[Diabetes-Talk] difficulty testing my sugar level

[Daniel Chavez]

Hello Mark,
From my being a diabetic since November, 2015, I was told a few things, to get my blood sugar's to test correctly:
1. Run your hands under warm water, cold hands tend not to bleed much, if at all.
2. If using the Prodigy Voice meter, and you are attempting to get blood on the strip, one thing i have done is to sit the meter on a flat surface, and then run the side of my finger that I'm using along side the end of the strip that sticks out of the meter.
Most of the time, I end up probably getting to much blood onto the strip, but enough goes onto the strip for testing.
3. Before testing, make sure you clean your fingers of any lotions or soaps. If you have alcohol pads, make sure you clean the finger you'll be using with those and wait for your finger to dry prior to testing.
The Prodigy Voice meter will tell you if you have enough blood by first saying "Now Testing ...," then it proceeds to test.
If there is not enough blood, the Prodigy Voice meter says, "Your blood sample is not enough, please try again."
4. If you are unable to test with the first sample you attempt to apply to your strip, wipe your finger with an alcohol pad (in particular, the side of the pad that's free of blood) and try again.
I was told by my doctor that usually the first sample isn't always a good enough sample to test with.
Finally
5. The Prodigy Voice requires only a small sample of blood. If you have issues testing on your fingers, the Prodigy Voice supports alternate site testing, if you need to do alternate site testing, discuss that option with your doctor.
In case you were wondering about the Prodigy Voice's specifications, they are:
The Prodigy Voice 
 ® has 450 audible test-memory and provides 7, 14, 21, 30, 60, and 90 day averages.
The USB port feature is used for downloading your meter’s result using the Prodigy free diabetes management software.
The Prodigy Voice talking glucose meter is fully audible from setup to testing, and provides results in seven seconds.  The Prodigy Voice requires no coding; simply insert the test strip into the test strip slot and the meter powers on automatically.
The prodigy Voice does have raised buttons to make using the meter easier.
I myself got my Prodigy Voice in I believe, 2016, and won't probably ever replace it.
I have been totally blind since birth, so the Prodigy Voice helps me a lot, in my every day testing. Seeing as I have to test 4 times a day, do to the fact that I am on rapid acting and long-acting insulins.