Holy Fingers

[lgvincent]

Forgive the pun but I was wondering if anyone has problems with lots of holes in their fingers from checking their blood sugar. I've checked it frequently in the past and can count as many as 20 holes in a finger. Sometimes, one of the "old" holes will bleed when I'm trying to get blood from the most recent hole I've lanced.

[Musqua]

Hi lgvincent:

When I first started testing my bs I was like you . I felt if I ever got fingerprinted for any reason they wouldn't be able to find any prints as they would be marked. I now use a type where I test my bs on my arm near the elbow. The only time I use my poor fingertips is if I have a hypo reaction which thankfully hasn't been for a while. :cool:


Heather W ( Your Canadian Friend)

[HeatherP]

I do! I do! My fingers are all dotted w/ "freckles" on the sides from testing!

[Mick]

Tiny black dots all over my fingers--it comes with the territory.

Michael

[rzrbks]

Mick

Tiny black dots all over my fingers

me too:D

[zookeeper671]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mick

Tiny black dots all over my fingers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dotted as well. :)

Angie

[Andrea]

Ditto. I have lots of holes in my fingers. Normally you can't see them until i spend 1/2 an hour doing dishes or having a bath, but on occasion i get an old hole bleeding when i puncture a new one. I would use my arms and other alternative sites, but that always leaves bright red spots and/or bruises that look far worse than the spots on my fingers!

Andrea

[webpundit]

Phew! Am I ever glad I joined this forum. So far I'd thought that I must have thin finger-skin or something and that's why I could still see the little red spots on my fingers from all the previous testing.

However, doesn't this increase the risk of infections and such because our fingers are most susceptible to bacterial growth with the stuff we touch everyday?

[rzrbks]

My father-in-law, who has had Diabetes since Moses was a child, has never had trouble with infection in his fingers
---BUT--
he does have trouble getting any device to puncture the skin and get enough blood to use in his meter


also, I see the dots more after I've been working at something that causes dirt, or oil, or something like that to get on my "delicate" hands

[Alaska]

this is the reason we use alcohol swabs to clean the finger before and after the test....hard to get an infection if you do that

[HeatherP]

I use alcohol also, however I read in Diabetes Forecast a couple of years ago where there was a study done, and they found that people who simply washed their hands w/ soap and warm water had no higher incidence of infection. Alcohol supposedly dries out the skin, but I always have to moisturize after washing my hands, so I use alcohol in one little spot, rather than wash and dry out my entire hand w/ soap!

[lgvincent]

I sometimes have trouble getting blood from a finger and will have to set the lancet device to it's deepest setting. This usually happens when I'm in insulin shock. I guess if I should ever find myself in danger of bleeding to death maybe I should hit myself with a few units of Humalog to try to stop it?!?

[HeatherP]

Well, I s'pose you could try it, LG, but you may want to consider tourniquet first! Just a thought.......

It seems like I bleed easier when my b/s is low - so I can usually tell in advance (aside from symptoms) when my blood seems kind of thin that I'm low. weird.

[Andrea]

Originally posted by _ALASKA_
this is the reason we use alcohol swabs to clean the finger before and after the test....hard to get an infection if you do that

Ahhhh,
Alcohol is murder to finger skin (and any other skin for that matter)! Yes, you reduce your risk of infection when you use alcohol on any open wound, but you also reduce the chance of getting any blood out of your fingers after a while because they will be all dried up. Soap and water is the best way to protect your fingers from infection. Washing your hands lots also reduces the risk of catching a cold. And lots of hand cream will keep them from drying up. In close to 7 years with diabetes and testing anywhere from 4 to 15 times a day, i have never used an alcohol swab on my fingers and never had an infection.

Andrea

[snydermom]

rz - Moses????

Is that like when Moby Dick was a minnow and the Dead Sea was only sick??? I was THERE!

Beth.

[mg_2204]

Hello!

I don't test that many times a week but I do have to be careful about bloody fingerprints (am not swearing!). Sometimes I prepare my little pen and am so sleepy still that **OUTCH!!!!** blood comes from my palm. Well there is no way I'm going to waste good blood. I take it for my test ;) - Sometimes it's painful to type though. I tend to go for the same finger all the time. I'm a creature of habits...

Marie

[HeatherP]

Marie,

Are you using the sides of your fingers or the pads? You should be using the sides - less nerves. Also, you may want to try adjusting the depth on your lancet device - since you're kinda new you probably don't need to go so deep. And you definitely need to switch fingers so you don't cause so much pain. Also, what gauge of lancet are you using? I think BD makes a 33 gg if I'm not mistaken. Make sure you're using the thinnest one available.

[lgvincent]

I like the Accu-Chek Softclix lancet device since it doesn't seem to hurt as much as some of the others I've used but on the bad side, it seems to leave much larger holes in my fingers so I have to use other lancet devices to give those holes time to heal.

[mg_2204]

Hello Heather!

Duh!! I use the pad. Not very clever, am I? ;)

I use Unilet ComforTouch, thin lancets. But I do tend to use them a few times. I should replace the lancet more often. I have a huge box! Sheesh... It's like my brain has gone elsewhere. And just noticed my lancet device (it's like a pen really) is set for the deepest cut. ACK!!!

I'll try to use other fingers. And the side of the fingers as well!

Thanks for the advice! Really appreciate it :) :) :)

Have a good day!

Marie-the-not-so-clever-one

[HeatherP]

Don't feel stupid - it's your dr's/CDE's fault! They're supposed to tell you these things - you don't just know them!

[lgvincent]

I've heard you can get blood from the ear lobes. I've tried it a few times and it didn't work too well. Perhaps I need practice. I keep a record of which finger I use in hopes of not abusing any of them too much.

[Andrea]

Yep,

Earlobe blood is as good as finger tip or toe tip blood. But now with the new meters available, you can use blood from just about anywhere. But the fingertips/toes/earlobes are the most accurate in times when your blood glucose level may be changing quickly.

Andrea

[snakeye]

Earlobes?! Where else do you punch! :whistling