Hello everyone, it’s diabetes ~ here I go again!
Every time I wander the earth
I hear a lot of complaints from my patients
For example, constipation, rotten feet, and difficulty seeing ……
But the one I hear most is:
Taking a blood glucose test and sticking my finger hurts too much!!!
Two days for a small prick, three days for a big prick
Sometimes several times a day, my fingers are sieved!
The psychological shadow is bigger than a grinding wheel
……
To be honest, watching people being tortured by “finger sticking”
I don’t feel good either
.
After all, when I was a kid, I was also scared by “Rongma ziwei” ……
And as soon as it hurts, someone will “scold me” in their mind
Hey! I don’t want to have such a strained relationship with humans
Today I’m going to let you in on a few secrets:How do you stick your finger without pain?
Move your hands before you test your blood glucose
What is the biggest fear of blood glucose testing? Getting a shot that doesn’t bleed, or doesn’t bleed enough, and then having to keep doing it ……
To avoid getting stabbed for nothing,it’s crucial to move your fingers before taking blood to get the blood circulating a bit faster.
For example, first hang your arm down for a while or shake your arm, or you can massage your finger to get your fingertips engorged with blood.
If your hands are cold in winter, you can also warm them up in warm water before taking your blood glucose before taking your blood when your fingers feel right.
Where does it hurt the least to pierce?
Human beings often say that “the ten fingers are connected to the heart”, which is true, but there are different lengths of the ten fingers, which naturally have different relationships with pain! We can find a soft one to pinch!
First of all, in terms of site, don’t take blood at the fingertips, choose the sides of the fingers. Because the nociceptive receptors on the sides of the finger are less distributed, it will be less painful to collect blood.
Also, there are rules in choosing the fingertips. Of the ten fingers, the ring finger has the sparsest nociceptors on the side of the finger and the lowest pain sensitivity, which can be preferred.
In addition to the ring finger, the pinky and middle fingers are also ideal for blood collection because they are more “idle” and are not the main functional fingers, and after tying them, even if they continue to do their daily tasks, the wound is less likely to be rubbed or squeezed, making it easier to recover. .
Of course, you can’t catch a soft persimmon and squeeze it to death. The most important thing is to make sure that you have a good understanding of the situation. We recommend that you often choose “cold” sites that you have not used before, even if you feel uncomfortable at first, try a few more times and you’ll get good at it!
I don’t want more blood, but enough
.
I see this all the time: diabetic patients skewing their mouths while vigorously collecting blood. It’s heartbreaking and pathetic.
In fact, you only need to take the right amount of blood. If you take too much blood, it will easily contaminate the test paper and the wound will not recover easily. Don’t be so hard on yourself, why bother ……
I suggest you:
First, choose an instrument that requires less blood;
Secondly, many adjustable blood collection pens have been invented to adjust the intensity according to your own skin, and the general blood collection pens have a scale of “1-5”, which is the depth into the skin, and you can choose 3 at the beginning, and then you can adjust it according to the skin condition, and choose a shallow needle depth to collect the least amount of The blood can be collected at a minimum!
Take blood after the alcohol has dried
If you’ve noticed all of the above, it may not hurt for you to collect blood, but that doesn’t mean it will be successful.
Responsibly I add 4 special reminders:
- Before collecting blood, wash your hands (especially the blood collection site) with soap and warm water and wipe them clean with a clean napkin or cotton ball.
- Not only should you disinfect your finger with alcohol before collecting blood, but you should also be sure to wait for the alcohol to dry before collecting blood. Otherwise, the alcohol will mix with the blood after the needle prick and will also react chemically with the ingredients inside the glucometer test strip, resulting in a low blood glucose measurement.
- The best way to get blood is to take the first drop of blood. If you have tied it and the bleeding is too small or there is no bleeding, don’t squeeze the blood out hard. Because not only blood but also tissue fluid is squeezed out, the blood sugar measured will be lower than usual and not accurate!
- Do not press or move the blood glucose test strip or meter during the test.
.
When is the best time to measure blood glucose?
I looked at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Standards for the Management of Diabetes (2019) to figure this out. The criteria say that we have to look at this in context.
- If you are on intensive insulin therapy (such as multiple daily insulin injections or are on insulin pump therapy), it is recommended to test your blood glucose multiple times throughout the day, such as before eating, before snacking, before going to bed, before exercising, before driving, and when you suspect you are hypoglycemic.
- If your insulin injections are less frequent, usual blood glucose monitoring is also needed to give you a better idea of your usual condition and to help your doctor make a diagnosis.
.
The exact point in time when to take the test also depends on the situation .
- Pre-meal glucose, for people with high fasting glucose or at risk of hypoglycemia.
- 2-hour postprandial blood glucose, for people with well-controlled fasting blood glucose but still not meeting glycated hemoglobin targets; people who need to understand the effect of diet and exercise on blood glucose.
- Bedtime blood glucose, for patients who inject insulin, especially those who inject insulin before dinner.
- Nighttime blood glucose, for those whose blood glucose is close to the standard after treatment, but whose fasting blood glucose is still high; or those who are suspected of having nighttime hypoglycemia.
.
Can you measure your blood glucose yet? I hope humans can live more peacefully with me!