Hard Fingers

[Injecto]

Well it seems after a year and a half of finger pricking 10 times a day my finger tips (around the horseshoe of each finger and thumbs) are all getting hard making the "blood letting experience" much more difficult. I've had to move down more towards the pads of my fingers now...man that smarts way more, but it gushes.

[princesslinda]

I feel your pain!...I only check 4-5 times a day and mine are getting that way. I've started putting lotion and cotton gloves on my hands at night once or twice a week to help soften them up a little...I know, it does look funny;) , but its working.

We have a good lotion here called "Aquaphor" its almost like Vaseline...and it works well for extremely dry and calloused skin...not sure if its available in Canada or not, but its worth looking for.

[notme]

I don't know if you have used your thumb or not, but KGM uses her thumbs all the time. I tried it and it isn't bad. I tried my forearm and I got a much higher reading than on my fingers. Aquaphor is GREAT. Linda sent me some and I love the stuff. Don't know why it is better than Vaseline, but it is. I use the Vaseline and socks trick for my feet right after a bath and it does soften them.

Try soaking your hands in water (tub) and then put Vaseline on your fingers and if you want to look manly, put on cotton garden gloves! ;)

[UpNorth]

After bit more than 3.5 years of fingerpoking 10 times or more per day, AND working in a warehouse (since last year) which also can be tough on hands, my hands are still very soft :D If i feel my fingers are getting a bit rough, i use one of those volcanic stones (can't remember the name of it though...) while in the shower. I also sleep with Elizabeth Arden 8h creme OR an 18h handcream, which really make a HUGE difference! Without those creams my hands would be a disaster at least from working with cardboard all day!

[fgummett]

Pumice... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumice) the only rock that floats :D

[xMenace]

Injecto, has your guitar improved? :thrasher:

[UpNorth]

Pumice... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumice) the only rock that floats :D

Great stuff for hard skin on hands and feet :D But at the same time, it's VERY gentle.

[buddy7]

Hey-Injecto!!

"Pricking 10 times a day" Man, that's a lot of blood, I'm not surprise your fingers are calloused, even for a type 1, don't you think that's a little excessive? why don't you give the fingers a rest, and try reducing the number of times you test, I certainly don't think this is a norm, over 4 years I've been pricking my fingers, can't say, I'd had this problem, for starters, I never used my thumb or index fingers, I consider these my workers, the other 3 that's OK, I test only twice a day, no hardness to my finger tips, whatsoever, was this recommended by your doctor when you were first diagnose?
seems strange to me, let us no how you get on, must be sore trying to hold-on to things. (Must reduce those pricks now) :)

B/7 ESSEX UK.

[Janlaton]

I like the Burt's Bees hand salve for my finges. It's an all natural product and smells so good. Plus beleive it or not made in USA! I also vary the part of my fingers I use after my years some spots just don't bleed any more.:(

[Tattoo azz]

Am i strange? cos after 25 years my pinkies are fine. Try your toes, they are just like your finger tips, also try and cut down a bit on the testing even if its only for a day or two each week it will help your tips to recover.
Azz

[poppa]

My freestyle flash meter lets me test on my palm at the base of my thumb.

I've tested there and my finger tips back to back several times and have never noticed more than a point or 2 difference...

AND the palm at the base of my thumb is a LOT less painful!

[fgummett]

Hey-Injecto!!

"Pricking 10 times a day" Man, that's a lot of blood, I'm not surprise your fingers are calloused, even for a type 1, don't you think that's a little excessive? why don't you give the fingers a rest, and try reducing the number of times you test...
B/7 ESSEX UK.

Not so strange.. consider that with insulin either injected or via pump you can make good corrections as the day goes on:
#1 on waking - FBG
#2 before breakfast to determine how much bolus as correction and for carbs.
#3 2 hours after b'fast to see if a correction is needed
#4 before lunch (same as before breakfast)
#5 2 hours after lunch
#6 before supper (same as before any meal)
#7 2 hours after supper
#8 before snack
#9 before bed / or 2 hours after snack

There's 9 tests without even allowing for extra if feeling high or low or before and during exercise.

[patricia52]

I eat breakfast right after I get up so I could use my fasting BG as my B/4 breakfast reading. If you know just how much certain foods will raise your BG maybe you could skip the after test. I know it is so hard for someone on insulin to keep their #'s in line. I am a T2 and on meds so I don't have to test as often. I dread the day I have to start insulin because I know I will have a hard time disciplining myself to test that much.

[fgummett]

Patricia, actually I see it differently... because you are only on oral meds there is not much you can do in the middle of the afternoon for example, if you find your sugars are high.. so really not too much point in you testing unless you are logging your daily patterns.. on the other hand, someone taking insulin can test... see they are high and give a correction bolus :)

You need to shake the idea that being on insulin and testing is a last resort type thing, or a real chore... it really is something more type 2 should be on much sooner as you can get much better control.

[Gary_W]

Hey-Injecto!!

"Pricking 10 times a day" Man, that's a lot of blood, I'm not surprise your fingers are calloused, even for a type 1, don't you think that's a little excessive? why don't you give the fingers a rest, and try reducing the number of times you test, I certainly don't think this is a norm, over 4 years I've been pricking my fingers, can't say, I'd had this problem, for starters, I never used my thumb or index fingers, I consider these my workers, the other 3 that's OK, I test only twice a day, no hardness to my finger tips, whatsoever, was this recommended by your doctor when you were first diagnose?
seems strange to me, let us no how you get on, must be sore trying to hold-on to things. (Must reduce those pricks now) :)

B/7 ESSEX UK.


I'm a T1 on a pump. 10 a day is not excessive. I test a minimum of 7 times per day;
before each meal = 3
two hours after each meal = 3 more
Before bed = 1

And that's if all goes well... any suspician of high or low BG means another test. Basal rate testing = lots. Taking all this into consideration I probably do 9 or 10 on average as well...

Finger-wise I guess I'm lucky. I play guitar and am right handed. When first diagnosed I found certain chords and slides hurt where I had blood tested on my left hand. From that time to now, I never ever test on my left hand. On my right, I only really use two fingers (my little finger and my 'rude gesture' finger). Occasional first finger use. Never my ring finger as it always hurts (which is really odd...). I don't know why I don't get problems but I'm just glad that I don't.

Gary

[shiftzor]

I very much agree with the idea of testing 6-10+ times a day. Really i think anyone on insulin should be testing as much as they possibly can, as an MDIer I have tested 9.3 times on average over the last 2 weeks. I use NIVIA Hand Nourishing Cream almost every night and rotate fingers every test. I just hope CGMs will become economical and accurate in the not too distant future, even 10 times a day doesn’t account for most of a 24hours day. Flying blind is just what we do.

[buddy7]

Hey-fgummett & Gary, thanks for the input on testing, just when I thought that was excessive, you guys came along, and corrected me, what an education on testing, I won't be looking forward to this, so to me, more control on the BGs. thanks guys have a great week-end, or, whats left of it.

B/7 ESSEX UK.

[RobiJo]

After 24 years of poking (though back in the day 3x a day was suffice...) My fingers are never going to be soft and supple ever again. Using vasaline or other hand cream at night may help. I only use 6 fingers. (I've never liked my thumbs and I only used to use myindex fingers as a kid they are so worn out that I rarely use them now.) I've never liked any "alternative sites" either. Running fingers through some warm water tends to help so that I'm not squeezes as much.

As for testing 10 times a day..I'm anywhere between 6-14. And that is with using my fasting as my pre-breakfast. Testing is the only way you know how things are going.