Ensure hands are clean and dry.
Lance on the side of the fingertip rather than the pad.
Keep the skin taut by pressing the lancing device firmly against the skin.
Select a penetration depth as shallow as possible but still produces blood.
Alternate fingers daily and take the necessary steps to ensure good blood circulation.
Also:
- Consider testing beyond the fingertip. If you and your healthcare professional agree that checking from other sites is right for you, you may experience less pain after a blood glucose test if you use your palm, forearm or upper arm instead of your sensitive fingertips.3
- Use a fresh lancet. Today's lancets are so tiny that just a single use can bend or dull the tips. As a result, they can hurt more if you try to reuse them.
Choosing the least-painful lancing technology can help reduce blood glucose test pain, too. The Accu-Chek Multiclix, Accu-Chek Softclix Plus and Accu-Chek Softclix lancing devices all use the same Clixmotion technology, which minimizes side-to-side motion for less skin tearing. What's more, each offers 11 customizable depth settings to help match your skin type and help eliminate blood glucose testing pain.
References:
1Crossbow Research, 2004. Report on research on attitudes amongst "non-testers" for Roche Diabetes UK. Data on files at Roche Diagnostics.
2Burge MR. Lack of compliance with home blood glucose monitoring predicts hospitalization in diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2001;24(8). Available at: https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/24/8/1502/21537/Lack-of-Compliance-With-Home-Blood-Glucose.Accessed December 16, 2011.
3Talk with your healthcare professional before deciding if alternate site testing is right for you.
