How many times do you use the same lancet?
I might change mine 8 times a year - and that is a big might—
I was told alcohol swabs are hard on diabetics because it kills all the good bacteria with the bad stuff. A good handwashing prior to testing would be easier on hands. As for lancets, my husband never changes his… I try to change my son’s once a day as his fingers are sensitive and there is not so many places to prick since his fingers are soo small.
hi Chucklin -
Enter “diabetes” and “bernstein” in your favorite search engine.
I went home from the pediatric ward with about 2 pounds of diabetes pamphlet and product information. I was very confused when I was diagnosed. (“You’re still pretty confused”, some smart alec said while chucklin).
angela, you got that right. alcohol swabs are also bad for our skin too because it makes it dry. i use anti bacterial wet wipes which are similar to baby wipes. they are alcohol free and very mild on my skin, which happens to be so sensitive that unknown allergens can trigger off a rash. by the way, the diabetes nurse told me that i should try to prick the 3rd, 4th and 5th fingers of my hands because the skin’s softer and its easier to get blood samples. true or false?
I’ve never been told that officially, but that’s what works for me. I only test my ‘pointer’ finger once in a blue moon, when the others are worn out or sore. I find my two middle fingers are the best for low-pain pricking, and my little finger is more likely to hurt but also more likely to bleed well.
I think I’ve only pricked my thumb 2 or 3 times in all these years, and I wouldn’t do it again in a hurry either!
I usually change my lancet when it starts to hurt. I guess that’s about every two months or so? Two years, still haven’t even used up 100 lancets. My syringes, I use 2 or 3 times, to my mother’s dismay (not that she can tell me what to do anymore, I AM almost 43 now! LOL) But, as I explained to her, I know many people who reuse thier syringes, and have done so for YEARS and have never had an infection! I do wipe my vial first with an alcohol wipe and my skin is clean! AND since I have no insurance, I have to pay for ALL my Diabetes meds and supplies out of my own pocket, a little reusing can go a long way in the pocket book!! ;0) So instead of forking out $13 every few weeks for syringes, I fork it out every couple months! Same goes for the lancets! At a minimum of 4 - 6 a day … Lord, I don’t even wanna know! I just know that I’m savin $$$$!!! LOL
Same here… I use my two middle fingers on each hand the most and save my pinkies for when I’m in a hurry and want to bleed fast!
I honestly don’t remember the last time that I bought a box of lancets…I just use the 10 or so that they give you with a new meter since I don’t change mine until they hurt or stop drawing blood.
I usually change the lancet about every three weeks, if I remember. I never reuse pen needles for fear of them becoming dull or painful. I was told to use alcohol on the actual insulin pen, and not on my fingers or for shots. The CDE said they dry your skin out and can make shots sting.
Erm, every couple of weeks perhaps? Well, that is the one that lives on the nightstand at home. The one in my bag doesn’t get changed nearly as often because there is no sharps container nearby, or I forget to bring extra lancets with me.
Actually, I was surprised the other day when my CDE said I didn’t need to change my lancet every time. I was testing in front of her because we were doing something with my pump, and I made sure she saw me change the lancet because I thought, “Oh gotta be on my best behavior here; I am being watched!”
Wow, I test on every thing but my pinkies, which I reserve for when my other fingers get sore
LOL! Who me?? Change that thing and spend more money? nah… I only change mine when it hurts to test. That means that my fingers can barely feel the prick and no blood comes out so I have to push on the lancet really hard.; that it HURTS! UGH! Change for a sharper point!
I would guess that I change 3 or 4 times a year:)
Blessings
MeadowLark
I change my lancet mabey 8 times too. I know thats bad.
Shhhhhhh - don’t tell anybody, but I use one syringe for two days - that means at least 8x, maybe more. I’ve been doing this for many many years and never had a problem. I just don’t like carrying a lot of extra stuff around.
And, another dark secret - I sometimes inject through clothing. If I’m busy at work, I just zip it in right through the skirt.
I didn’t just because it freaked me out. I’m not really worried about infections, but the ones I used bent so easily I was worried they might bend & hurt a lot. Thank heavens for the pump!
Hmmm… I don’t really “change” it. At some point, I lose it, and then I switch. 
When I was first diagnosed, I changed it all the time. My wife would tell me I should change it, so I would. I havn’t finished that box though, as I got very lazy about that pretty darn quick. I honestly havn’t changed it in over 6 months now. Doesn’t hurt that bad, so I am ok with it.
Never used an alcohol swab though. I use the Skin-Prep wipes under my infusion set, but thats about it.
I change mine every time, by order of my doc.
This discussion certainly is revelatory!
OK. That’s INSANE and not very sanitary! The endo says to change every time you prick your finger. We change it every 2-3 times. Is it an expense issue? You can get a box of 100 @ Walgreens for about $10. If you can’t afford it, give me your address and I will send you some! =)
I have never counted but I haven’t bought a box in a long time!!!