Does anyone else have a bunch of marks on their fingers from pricking it? I hate them, any suggestions on how to let them heal or go away? I tried testing on my arm for like a week to let the skin on my fingers heal some but testing on my arm just leaves bigger marks and bruises.
I hate to say this to you, but it is part of the package. The more you test (good for you! ) However, it creates more callous, like a harpist or guitar player Keith Riichards! we all have those kinds of fingertips after a few years of testing 10 or more times per day.
After a lot of years, mine are pretty calloused, but still bruise. No cure for the prick!!!
PS do the research on the arms--results are less accurate and, frankly, it hurts more.
At the risk of telling you something you already know, do you test on the sides of your fingers (which gives double the test points to rotate through) and have you adjusted for minimum needed depth?
If not, read this: Painless Pricks
I may not test quite as often as a T1 now, but I certainly did for my first few years and I've been diagnosed for 9 1/2. I have no calluses.
Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
i have been type one since 15 years coming close to 16 now , the scars on the fingers doesnt go away sadly , but try to test on all fingers each time you test . consider them like war scars lol :) i tried once when they became hard to cut them out and i did but i wouldnt do it again cuz it hurt too much . i hope it helps :)
I have the same. I have no idea about make those marks away.
Hi
I was having this problem as well. especially when I first got my pump and was diligently testing.What has worked for me is changing my lancet more frequently and keeping my hands moisturized. I keep hand lotion in every room of my house and all my bags I try to use it as much as possible, I read somewhere that this makes the skin more malleable or something like that and it speeds up healing for me.
Good Post!
It's actually sort of handy if you play guitar...I don't worry about it. My hands are a mess, I have a huge paintball welt on one knuckle, several cuts that have scarred, a couple of burns too, so the little dots are just icing...
Probably Your using the wrong setting or It's going too deep and getting too much Blood than needed for the strip
Try a lighter Setting
Try different Lancet Pens
I like the Ones that use a Barrel Lancet in them
and use a Lighter Setting on my Last 3 fingers and alittle heavier on my 1sr 2 fingers..
I also Roate them.. One Hand One Day, The other hand on the other day
And I do the Sides of the fingers..
I test ave 10x day and no problems all these yrs..
You Can Use your Toes..
Hope that Helps
I've been doing fingerprick testing for 30+ years now.
My docs look at and touch my fingertips and tell me they are all scar tissue.
I look at them and I see my fingertips. AFAIK they always looked that way :-)
Alternate the fingers - I start with one finger in the morning and use one side, then the other side, then move on to the next side finger and on one side, then the next and so on, not using the thumb or forefinger. That way I can do eight a day without too much trouble. Then the next day I will use the other hand ..... and keep your hands warm and moisturised helps a lot. Also set your pricker to the minimum depth that you can use, and also "massage" your finger that you are going to use before pricking to get more blood into it, and then you will not have to prick so deep.
I know what you mean. Just recently I suffered a DKA and was testing every hour, and when I was not, the hospital was.
As for the bruising on your arm, try to remember not to test of the site of a large vein (you men are lucky, your veins stand out usually) and again keep the depth to a minimum.
Hope this helped.
I have found when I start developign those sore scabs on the edges of my fingers, I start to change my lancet more often, and that seems to help.
change the lancet every time. Its not a cure all. But they do dull with one use. I know people use them over and over but its been proven they dull with every use. They are cheap, so to me, its no big deal. I hate testing so to minimize pain, bruising etc etc I use a new one every time.
Use your palms for awhile.
https://forum.tudiabetes.org/topics/palm-readings?xg_source=activity
Tell me about it. I ran out of fingers. The lancet won't go through the scar tissue anymore. Guess I'll have to try alternate site testing till new skin appears in about 2 months.
one thing that seemed to help my son a little is scrubbing his fingers with an abrasive face wash like an apricot facial scrub, he also seems better in the summer with lots of swimming in the chlorine. best wishes
i have spots on all my fingers on my left hand ( i usually use my left hand to check cuz im right handed ) well one time we went to this place and they gave us a sample of this like cream. its really oily but it clears up the spots on ur fingers. I will try to look for the name of it and let you know when i find it
I'm really careful to rotate my fingers - each finger gets used on three days a month. Finger 1 - the 1st, 11th, 21st. Finger 2 - the 2nd, 12th, 22nd etc. And I try to use a different spot each time I test on that finger. And I use the minimum setting possible - you only need the amount of blood that would fit on the top of a pinhead.
try using pure tea tree oil on your fingertips, I've been testing for about 10 years now, and have no spots or calluses
What I like to do is make a scrub mixed with granulated sugar and olive oil and once a week give my fingers a little scrub and lay on the moisturizer. It helps soften things down for a little while at least.
The first time my daughter went swimming after being diagnosed she was shocked because she could easily see EVERY hole in every finger. It was very difficult as a parent to see that but she took it pretty well. You can also see the marks on her fingers when they are not "waterlogged". We do not change the lancet every time so it's good to know that that might help.
We tried a CGM for a while and that surely reduces the number of times you have to prick but she stopped wearing it for several reasons.
I certainly don't have any advice but thanks for posting this because I've wondered the same thing.