scarred fingers from blood testing

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SilentAssassin1642

SilentAssassin1642

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Does anyone else have this???

My poor fingers? They're properly scarred, and it looks like there's lots of little dark dots all over them from the many many years of blood tests :( Not only that the skin is pretty tough now too :( not very fetching.

Anyone got any ideas? I'd love the irritating little dark dots to go and the skin to soften. But saying that, 14 years of stabbing ones fingers every day isnt going to do much good for them
 
You and me both - loads of little dark dots (scabs from where the lancet goes in) and calluses. There's not a lot you can do about the dark dots, but for the hard skin, just moisturise as much as possible. Should help to soften the skin a bit!
 
I think it just goes with the territory Sam , I have hundreds of little dark dots on my finger tips :( I am a constant hand washer (OCD) So I tend to constantly moisturise aswell so my hands are really soft 🙂
 
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yeah im the same i use vaseline hand and nail cream kinda helps me
 
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I've just moved onto my middle fingers for testing to try and give my little and next-to-little fingers chance to recover a bit. I've only been at this for a year! I sometimes get the black dots, and sometimes I get the multiple blood drops coming out of all the previous holes when I test! And sometimes I get no blood at all, which is most annoying!😱
 
Palmers Cocoa Butter Forumla with Vitamin E is supposed to smoothe and blend marks and scars and tones skin and softens, smoothes and relieves dry skin. Copied that off the pot. No idea if it works but it smells lovely, all chocolatey !!!!
 
Northerner said:
I've just moved onto my middle fingers for testing to try and give my little and next-to-little fingers chance to recover a bit. I've only been at this for a year! I sometimes get the black dots, and sometimes I get the multiple blood drops coming out of all the previous holes when I test! And sometimes I get no blood at all, which is most annoying!😱
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Hehe the Colander effect !! I get that all the time >> I do tend to favour one finger to prick though >> Im rotating more now :D:D
 
I've got a favourite finger that tends to get the hard skin and black dots. Maybe this could be a secret diabetes signal :D I don't tend to test regularly (GP restricting strips & general forgetfulness!) and it does improve when I don't keep stabbing that same spot. I guess the professionals would tell us to rotate sites (although swopping hands feels really weird) and consider alternative site testing.
 
Northerner said:
! And sometimes I get no blood at all, which is most annoying!😱
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yes the one thing guarenteed to really pee me off is that especaiily if your a tentative person to start off with you get all pshyched up to prick the finger and then nothing or not enough of a drop to get a reading grrr🙄
 
Psychomuso said:
I've got a favourite finger that tends to get the hard skin and black dots. Maybe this could be a secret diabetes signal :D I don't tend to test regularly (GP restricting strips & general forgetfulness!) and it does improve when I don't keep stabbing that same spot. I guess the professionals would tell us to rotate sites (although swopping hands feels really weird) and consider alternative site testing.
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It took me a while to get used to using my little fingers, but I do prefer them now as they get least used for anything else (even typing!)🙂
 
You can use all fingers and the thumb (though only been told that recently was originally told no thumb!). They say don't use the index finger if you can help it as that is the main finger. You can use your ear lobe, the meaty base of your thumb, your toes, your heel. You can also use your arm but this has stipulations attached to it. It is a suction thing and most kits come with a different top on the pen for the arm. However there is no point in using your arm if you have eaten within the previous two hours as the reading will not be as accurate as the fingers !
 
well i can admit now i have never used either of my little fingers
 
I have the little black dots, but dont think they are scars, just tiny scabs/bruises from the most recent tests. I guess it's best to use every finger, both sides and change finger each time you test.
 
This is slightly at a tangent but, I think, still relevant. A few months ago, my support group had a talk by a local pharmacist. She said they regularly reviewed prescribing habits and the majority of people with diabetes didn't request prescriptions for lancets. A quick poll of the group revealed that almost no-one changed the lancet every time they did a test. She pointed out that this could lead to infection and it was more comfortable to use a fresh lancet each time. I certainly notice the difference with a fresh one and I know I'm guilty of using the same lancet for quite a while 😱
 
Psychomuso said:
This is slightly at a tangent but, I think, still relevant. A few months ago, my support group had a talk by a local pharmacist. She said they regularly reviewed prescribing habits and the majority of people with diabetes didn't request prescriptions for lancets. A quick poll of the group revealed that almost no-one changed the lancet every time they did a test. She pointed out that this could lead to infection and it was more comfortable to use a fresh lancet each time. I certainly notice the difference with a fresh one and I know I'm guilty of using the same lancet for quite a while 😱
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it may be more comfortable when using a new lancet, but often doesnt result in muh blood! when a lancet is a bit blunt you get more blood.

i think the infection thing is just health professionals being cautious. ive never had an infection... and i havent even had lancets on my prescription for over a year because i dont change them very often 😉
 
katie said:
it may be more comfortable when using a new lancet, but often doesnt result in muh blood! when a lancet is a bit blunt you get more blood.

i think the infection thing is just health professionals being cautious. ive never had an infection... and i havent even had lancets on my prescription for over a year because i dont change them very often 😉
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Ive not changed my lancet for a few MONTHS 😱 it hurts less if its blunt , and I only have it set to 2 🙄
Same here no infections or any nasties like that , I do constantly hand wash though lol hehe
 
insulinaddict09 said:
Ive not changed my lancet for a few MONTHS 😱 it hurts less if its blunt , and I only have it set to 2 🙄
Same here no infections or any nasties like that , I do constantly hand wash though lol hehe
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yeah as long as u wash your hands i really cant see how you will get an infection. they just have to say that 🙄:D
 
Blunt needles? EEEK! I've been changing lancets every time and my surgery have given me a catering sized pack of the things. I'm using about 4 of them a day at the mo, unless I test at lunch time as well. They told me to use a clean one every time as the risk of infection is greater if you don't and a blood related infection for a diabetic is not a good idea. Made sense to me.
 
no not blunt needles, ouch! blunt lancets.

find me a diabetic who has had an infection from a finger pricker and i'll consider changing it every time.
 
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