Is the blood really different on diffent parts of the body

doctordun · #1 (**permalink**) 02-26-2008, 10:29 PM

I just read that the heel of the hand might be a good place to test, since there are few nerves there. Other than the relative difficulty of getting a sample of blood, does it really matter where it comes from?

JediSkipdogg · #2 (**permalink**) 02-26-2008, 10:42 PM

The only difference is how fast it's "replaced." Technically during each pump of the heart blood is not replaced with it. Some areas of the body blood travels less often too. I'm not sure what the palm is but I know the forearm I believe is about 5-10 minutes behind the tips of the fingers.

The ONLY time this becomes an issue is if your BG is changing rather quickly up or down. For the general population of a type 2, this shouldn't be an issue unless you are on insulin or trying to find out how fast your body returns back to normal after eating something.

doctordun · #3 (**permalink**) 02-26-2008, 11:04 PM

I'm type 2 and mostly test in the morning after a fast or 2 hours after a meal. I guess it wouldn't matter then where I stick myself as long as I get my blood.

TomB · #4 (**permalink**) 02-28-2008, 08:31 PM

JediSkipdogg has the right idea. Blood be blood, it's just that some of it is fresher than others depending on where it came from. The general rule is the more capillaries in an area, the fresher the blood and the odds of hitting a bloody spot is much better.
For fasting glucose, go poke a palm or arm or your arse. If glucose is rising you might even do the same because the error will only be a few percent.
BUT - if you feel hypoglycemic, prick a finger. In that case you can't take a chance on what it was 10 minutes ago. And Type 2's do go hypo once in awhile so it's good to know what the symptoms are. For me, I get nausiated and cold sweats. I'm concerned when my BG is under 80 and I'm on glucose tabs at 70 and under. That's also when I'm testing about every 10 or 15 minutes using finger tip blood.
As for using any ole strange part of your body in search of painless blood - go for it. I gave up after hitting too many dry holes or having to crank up the whacking force on the lancing thing until there was more pain than blood. Humm, never did try the nose. Hey, do me a favor and give it a try. Let me know how it worked.
Tom