Newbie question: Do you re-use lancets?
RPS
but somehow I do find it quite wasteful to discard a lancet after one
use.
I talked to nurses and staffers about it and every reason they gave me
(would get dull, risk of infection, etc) should apply to shaving blades
as well and most people don't throw those away after one shave.
So, for a reality check here: Do you re-use your lancets? How many
times?
Julie Bove
"RPS" <r...@null.void> wrote in message
news:070820070102120983%r...@null.void...
I use one lancet for many months. I don't keep track of how long it has
been in there. I just know it's time to change when it starts hurting.
You do need to change if you are testing someone else's blood though.
RPS
: I use one lancet for many months. I don't keep track of how long it has
: been in there. I just know it's time to change when it starts hurting.
:
: You do need to change if you are testing someone else's blood though.
Yes I do understand this. I forgot to mention that I would be the only
one using this meter.
BTW, how do you keep the exposed needle between tests? Wraps it in an
alcohol pad; just clean before re-use; or something else?
Julie Bove
"RPS" <r...@null.void> wrote in message
Mine is not exposed. I don't clean it and you NEVER want to put alcohol on
it. They are lubed with something and alcohol will remove that. Mine is
retractable so it is covered with plastic.
Alan S
Hi RPS
I've read all your questions but I'll reply to them all here
for simplicity.
First, I'll presume that you are newly diagnosed type 2,
please correct me if I'm wrong.
>I am supposed to test 3 times a day.
At this early stage, I'd see that as a bare minimum. Read
these two links to see why I say that:
http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/NewlyDiagnosed.htm
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/11/when-to-test-one-hour-or-two-hour.html
> This is not the "greenest" issue, but somehow I do find
> it quite wasteful to discard a lancet after one use.
>
So do most of us. I toss mine when it starts to hurt; I
think I changed the last one on St Swithuns day:
http://tinyurl.com/2yhnk7
>I talked to nurses and staffers about it and every reason they gave me
>(would get dull, risk of infection, etc) should apply to shaving blades
>as well and most people don't throw those away after one shave.
>
>So, for a reality check here: Do you re-use your lancets? How many
>times?
Between 50 and several hundred. And I do nothing to store
it, apart from leaving it in my Soft-clix.
Your other questions:
>Naively, I would think that as my goal is to burn BG,
> it makes most sense to exercise when it is likely to be high,
> ie, a little after eating. Is that true?
It's what I do myself - so I must agree:-)
>Is there a book, or a very short list, that you consider
> to be the best on the subject of diabetes?
The First Year, Type 2 Diabetes, An Essential Guide for the
Newly Diagnosed. Author: Gretchen Becker. ISBN 1-56924-646-0
For more books and useful links, see:
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/books-and-links.html
Finally, I'm not aware of any meters that will test both A1c
and BG's. Best to continue with a BG meter that suits your
needs and get the "home" A1c tests that I believe are
available over there - or just get it from your path lab.
In among all those links, you may have missed the most
important one, so I'll repeat it:
http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/NewlyDiagnosed.htm
Cheers Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 1500mg, ezetrol 10mg
--
I have no medical qualifications beyond my own experience.
Choose your advisers carefully, because experience can be
an expensive teacher.
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
jacki...@gmail.com
> So, for a reality check here: Do you re-use your lancets? How many
> times?
Hundreds of time. Mebbe even thousands.
I change my lancets before and after I test someone else's bg. That
probably occurs 2 or 3 times a year, so is pretty much the only time I
change them.
I reuse pen needles too - 3 or 4 times each. More than that and they
get painful.
I don't reuse syringes for vial insulin - it's too expensive to ruin a
bottle over a cheapo syringe.
Lou
I change mine once a month.
Lou
Ben Skversky
"RPS" <r...@null.void> wrote in message
news:070820070102120983%r...@null.void...
RPS
: First, I'll presume that you are newly diagnosed type 2...
Yes, indeed.
: >I am supposed to test 3 times a day.
: At this early stage, I'd see that as a bare minimum. Read
: these two links to see why I say that:
: <http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/NewlyDiagnosed.htm>
: <http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/11/when-to-test-one-hour-or-two-hour.ht
: ml>
FYI, the second link seems broken.
My doctor wants me to test 3 times a day (fasting, 2 hours after lunch,
and before going to bed), so that is the minimum indeed. I could buy
extra strips and test more on my own.
Thank you for the information and links provided below.
: > This is not the "greenest" issue, but somehow I do find
RPS
: 2. always clean testing sight. Soap and water is best. alcohol
: doesn't clean as well as soap and water and long term use tends to dry
: and crack the skin.
