Last week I forget everything I’ve learned about wearing a CGM and left for a 3 day trip without checking when the sensor expired. No problem, I had packed my BGM. Had to do ~8 finger sticks. I realized that I still haven’t gotten over my dislike of pricking my fingers. We are talking me counting down in my head “3…2…1…0…” and I’m telling myself to push the button and I can’t make my finger push the button kind of dislike. Eventually it happens after a couple of tries.
Anyone got any tips or mental tricks they use to make it easier to do things that are going to hurt? Or links to old posts where this has come up before? I did a half dozen searches looking for previous posts because this has to have come up before but I wasn’t successful. I’ve been a T1D for 34 years, I’m sure I’ll get over it eventually but I’d like to hurry the process up a bit.
I never had that problem. But didn’t you do MDI in the 34 years of DM? How did you stick the needle into yourself? Use that same mindset to do the finger sticks. Both the injection as well as the finger sticks are a “do or die” thing. See if that mindset helps you.
I had problems with injections too for 10-20-25? years. Eventually I got over it because injections are required to live and I found some pen needles that most of the time do not feel. Figersticks are not do or die for me so I never embraced the suck. And with CGMs they never will be,
Been at this since 1983—a few years before home BGMs were a thing. Thanks to CGM I’m down to a single finger poke per day, but I haven’t been able to give up that first one in the a.m. because my Dawn Phenomenon sometimes gets out ahead of what my sensor picks up. So I still do one just to kinda check in. Anyway, couple of things:
Not all finger-pokers are equal. I belatedly discovered that the one I’ve been using with my ContourNext (I don’t think it’s the original) is adjustable. You can rotate the back end for a deeper or shallower jab. I cycle through all ten fingers and some are easier than others (worst thing is the painful jab that doesn’t produce adequate blood!) Pinky is easiest and most sensitive, so I use the lowest setting, increasing as I cycle toward the forefinger.
Lancets can actually be changed—who knew! Sharper ones hurt less than dull ones.
'Nother belated discovery: icing the spot numbs the location and helps prevent bleeders. Works great for infusion sets and I assume the same goes for injections and finger pokes
Doesn’t necessarily have to be a fingertip. Some people find the heel of the hand and even the foot works ok. I’ve tried both just to see and got a decent sample about 80% of the time, though I generally just use fingertips b/c it’s easier and I’m not really all that needle-averse.
Also, don’t forget that not only Contour Next is pretty much the gold standard of glucose meters at this time, but the Contour Next strips require a far smaller drop of blood than other test strips. You only need one poke with Contour Next strips and should get plenty of blood to fill the test strip cavity.
Off topic, but I LOVE that photo. It looks like a malevolent tape measure.
Somewhat less off topic, accucheck fastclix is the best designed lancing device. I don’t know if it hurts less than others, but you won’t stick yourself a second time with a loose lancet; they’re contained in a clever barrel.
before cgms, i was also tired of sore fingers and realized that if i checked on my arm, it was usually close enough…if you recently ate or took insulin, it is delayed a little, but for a fasting glucose, it seemed fine…i also used to verify finger to arm and they were often the same
Pain reduction is definitely part of a strategy but its not the whole thing. I use the sides of my fingers and I picked up a box of 33ga lancets that are waaaaay better than the samples that came with the contour next meter. Honestly it doesn’t hurt that much. But the “involuntary” resistance to pushing the button is still there.
@DrBB that picture makes me twitchy. That was the torture device the hospital used when I was first diagnosed in 1990. 5 or 6 days of that horror… the lancet needles were the size of telephone poles. I remember wondering how in the world it was okay to have a sharp fly through the air in a healthcare setting.
As a 40+ year diabetic, I sympathize with your fear of needles. I don’t know if you remember or had the “harpoon” lancet device when you were first diagnosed. The lancet was exposed and you would see it spring into your finger. I love my Accu-Check Multiclix devices. Best and most comfortable lancet device I have ever used.
At my diagnosis in 1992, the hospital did a blood draw every single time they wanted to check my glucose, including in the middle of the night. The hospital’s blood glucose meter was on another floor or some crazy excuse. This was a major teaching hospital (NY Hospital — the teaching hospital of Cornell University) so residents got to practice their blood drawing skills on the veins in my arm several times a day. It was ridiculous. Probably charged my parents’ insurance thousands for the privilege when they could have gotten a meter from any pharmacy or asked my parents to buy me one. That had to wait until I was discharged.
@Tnyc Wow they really made bad news worse with those shenanigans. I got a meter from the hospital but was told some rule required them to torture me with the autolet. I remember the nurses and diabetes educator guy being sympathetic.
@Jonathan14 The Accu-Check Multiclix and Fastclix have almost universally rave reviews on here. I haven’t tried them yet because smaller gauge lancets are available for other devices. Any chance you’ve tried a smaller gauge lancet to compare to the Accu-Check? I can, or think I can, feel the Ascensia Microlet that came with the Contour Next meter prick then pull out the lancet.
I can not comment on other lancet devices as I have used the Multiclix and Fastclix devices for over a decade. While I do concern myself with needle gauges with my syringes, I haven’t concerned myself with the lancets as on setting 2 they are comfortable and give me a good drop of blood.
I recommend not anticipating by counting down, but doing an “accidental” poke. I do that by gently running my thumb over the lancet button several times (Accu-chek Multiclix), gradually coming nearer and nearer-- while water is running in the sink to minimize the sound of the random click. Loud music should also work as a distraction. In addition to using the lancets in the drum for more stabilization/less lancet-wobble, I think not knowing when the poke is coming helps minimize the pain with staying relaxed, and not tense. Good luck!
I don’t mind the finger stick as long as I am the one in control. I find that nurses go in too deep and that hurts! I usually ask them if I can test my own blood and they say ok.
I have been doing this many years, but I still find that I take my fingernail and press it against the finger just under where I am going to poke. That way the slight pain of my fingernail pressing into my skin hurts a bit while I poke myself for the finger stick test. The poke of the needle rarely bothers me.
I do not go in too deep, change lancets when they don’t enter the finger easily, and never use my little finger. Also I just get the device out of the drawer and poke my finger without taking the time to think about what I am doing.
No problem, I had packed my BGM. Had to do ~8 finger sticks. I realized that I still haven’t gotten over my dislike of pricking my fingers. We are talking me counting down in my head “3…2…1…0…” and I’m telling myself to push the button and I can’t make my finger push the button kind of dislike. Eventually it happens after a couple of tries.