[EeyoreButterfly]

Hi Lisa! Welcome.

The "poker" is also known as a lancing device. The one that came with my Freestyle Lite hurts less than the Bayer Ascensia Microlet that came with the Breeze 2. Those are the only two that I have experience with. I have heard others here swear by the Soft Clix that comes with the Accu Chek Compact Plus.

To me, it seems that the bigger issue is guage and depth. To my knowledge, most lancing devices have a "dial" of sorts that allows you to choose how deep it penetrates. The higher the number, the deeper it goes, and the more it hurts. Have you tried dialing down your depth? For my finger, I use the first depth, very rarely do I need to go to the second.

The other big issue is the lance itself. I believe the higher the guage, the smaller the actual needle and the less it will hurt. Many companies make universal lancets, so you will be able to find different guages that will work with whatever lancing device you use.

The reason you are advised to change lancets every time is two fold: sanitary (after all, it is drawing blood), and because they dull with each use. Especially starting out, I would think that it would be beneficial to controlling the ouch factor. Some people here are adamant that you change it every time, others never change it. It's basically about what works for you.