[Diabetes-Talk] Gadgets or devices to help find that elusive drop of blood.

Wed Nov 21 22:29:51 UTC 2018

Another challenge is limiting the field of view when searching for pink
skin; if that can be done and a lancet is placed in that limited area, I
expect success probability would be either respectable or high.

On Wed, 21 Nov 2018, Jude DaShiell via Diabetes-Talk wrote:

> Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2018 17:24:32
> From: Jude DaShiell via Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> To: Veronica Elsea via Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Jude DaShiell <jdashiel at panix.com>
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Gadgets or devices to help find that elusive drop
>      of blood.
>
> What a nurse looks for when doing a finger stick or alternate site stick
> is pink skin on an area without bone close to the skin.  It's a color
> thing, but if a device can't pick out pink on skin success probabilities
> are likely to be on the low side.
>
> On Tue, 20 Nov 2018, Veronica Elsea via Diabetes-Talk wrote:
>
> > Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2018 19:06:30
> > From: Veronica Elsea via Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> > To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind' <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> > Cc: Veronica Elsea <veronica at laurelcreekmusic.com>
> > Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Gadgets or devices to help find that elusive drop
> >      of blood.
> >
> > Back in the late 90's and early 2000's, I used a meter called Sof-tact. It
> > was an alternate site meter but boy did I love it. Its main drawback is that
> > it was fairly large. But you opened up what felt like a clamb shell. You put
> > the stabber in the bottom and there was a slot where the strip went in the
> > top. Then you closed the lid. The cool thing was that you could carry it
> > around with you like that so it was easy to test in public. When you wanted
> > to test, you'd push a button to turn it on. Then you'd hold the top of the
> > meter against your arm or palm of your hand and push the button again. The
> > stabber would come up through a hole in the strip and then it would make
> > this annoying sound as the vacuum schlurped up the blood. When it had
> > enough, it would let go of your arm, and then it would beep and display the
> > result on the screen. For those with low vision, it was marvelous because
> > the numbers were really big. I either had to ask someone or connect it to a
> > computer to read my number. I did get it to work with my Braille 'n Speak at
> > the time. Boy was I sorry when it was discontinued. You just couldn't screw
> > it up.
> > The problems I had with any gadget I tried to invent was the variation in
> > the thickness of the blood. If there was a lot of blood, it would run under
> > and all over the gadget and quite the contrary if there wasn't really
> > enough. You'd have to figure out how your gadget would know when there was
> > enough, which is tricky when you have today's strips which kind of
> > Start sucking up the blood when they first come in contact. If you wait too
> > long before making contact with your finger, if you're me, the darn drop of
> > blood would have already fallen off, if it existed in the first place.
> > <grin>
> > So with today's meters, since they don't require much, I went back to
> > milking my finger and trying to either remember what I did or notice where
> > the pain is. <grin>
> > But I always applaud thinking and enginuity. If you come up with anything,
> > oh please do spill the beans here. Thanks so much.
> > Veronica
> >
> > "Guide Dogs, First Hand", Veronica Elsea's classic album is now available on
> > iTunes, along with other music from her and from the Guide Dog Glee Club.
> > To learn more, visit:
> > http://www.laurelcreekmusic.com
> > ????????????????Veronica Elsea, Owner
> > Laurel Creek Music Designs
> > Santa Cruz, California
> > Phone: 831-429-6407
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> > Paul Magill via Diabetes-Talk
> > Sent: Monday, November 19, 2018 3:35 AM
> > To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind
> > Cc: Paul Magill
> > Subject: [Diabetes-Talk] Gadgets or devices to help find that elusive drop
> > of blood.
> >
> > Hi all,
> >
> >
> >
> > I have the same problem some others do, in becoming quite frustrated trying
> > to get the glucometer test strip on to the drop of blood.
> >
> >
> >
> > I'm hoping to come up with something to help do that, and would like some
> > advice, comments and any suggestions.
> >
> >
> >
> > My first thought was a thin plastic ring like band, that is not quite afull
> > ring, so it can expand to fit any size finger.
> >
> >
> >
> > There could be a hole in the ring just large enough for the point of the
> > test strip to go through, and a couple of concentric circles of slightly
> > raised plastic around that hole, so the lancet device could be aligned so
> > the stabber would go through the same hole.
> >
> >
> >
> > The idea is that the lancet is fired through the hole in the ring, and the
> > usual pushing or squeezing of the finger to raise the drop of blood is done.
> > The thickness of the plastic would contain the drop so it could not move,
> > and  the test strip could easily be maneuvered into the hole to get the
> > blood.  Of course, the ring would need to be fairly thin, perhaps 1/32 inch,
> > a bit less than a millimetre, and the depth of the lancet set greater so it
> > could still reach the required depth in the skin.
> >
> >
> >
> > Another thought is to make a loop of wire just a little larger than the
> > width of the test strip.  The loop would lie flat on the skin to contain the
> > blood drop, and the remaining ends of the wire pressed around the finger so
> > the loop wouldn't move. Trouble would be firing the lancet through that
> > loop, and what sort of wire would not interact with the blood or the test
> > strip?
> >
> >
> >
> > With such a gadget, If no drop of blood was raised, then you would know
> > that, and could squeeze or lancet again, rather than thinking the drop was
> > simply missed.
> >
> >
> >
> > Do you know, if these, or any other gadgets have been tried?
> >
> >
> >
> > Do you know whether any glucometer manufacturers have looked at
> > encorperating a lancet like device into the meter, so the actual glucometer
> > stabs the test strip into the skin, obtaining the blood directly?
> >
> >
> >
> > Yes, I've been reading the recent posts about the Dexcom G6 and would like
> > to use it, but here in Australia, it is very expensive, and not covered by
> > our otherwise quite good health system, so I'm looking for a better way to
> > use the very much cheaper glucose meters.
> >
> >
> >
> > All comments welcome, even if it is, it has been tried before, and they
> > didn't work because...
> >
> >
> >
> > With much thanks,
> >
> > Paul
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > creekmusic.com
> >
> >
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> >
>
>

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