Squeezing blood out of finger

[BeadieJay]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, and I'm not entirely sure that I haven't asked it before, but I can't find any posts if I have!!

When I prick my finger I usually have to squeeze it to get the blood out. When I told my doctor about this, he told me not to do it, but I can't remember his reasons why.

Has anyone else been told not to do this? I really cannot bear to increase the depth of the finger pricker - it's difficult enough to do at the level it's already set at.

If I'm consistently squeezing, then the results should all be consistent, shouldn't they?

[Shalyndria]

The reason your doctor doesn't want you to squeeze your finger when obtaining a blood sample is because when you apply too much force or "milk" the finger too vigorously, it can cause contamination of the sample with tissue fluid. This can cause incorrect readings from your meter.
The NCCLS (National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards) states one can enhance blood flow from the puncture "by holding the puncture site downwards and gently applying continuous pressure...proximal to the puncture site."

Warm water will increase blood flow, as well as soften the skin of the fingers. Besides which, clean hands are essential to a correct reading :)

Shy

[lgvincent]

I usually have to squeeze the fingers to get blood out too, especially when my blood sugar is low.

[Teresa]

i usually have to squeeze my fingers to make them bleed too... i didnt know u werent supposed to! thats useful info! thnx :)

[Jenny]

Wow! Glad you posted this Sue cause I didn't know I wasn't supposed to do that either! Very useful info! (blondie moment) What is proximal?
:p

[Shalyndria]

Sorry about that Jen; I shoulda changed that :)

Proximal refers to the point of attachment or beginning of a structure; in this case proximal to the puncture site would refer to the first knuckle of your finger.

I think that squeezing is OK, as long as it is gentle, and not for an extended period of time.

Shy

[Harold]

Another technique is to hold your hand down by your side and swing it for and aft while shaking it vigorously for a few seconds. Although in public it makes you look like a weirdo your the one poking your finger not them. :D On second thought just tell them your arm went to sleep and smile. :D

[Fiona]

I didn't know this either and I've been squeezing the **** out of my fingers. Sometimes I have to prick my finger in two spots close together and then squeeze to get enough blood.

[Harold]

Once in awhile that happens to me. :mad: Then sometimes it seems like it wants to get out. :) What really gets me is when it won't stop and I get blood all over everthing. :o

[BeadieJay]

thanks for all your replies, I knew you guys would help me :)

When I pricked my finger this morning, the blood came out just fine without me having to squeeze....talk about sod's law!! I'm glad I'm not the only one who has to squeeze though, and I still have to sometimes, even after doing all the recommended procedures beforehand - washing, warm water, shaking my arm etc etc

Shy, thanks for your advice. I must admit that, although I always wash my hands in warm water, I don't let them get soft. I hadn't thought of doing that, and it's something that I will try.

thanks again :D

[dpav]

Just one little update on this problem; It is not a problem if you use a whole blood meter. If you are using a plasma meter you can and will get erratic readings. They are so very specific on how you can get an accurate reading with plasma meters that you might find that most of your readings are either inaccurate or at least they will not be consistent from one test to the next if you do a series of them in row. They even do not want you to do two tests in a row from the same finger.
That is how sensitive, (I say inaccurate or inconsistent) that the plasma meters can be. But this is the main problem and reasoning for not squeezing your blood sample out.

Take care
Don

[Shalyndria]

Don,

Squeezing and/or milking the fingers will actually show inaccurate results in a whole blood meter before having any significant results on a plasma meter. The reason for this is that if enough tissue fluid is forced out the blood will resemble a plasma sample more than a whole blood sample. This will not affect the reading of a plasma meter, but the contamination will cause inconsistencies and irregularities in the results of a whole blood meter. The results shouldn't be significant enough to worry about though.

Shy

[lgvincent]

For the last week, I've had a very hard time getting blood out of my fingers.

[BeadieJay]

ugh, I've just pricked a finger that I haven't used in a while, and only a tiny bit of blood came out, and now it's stinging and there's a horrible bruise under the skin :(

I pricked another finger and the blood flowed fine....there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why some fingers bleed easily and others don't. The one that bled easily just now, is one that I use quite often.

[rzrbks]

Wash your hands with Warm/Hot water before you stab your finger and you'll get more blood than you could possibly want.

In public, sometimes, I suck my finger 'cause I know the people will wonder, "What the heck is that person doing?" Get some Cool, strange looks.:D ;)

[BeadieJay]

I always wash my hands in hot water, rzrbks, but sometimes it just doesn't make any difference :(

Might try sucking my finger though - takes me back to childhood LOL

[rzrbks]

I was joking, sort of, before, however, I really do suck on my finger especially in the winter because it gets SO cold here and that's the fastest way to warm my finger up and get blood freely flowing into that finger.

[jacobsam622]

I was just diagnosed last month while in the hospital. The whole time i was there I recieved Insulin shots (on actos 45mg glipazide 5mg right now). When the nurse checked my bg before calculating the shot they would sqeeze my finger to get the blood out. If its good enough for them its good enough for me:D

[lgvincent]

That's true. Every time a nurse has checked my blood sugar, they have squeezed my finger.