I have been washing with soap and water. A bit worried that "fruity"
handwashing soaps my SO loves may contaminate the test, I even bought a
plain soap for me.
However, I have also been mimicking what I saw my nurse do in the lab:
rub the test site with an alcohol pad before testing and keep one
pressed on it after pricking. I thought that was to avoid infection.
Is all of this unnecessary when testing at home and washing hands in
advance?
W. Baker
: M?ck?? <tro...@renotworthsaving.net> wrote:
Yup! It is unnecessary and when I was first diagnosed I was told by the
nurse showing me how to test that soap and warm or hot water was
preferable to alcohol pads. You don't need to pres on the finger tip
after testing as, unless you are not a clotter or are on coumadin, it will
clot very quickly. If something interruptms me between lancing and
ttesting I often have to make a new hole as the clot has formed already.
By the way, have you scheuled an appointment with an opthtamologist, not
an opomitrist for a fully dilated retinal exam? I is good idea to make
sure that no little retinal problems have started that coul dbe fixed
easily adn for a base line fo rthe doctor. You shouldn't get anew
perscription until you get your blood glucose stable, as your eyes may
vary quit a bit as the numbers go up and down.
Wendy- wearing her "eye police" hat. Please excuse my typos as I am
visually challanged.
jtees4
I re-use lancets until they become dull...genearally a week. I also
test three times a day.... and I don't pay for them. Good luck.
J J Levin
news:gfdhb3tleifhmbg5g...@4ax.com...
Is it possible to dip the tip of the lancets in a bit of alcohol and clean
them?
Jay
Julie Bove
"RPS" <r...@null.void> wrote in message
Do not use alcohol! It is drying to the skin and can cause infection. The
nurse only uses it because she is testing person after person. At home, use
soap. Any soap will do unless it has some form of carbs in it like milk or
honey. I suppose it's possible that a "fruity" soap has real fruit in it,
but it's not likely. More likely it is just a scent.
Julie Bove
"J J Levin" <jjl...@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:JL2ui.1523$MD6....@newsfe12.lga...
> Is it possible to dip the tip of the lancets in a bit of alcohol and clean
> them?
That would remove the protective coating and make them hurt.
matt weber
Don't use alcohol. It toughens the skin, and to be polite, it isn't
very effective as a disinfectant either. It takes prolonged alcohol
exposure to kill bugs, not 10 seconds, more like 10 minutes. The
reality the main disinfecting impact of the alcohol swab is
mechanical, and soap and water does it at least as well.
The reality is your body learned how to deal with most of the bugs
that live on the skin long ago. About 10 years ago there was a trial
in which some patients swabbed with alcohol before injection, and some
actually injected right through their clothers. The trial failed to
show ANY difference in skin infection rates between the groups.
Keep in mind that a Drs office isn't the same as at home. Drs offices,
and hospitals have the nastiest bugs in the world (having nearly died
of a Hospital acquired MRSA infection last year), but most of what is
around the house and on your skin, your immune system deals with quite
easily. So there are reasons to be more careful in a hospital or drs
office setting. Those aren't the bugs your body is accustomed to
dealing with.
Now if you have HIV, or are otherwise immuno compromised, re-use of
lancets, or failing to wash before injections may not be such a good
idea, but for most people, it just doesn't make any difference.
I reuse lancets, and needles until they get dull. No, I don't get 4
months, but I easily get a week...
Jeffrey Kaplan
When I was given my meter a couple months ago, the Diabetes Educator
told me that the Official Recommendation is to change every use for
reasons of cleanliness. But unless you're sharing the lancet, it
should be good for at least a week. She said that after a week, you
would start pushing the risk of infection and sharpness. I seem to be
changing the lancet about every 10 or so days.
As for the comment about changing it when it starts to hurt... it
always hurts. How much depends on which finger and where on the
finger.
--
Jeffrey Kaplan www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled Send personal mail to gordol
"Water. Fascinating. I never touch the stuff myself." (Amb. Mollari,
B5 "A Voice in the Wilderness I")
J J Levin
news:m1jhb3hrk70hugjnf...@4ax.com...
I remember what someone told me once: the worst thing to touch in a
hospital is... doorknobs. They're touched by EVERYONE, doctors, nurses,
patients, guests, and no one gives a second thought to handling them.
Jay
Alan S
>Alan S <loralgtwei...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>: First, I'll presume that you are newly diagnosed type 2...
>
>Yes, indeed.
>
>: >I am supposed to test 3 times a day.
>: At this early stage, I'd see that as a bare minimum. Read
>: these two links to see why I say that:
>: <http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/NewlyDiagnosed.htm>
>: <http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/11/when-to-test-one-hour-or-two-hour.ht
>: ml>
>
>FYI, the second link seems broken.
