[Diabetes-talk] Testing Difficulties

[Michael Barber]

Hello:  One thing I often do is to run my fingers up and down a towel or the side of my clothing several times to get the blood flowing a little better.  I like the hand-warmer idea, too.  I think my lancer is set to 2 right now.  Also, poking the side of the finger is supposed to have better results than the pad or tips.  Supposed to be less painful, too.  I was gunna say I feel you pain, bugt I guess not.  (smile).  I ran across an audio file on the internet somewhere where some gentleman explains exactly how to do this.  It was pretty straightforward.  He talks about putting the meter on its side and then holding your hand so the palm is facing you.  Then, place the back of the strip against the fingernail of the finger you poked and move it toward the tip of your finger and then across the tip until the bvlood drop is detected.  I probably didn't explain that quite right.  I'll see if I can find this file somewhere.
Don't get discouraged.

Cordially,
Michael D. Barber

> On Jan 18, 2014, at 4:16 PM, "eileen scrivani" <etscrivani at verizon.net> wrote:
> 
> Kris,
> 
> If you are in a cold part of the country it could be due to the weather like you mentioned.  I have in very cold weather, and some of the time but not all of the time, taken to wearing in the house fingerless mittens. Sometimes they are also called convertible mittens.  They are still awkward if your doing more involved tasks, but they can warm up the fingers and help get blood flowing to the extremities.  The other thing it to be sure to keep your hands moisturized during the rest of the day.
> 
> During a hospital stay, the nurses told me they even had hand warmers if I needed them to help the blood flow in the fingers.  Apparently it is a big enough problem for diabetics when it comes to testing.  I think you can buy them in a lot of places and sometimes they are ceramic or sometimes they are like bean bags.  In either case, you pop them in a microwave to heat them up for a bit and then warm your hands by holding them.
> 
> HTH.
> 
> Eileen
> 
> -----Original Message----- From: Kris Hickerson
> Sent: Saturday, January 18, 2014 4:51 PM
> To: diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Diabetes-talk] Testing Difficulties
> 
> Hi All,
> 
> 
> 
> I'm new to this list, although some of you have encountered me on other
> lists.
> 
> 
> 
> For the past month or so, I am having trouble getting my fingers to bleed
> enough for a good test.  This morning I stuck myself seven times on four
> different fingers and never did get a good test.  I can't be sticking myself
> so much as I'm a braille user and also it just keeps my fingers too sore for
> general use.
> 
> 
> 
> I know you need to get that first good drop of blood just in the right spot
> on the strip and generally I can do that.  My hands tend to be a little cool
> so I have held them under warm water but that still doesn't seem to help
> much.  I'm using the Prodigy Voice.  Are there some techniques I need to be
> aware of.  This is really frustrating!
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks much.
> 
> 
> 
> Kris
> 
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