Problem getting enough blood for monitor

[Eunice61]

I've looked all over but can't find any other posts on the subject. My GP has only now, after being type 2 for many years, told me I have to monitor my bg as I take gliclazide. I am trying, but I find it very difficult to get my fingers to bleed enough! It's quite typical, I usually blood like mad if I get a cut. Sometimes my blood doesn't seem to clot quickly enough, which is why I had to stop being a blood donor when I was younger. And if I cut myself on a cat food tin, I go through the sticking plasters like nobody's business! But prick my finger for the monitor and it's like getting blood out of the proverbial stone.

I've tried washing my hands in hot water but that doesn't help either. I'm not even sure which fingers I should use and if I'm doing it properly. With the GP it was a case of here you are, get on with it. All advice gratefully accepted! (And why do GPs not give you all the information, not even diabetic specialist doctors?) Thank you!

 

[Martin.A]

I've looked all over but can't find any other posts on the subject. My GP has only now, after being type 2 for many years, told me I have to monitor my bg as I take gliclazide. I am trying, but I find it very difficult to get my fingers to bleed enough! It's quite typical, I usually blood like mad if I get a cut. Sometimes my blood doesn't seem to clot quickly enough, which is why I had to stop being a blood donor when I was younger. And if I cut myself on a cat food tin, I go through the sticking plasters like nobody's business! But prick my finger for the monitor and it's like getting blood out of the proverbial stone.

I've tried washing my hands in hot water but that doesn't help either. I'm not even sure which fingers I should use and if I'm doing it properly. With the GP it was a case of here you are, get on with it. All advice gratefully accepted! (And why do GPs not give you all the information, not even diabetic specialist doctors?) Thank you!

There's a whole tutorial here, including a video, which might help:-

Checking your blood sugar levels

Knowing your blood sugar levels helps you manage your diabetes and reduces your risk of having serious complications – now and in the future. What are blood sugar levels? Your blood sugar levels, also known as blood glucose levels, are a measurement that show how much glucose you have in your...

www.diabetes.org.uk

 

[victorhamesse]

I've looked all over but can't find any other posts on the subject. My GP has only now, after being type 2 for many years, told me I have to monitor my bg as I take gliclazide. I am trying, but I find it very difficult to get my fingers to bleed enough! It's quite typical, I usually blood like mad if I get a cut. Sometimes my blood doesn't seem to clot quickly enough, which is why I had to stop being a blood donor when I was younger. And if I cut myself on a cat food tin, I go through the sticking plasters like nobody's business! But prick my finger for the monitor and it's like getting blood out of the proverbial stone.

I've tried washing my hands in hot water but that doesn't help either. I'm not even sure which fingers I should use and if I'm doing it properly. With the GP it was a case of here you are, get on with it. All advice gratefully accepted! (And why do GPs not give you all the information, not even diabetic specialist doctors?) Thank you!

I haven't seen the video so my comment might already be included. I suffer from "white finger" i.e. not much blood to the extremities, especially in the winter. So, when finger pricking on the four smallest fingers (IMO the only ones to use) I squeeze the top finger joint as I prick the finger. How to do this with only two hands ? I use the thumb of the "being pricked" hand. Press upwards from the joint. Seems to work OK on me. And pick a different finger every day.

 

[Eunice61]

Thank you both. I have a slow circulation too, which doesn't help!

 

[helli]

If the problem is getting blood out of your (stone) fingers, it always helps to warm them before pricking. I also suffer from Reynauds (white fingers) so start by “cuddling a cuppa” before pricking. This brings the blood to the surface.
Vigorously shaking your hand can do the same thing. But remember to shake before pricking.
However, there are a few techniques to also consider
- make sure your lancing device is adjusted to be the right depth for you. This is deep enough to get blood but not too deep to hurt.
- the strips work by “capillary action”. They suck the blood up from the end. A common mistake is to try to pit blood onto the strip which will miss the end where the “sucking” takes place.