[notme]

Last one got rusty, so I changed it back in 1998.

[augoldminer]

I use hydrogen peroxide as a disinfectant skin wipe instead of alcohol and fire my lancet into the wipe after use.
I change the lancet about once a week.

And i am a disabled EMT and should know better.

Alcohol can cause more scar tissue to build up if you use the same site all the time.
i had a finger smashed years ago and the nerves still have not returned so that is the finger i always use.
Hydrogen peroxide is not as damaging to the tissues.

[jjordie]

ROFL - don't change mine very often either and reading through these posts I
realise why the ends of my testing fingers look a bit bruised

Changing lancet right now

[palefacegirl03]

Time will be changing next month, I will change mine then and the batteries on the smoke alarm.
Like clockwork, twice a year.

[sassy0595]

I am glad to hear I don't have to be a fussy, with the lancets, I have been tossing them daily but with just a start up kit I don't have many yet. I used alcohol this am , just to conserve them.

[palefacegirl03]

Originally Posted by sassy0595

I am glad to hear I don't have to be a fussy, with the lancets, I have been tossing them daily but with just a start up kit I don't have many yet. I used alcohol this am , just to conserve them.

If you need lancets , I have boxes of them. Just let me know what you us and I can send you some.

[ihd1111]

I use a new one each time, but I don't use the lancing device. I just stick it in. It was tough to do at first, but if I do it fast it isn't bad. What is fun is to watch people's reactions when I do it. If I used the lancing device I wouldn't change it as often as I should, but those boogers are annoying to me.

[sable_032592]

yeesh, maybe every other week or so

like everyone else, i used to change it everytime i poked, now i only change it when i test other people... they get a new lancet then i get a new lancet... i have around 200 lancets right now so i'm good...

[starrdbes]

Good to know I'm not the only slacker I change my lancets on a "as required" bases; seems too dull, may have had contact with unsanitary anything, too much time has gone by...etc

[Like2golf]

This thread is quite reassuring...My wife was a nurse and I'm sure she would cringe at the thought that I change the lancet with every AccuCheck drum replacement, which is 16 pokes. The need to add a new drum is a good reminder.

[w5wjp]

I change mine only when a chunk of finger sticks to the lancet.

[rwyncaruvegas37]

Originally Posted by Kendall

I usually wait until the needle feels dull or my fingers start complaining before I change it.

Same here, but otherwise I change the lancet every morning, but usually wait until my fingers start hurting or if I don't get any blood out

[Injecto]

Same here, at first it was every poke.

Now I try for once a day, or when I find them painful. It's funny how after enough painful ones how you can LOVE the smooth feel of a fresh new sharp one..LOL.

[wazzup2004]

The reason it is advised to change the needles after every test on the Accu-chek finger prickers the needles are coated in silicon to make the first poke very pain free to slide in and out. After that it start blunting.

If you test more than once with the same lancet there will be blood particles on the needles and when you do another test this old blood mixes with the new blood so your test will not be 100% accurute. If you dont change it for multiple months there is a higher chance of infection and drastically wrong results if you are modifying the amount of insulin you used based solely on your results and you arn't changing the needle it can be very dangerous.

*Any Views,Opinions or Advice are My own and not that of Accu-chek or Roche diagnostics*

[CarrieB]

I change every test. If I don't get blood the first time I'll reuse the lancet, but as soon as I've tested it goes into the sharps bin.

Why? I find a new lancet seldom hurts. A used one usually does.