>
Your newsreader cut html in two:-)
Try http://tinyurl.com/26js9o
Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 1500mg, ezetrol 10mg
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
--
http://loraltraveloz.blogspot.com/
latest: Mossman Gorge in the Daintree Rainforest
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/
latest: Self-Testing and Type 2 Management
Alan S
<nom...@gordol.org> wrote:
>As for the comment about changing it when it starts to hurt... it
>always hurts. How much depends on which finger and where on the
>finger.
Mine rarely hurts. Time I re-posted this:
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/painless-pricks.html
Painless Pricks
One of the common objections to testing blood glucose more
frequently is a fear of pain from testing. If you are
suffering pain when you test - then you are doing it
incorrectly.
This is some advice I passed on to some friends, based on my
own experience. As always, check with your doctor if in any
doubt.
Wash your hands in warm water first, and shake them to get
the circulation going. Check your lancet - it should be
adjustable. Mine is Soft-clix, made by Roche and is usually
painless. I get an occasional tiny sting, and it lets me
know if it's getting blunt sometimes, but I've tested well
over 5000 times in the past 5 years without any trauma.
That's from a guy who was, and is, needle-phobic.
Start with the second lowest setting (1 or 1.5), hold it
firmly against your skin on the side of a finger near the
tip. Don't flinch when you release the button. The button
releases a spring-loaded tiny needle which makes a tiny hole
in your skin and instantly retracts. Incidentally, using the
sides has two advantages - there are less nerve-ends than on
the pads, and it doubles the number of test-points so you
can rotate through the positions.
Massage gently (milking a cow) until a drop of blood forms
sufficient to put on the test strip. If this setting doesn't
provide an adequate quantity, move the lancet setting up one
notch for the next one. If you got a large sample and it
hurt a little, go to the lower setting.
And that's all there is to it. Sometimes it helps to shake
your hands a little more, or warm them up if it's cold. The
manufacturers advise changing the lancet needle every time;
I change mine when I remember or if it gets a bit blunt. You
do what you are comfortable with, subject to doctor's
orders.
Cheers Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 1500mg, ezetrol 10mg
I have no medical qualifications beyond my own experience.
Choose your advisers carefully, because experience can be
an expensive teacher.
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/
RPS
johnniemccoy@
"Julie Bove" <juli...@verizon.net> wrote in message news:ftUti.2204
>
> I use one lancet for many months. I don't keep track of how long it has
> been in there. I just know it's time to change when it starts hurting.
>
pain...right). It was a relief to find out everybody here was just as lazy
as I am so, guilt free, I stopped changing them so often. Which reminds me,
this ones been in there about 6 months... probably time, huh?
John
Will, T2
<johnni...@NOSPAMhotmail.com> wrote:
>At first, I changed mine every time - which was a pain (....yeah, I know -
>pain...right). It was a relief to find out everybody here was just as lazy
>as I am so, guilt free, I stopped changing them so often. Which reminds me,
>this ones been in there about 6 months... probably time, huh?
Check with Ted, but many of us follow the St. Swithun's Day rule...
Do it that day and on the winter solstice, and you are good to go... I
have used only about 4 in the last couple of years... I do make sure
my finger about to be pricked is relatively clean.
The real bite is the cost of strips...
Will, T2
jacki...@gmail.com
> Is all of this unnecessary when testing at home and washing hands in
> advance?
Yes. Washing is quite sufficient.
Sometimes my timer goes off to remind me to test when I'm in the car
or something where there's no sinak around. Frankly, I just suck on
my finger a minute to make sure there's no food residue on it to screw
up the results.
This assumes my finger is *relatively* clean to begin with - I
wouldn't do this if I'd just checked the oil, for instance.
I've never gotten an infection from testing.
Alan S
wrote:
>
>Yes. Washing is quite sufficient.
>
>Sometimes my timer goes off to remind me to test when I'm in the car
>or something where there's no sinak around. Frankly, I just suck on
>my finger a minute to make sure there's no food residue on it to screw
>up the results.
>
>This assumes my finger is *relatively* clean to begin with - I
>wouldn't do this if I'd just checked the oil, for instance.
>
>I've never gotten an infection from testing.
I call that the KFC method.
Finger-lickin' good.
It's as near as I get to KFC these days:-)
Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 1500mg, ezetrol 10mg
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
Leo B
Warren and Paula Jo
with diabetes I've always used new lancets or new needles each time. I can
only recall two occasions reusing a lancet and that was because I forget to
fill my case when I left home and only had one with me for two tests.
