Painless diabetic testing....Is that possible??

In all my years, I have yet to meet the person who loves to test their blood sugar. I have literally had grown men "tear up" in my office because they didn't want to poke their finger. 

Many people test and just "put up" with the pain of the finger poke. A great many avoid testing all together because of the pain.

I happen to be one of those whose doesn't like pain.  If there is any way avoid it I do.  Blood sugar monitoring is important and essential when you have diabetes. So its needs to be done. The number of test times depends on the type of medication you take to control your diabetes.

When I teach blood sugar monitoring I have a few tricks I tell patients to avoid or minimize the pain of testing.

1. Change your lancet(a fancy word for the needle)every time or every other time. The main reason for this is to always use a sharp needle and infection. Each time a needle is used it becomes more dull. A dull needle causes more pain!  Lancets are cheap especially when compared to the cost of a strip. It is worth changing the lancet every time. When I change my needle every time I can barely feel the poke if at all.

2. Location of finger poke can make a big difference. Places to avoid are the "pad" and the "tip of the finger". Several nerve endings are here for our sense of touch. So these locations are more painful. Don't test too close to the finger nail bed on the side of the finger. This is painful as well. The ideal place...outside corner of the finger on the tip. Alternating fingers makes a difference. Don't forget to do this. It gives the fingers time to heal before poking them again.You can also alternate the outside corners of each finger.

3. Don't put alcohol on the skin before testing. This toughens the skin increasing pain. Washing hands with soapy water is sufficient.

4. Alternate testing sites. Many people have chosen to use and alternate testing site. This includes the palm of the hand but more commonly the arms and legs. Arms and legs have less nerve endings than fingertips so naturally less pain.  There are two monitor brands currently approved for alternate site testing. The Freestyle and One Touch. I generally cannot get a blood sample with One Touch. I find myself using the Free Style consistently. I don't have any problems getting blood samples. Make sure to rub the testing area until its warm and red. This brings the blood to the service underneath the skin.  Alternate testing works well for for mechanics and  those spending a lot of time on computers.