out food you can eat and those to avoid. I would say this stage has about 7 tests a day. Morning/Before breakfast, then two hours after, same after lunch and dinner and then one before bed. Adjusting your food intake to keep the blood sugar's down, because we are creatures of habit you will find a set meal plan that you can almost guess your BS with out testing.
At that stage you can relax the testing back a bit, I tend to do morning, before lunch and then evening.
I have lost some serious weight and my BS has become the most stable it has ever been in 4 years.
Normal BS before food is normally around 4.0 to 5.0, how long I shall keep it down as low as that is anyone's guess.
 
I hate needles/sharp things so was a bit :O when i had to prick my fingers. When i first did it i was ah that wasnt to bad and now its second nature. Best of luck
 
Dont know what type of pricker you have, but if you have one that you load with a lancet (visible needle), perhaps try one which uses cartirdges- you never see the needle bit, its just a drum that you load in and press button/base to 'let go' the sharp bit. Might make your mind more accepting of what you're doing?
 
I still myself have to 'brace' myself when I prick my finger, and I've been testing since June! You're not a wimp though. A few weeks back I pricked my finger and it really bleedin' hurt! After that, I freaked out a bit when I went to do it again. I used a pen type lancet, so you load the needle and then just press a button (like Annette is describing above) I'm not sure I could do it any other way :/
 
Suebron said:
Hi At risk of being called a wimp..I am just not able to monitor my blood sugar levels as I can't prick myself. Gave testing machine back to GP who said it didn't matter as "you're only T2 diabetic". Have been taking 80mg Gliclazide daily. Am I the only person who can't do this test,and is there an alternative please? Thanks for any help
Click to expand...

Suebron - Whilst it is some time since I did a patient facing job, but safe to say in my years working in that environment, I have administered thousand and thousands of injections of all sorts, in all manner places; some scarier for the person giving than the person receiving. But, I digress.

When I realised I'd really got to get my head together on testing myself (so that I could get to grips with my T2, fast), it was a bit of a mental challenge. I knew I had to do it, but I'd sit there, meter set up, lancet device in hand and count down 3, 2, 1, then make myself press the trigger. My OH used to laugh his head off at me because I'm usually a head-on, let's get to this sort of person. So, I can empathise with you to an extent.

I learned a few things - firstly, start with your lancing device on the smallest number and work up by single increments if it does draw blood. Stop turning it up as soon as you can draw enough blood to test. After almost 3 years of testing, I'm still on 1, from a scale of 1-5.

Secondly, just hold the lancing device, so that you just feel it on the skin. Don't press it onto your finger tip. There's no need, and using my technique is virtually painless for me.

Finally thirdly, testing really does give you immediate and personal feedback on how you're doing on a day-to-day basis, rather than waiting for the 3 month test. It also reduces the stress of the 3 month test, because you've had that immediate feedback. I would thoroughly recommend it.
 
Hi Suebron,
Like you I am new to this testing lark, As someone else said above I also find I have to brace myself. The ting I have found out is that some pen type lances are better than others. When I was first diagnosed I was given a Glucomen kit by the DSN at the hospital and I used that until I attended the Diabetic Clinic at my GP's where they gave me a GlucoRX kit. The Lance pen in that kit was far better and easier to use. The other thing that might make it difficult for you is if you are needle phobic (a fear of needles) or invasion phobic (a fear of something entering your body). Speac to your DN she/he should be able to make some suggestions/alternatives that may help. It does take a while to get used to but one you get there you will be wondering what all the fuss was about. I always remember the first time the DSN gave me the meter kit and I had to do a test in front of her to show that I could do it. That was the worst one as I didn't know what to expect pain wise. I know it sound easy to say, but if you try you will get use to it.
 
Suebron said:
Hi At risk of being called a wimp..I am just not able to monitor my blood sugar levels as I can't prick myself. Gave testing machine back to GP who said it didn't matter as "you're only T2 diabetic". Have been taking 80mg Gliclazide daily. Am I the only person who can't do this test,and is there an alternative please? Thanks for any help
Click to expand...
Hi Suebron, may I ask what kind of finger pricking device you were given, and whether you were shown how to use it? My lancing device has no visible sharpness and it rarely hurts, it's just as if I press a button and a spot of blood appears! Or is it the sight of your own blood that puts you off?
 
I use the GlucoRX kit. The pen lancet is really good.
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top