Needles are a little more expensive but my lancets cost one cent each. To
save money by reusing a lancet at that level of cost would push me from my
current status of 'cheap' to 'cheap bastard' ;-)
The BD web site has a page about reuse (and yes I know they have a vested
interest in it). Its about their needles but the same would seem to
logically apply to lancets. There are two points that stand out to me:
http://www.bddiabetes.com/us/main.aspx?cat=1&id=266
1) The tip of a reused needle can be weakened to the point where it breaks
off and gets stuck under your skin.
2) Studies have shown that there's a link between needle reuse and the
appearance of lumps of fatty tissue that can form at an injection site
(lipodystrophy).
"RPS" <r...@null.void> wrote in message
news:070820070102120983%r...@null.void...
>I am supposed to test 3 times a day. This is not the "greenest" issue,
> but somehow I do find it quite wasteful to discard a lancet after one
> use.
>
> I talked to nurses and staffers about it and every reason they gave me
> (would get dull, risk of infection, etc) should apply to shaving blades
> as well and most people don't throw those away after one shave.
>
> So, for a reality check here: Do you re-use your lancets? How many
> times?
>
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Alan S
<wom...@ida.net> wrote:
>Personally I don't feel its worth any risk from infection so for my 13 years
>with diabetes I've always used new lancets or new needles each time. I can
>only recall two occasions reusing a lancet and that was because I forget to
>fill my case when I left home and only had one with me for two tests.
>Needles are a little more expensive but my lancets cost one cent each. To
>save money by reusing a lancet at that level of cost would push me from my
>current status of 'cheap' to 'cheap bastard' ;-)
>
Hey - I accept that I am a cheap bastard.
However, I do not re-use lancets based on cost, purely on
convenience. It takes three times as long for me to do a
test when I add lancet-change and disposal. When I was
following Jennifer's test advice that was simply
impractical. I found that re-uding the lancet had no
negatives so I continued the practice.
>
>
>The BD web site has a page about reuse (and yes I know they have a vested
>interest in it). Its about their needles but the same would seem to
>logically apply to lancets.
There we differ. The same does not logically apply at all. A
lancet and a needle are different gauges, different
construction, are used for different purposes and go to
different depths.
> There are two points that stand out to me:
>
>http://www.bddiabetes.com/us/main.aspx?cat=1&id=266
>
>
>1) The tip of a reused needle can be weakened to the point where it breaks
>off and gets stuck under your skin.
>
>2) Studies have shown that there's a link between needle reuse and the
>appearance of lumps of fatty tissue that can form at an injection site
>(lipodystrophy).
>
>
Willa Hunt
>
>> it makes most sense to exercise when it is likely to be high,
>> ie, a little after eating. Is that true?
True, but with a couple of caveats: you need some time to
digest first, and it's generally not recommended that you
exercise if your sugars are really high (over 240.) Some people
find vigorous exercise raises their BG, so you might want to
test a few times when you're starting out. I confess, I never
worry about this.
I exercise an hour after eating, which allows for digestion
and is also my BG peak time.
Mike
now.....no pain and BS is not much different than finger. The finger gives a
more accurate test of current blood sugar. But you can test forearm and
finger and compare the difference. Mine is sometimes about less than 20
difference, and sometimes the same.
http://diabetes.webmd.com/guide/how-test-blood-glucose
Blood glucose levels in the fingertips show changes more quickly than those
in alternative testing sites. This is especially true when your blood
glucose is rapidly changing, like after a meal or after exercise. It is also
important to know that if you are checking your sugar at an alternative site
while you are experiencing symptoms of hypoglycemia, you should not rely on
these test results.
"Will, T2" <wmm...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:57vhb3l6mtdq8gu0a...@4ax.com...
johnniemccoy@
"Mike" <chip...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:PVpwi.3914$7e6....@bignews4.bellsouth.net...
>I stopped finger sticking more than 2 years ago......use my upper forearm
>now.....no pain and BS is not much different than finger. The finger gives
>a more accurate test of current blood sugar. But you can test forearm and
>finger and compare the difference. Mine is sometimes about less than 20
>difference, and sometimes the same.
>
test the same place. Once you got used to the reading always being higher...
using testing, as a tool, would be the same.... wouldn't it?
John
Nicky
Yes, I think so - as long as you built in a lower trigger number. For
instance, if my finger stick goes above 7 on a pp, I go and exercise.
As alternate sites are slower, that trigger might need to be, say, 6.5
- because your eyes are faster than your forearm. You would also need
to be doing a lot of mental translation when everyone else is talking
about pp numbers, but not fasting ones, or you'd be in worse control
than they are.
Nicky.
T2 dx 05/04 + underactive thyroid
D&E, 100ug thyroxine
Last A1c 5.6% BMI 25