I can’t remember the last time I switched out my lancets, but I’ve gotten some good ideas through this posting. Honestly, I use them until I can’t get blood out of my fingers. I’ve been diabetic over 20 years, so my fingers are pretty bad. lol
Needles - I may reuse once, but I have the really fine tip ones and they hurt like hell if you use them more than twice. During the day, I probably have 5 needles in my kit just in case.
I too still have the original box of lancets I purchased the day I was diagnosed… in spring of 2004. And I stopped using alcohol swabs after a few days, there’s just too much other stuff to carry around. Never had any problems with either omission. I have no idea how many pricks per lancet but I’m sure my endo would cringe!
And i thought i was the only one, i rarely do change mine, only if i absolutely must. 6 time a year at most i would guess.
I hardley ever used alcohol swabs when on shots. Now, with the pump, I used one when changing my site, but that’s it. And then if my fingers are dirty and I need to test and can’t wash. i.e. I’ve been working in the barn or something.
And I hardly ever change my lancet. I try to remember to do it about once a month, but I usually don’t remember.
you can change the lancet?
Now that’s funny 
Like almost everyone else here I change mine maybe 8-10 times a year but to be honest I think its only 5. I do have two machines so I guess I’m back at 10 a year damn! : )
i never use alcohol one. i don’t like the smell two. it can change your reading if you don’t wait long enough for it to completely dry. i use the same needle for a couple days… and i probably only change my lancet like once a month… if i remember… haha
My new thing is to try to change them once a week, we’ll see how long that lasts
This discussion has been going on here a long time so far. That is great Maybe it will become a “forever” king of thing, maybe for no other reason than to say "spring ahead " or “fall back” - time to change the lancet.
To be quite honest I use my lancets for a long time. When I find that I am not getting any samples, it is time to change it. Owens Mumford has the sharpest and long lasting results. These are great. Just do a search:
Owens Mumford Lancets. They are in line as far as price. Also, there is some risk of contamination of the lanset with dried blood on it. Perhaps you should wipe the lanset with alcohol if you so choose to use them over and over.
Hope my OPINION serves you well.
David
I tend to use my lancets until they get too blunt - seems such a waste to use a new one each time when it’s only me that uses it…
I used to test on my fingers, which is a real pain (ha) when you spend most of your time on a computer keyboard! But the meter I have now lets you test on your forearm… which is INFINITELY better! I’ll never go back to the finger one. Oh, and I tend to change my lancets when it starts to hurt… maybe once a week or so.
I also used alcohol swabs for a long time – while I was pregnant and taking insulin (I’m on oral meds now) – but now all I carry in my meter kit is a couple extra lancets and those little round bandaids to keep a particularly good forearm stick from bleeding all over my shirt.
Oh, and as for lancets… I usually just buy a box at the drug store when I’m close to running out… although with a box of 150 that takes a while… (grin)
I dont know how many times I use it. I change it when ever I don’t get anymore blood. But the last time I filled my lancets was in 2005.
I never reused syringes but I did shots through my clothes
My dr told me to do that too. But he makes ALOT more money then i do!
How do you lose it?
I use alcohol when i put in my site for the pump. But that is all. When I was first dignosed I was just like you but not any more.
I’m still using the same lancet, since I was diagnosed (3 months). I have about 300 lancets in waiting in my diabetes stash (sounds like a drug dealer. LOL) Maybe one day I’ll get around to changing it.
Same here, when i was first diagnosed my parents changed it all the time. Probably to be on the safe side. Now that i am older, i change it when it starts to get dull. I am sure that it is probably not the way you are supposed to do it, but that is how i work I really don’t know