Blood glucose meters work by testing a small sample of blood. Fortunately, the process of getting a sample does not need to be painful nor traumatic. All it requires is the proper use of the lancet. The use of blood glucose meters is important in the management of diabetes including the detection of low blood sugar as well as high blood sugar.
The lancet device is a pen shaped tool with a needle that's used to puncture the surface of the skin to get a small blood sample. If the lancet pen is not configured properly, it may cause more pain than necessary.
Diabetic Blood Sugar Meter Preparation - Washing the Hands
The first step is to wash the hands with warm water. The hand washing prevents leftover food residue from contaminating the blood sample and causing abnormally high blood glucose. The other reason to wash hands is to get the blood flowing in the fingers. If it's not flowing as much, it may be hard to get a sample that's big enough for the blood sugar meter. If the sample isn't big enough, it will be necessary to use the lancet again.
Preparing the Lancet for the Diabetic Blood Glucose Meter
The next thing to do is to replace the needle in the lancet device with a brand new one. Although it's possible to repeatedly use a lancet, it's highly discouraged for the following reasons:
- The needle is contaminated with blood, which is a serious problem if the lancet device is shared.
- The sharp point in the needle dulls easily with repeated use, which causes more pain.
In general, the lancet should be replaced after every test.
After replacing the needle, adjust the sensitivity of the lancet device. There is a knob at the bottom of the lancet to set how deep to puncture the skin. At first, it may take a few tries to determine the minimum sensitivity to puncture the skin to get an adequate sized sample.
Getting a Sample for the Diabetic Blood Glucose Meter
Put an unused test strip into the blood glucose meter. Then put the lancet on the finger.
The best place to get a sample is along the edges of the top third of the finger. At those areas of the finger, there are fewer nerves to signal pain while having adequate blood flow for the test. When ready to get a sample, press the button. Then massage the finger until a sufficiently large blood sample appears. The amount of blood required varies from meter to meter. For example, the One Touch blood glucose meter needs one tiny drop of blood while other brands may need a larger sample. After the sample is large enough, put it onto the test strip so that blood sugar can be tested by the meter.
With practice, it's possible to minimize the amount of pain once the ideal sensitivity of the lancet has been determined. Try to change the finger use for the test to avoid puncturing one finger too frequently. After a while, the process of getting a blood sugar reading becomes no more traumatic than other daily chores.
Reference:
Bernstein, Richard (MD). Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars. Little, Brown and Company (2007).
