Blood sampling is essential for self-monitoring of blood glucose. People with diabetes therefore take their blood regularly with a lancing device. This self-monitoring is necessary to better manage the disease, improve quality of life, and prevent secondary damage. However, many people find blood glucose measurement painful because they mistakenly take the blood directly in the middle of the fingertip and not on the side of the fingertip as recommended. To prevent the sensation of pain, here we give you a few suggestions for blood glucose testing and reveal tricks for turning the prick on the lateral fingertip into a gentle “click”.
Every skin is different
In order to reach the areas in the skin with sufficient blood supply when pricking, the lancet must penetrate the top layer of skin (epidermis). However, the epidermis on the hands and fingers varies from person to person and is reinforced in places by external influences, such as work in the garden or manual activities. The thickness of the horny layer can vary from 0.05 to 1.0 millimeters at the fingertips due to these various influences. The underlying germ layer is between 0.1 and 0.2 millimeters thick. Here, too, there are no blood vessels yet, but there are already the first nerve endings that react to mechanical and chemical stimuli as well as to temperature stimuli. In order to reach a site with sufficient blood supply, the lancet must therefore penetrate puncture depths between a total of 0.15 millimeters and 1.2 millimeters as precisely as possible and thus with as little pain as possible. This is because it is the underlying layer of skin, known as the dermis, that contains the smallest blood vessels. Understanding laboratory values: A check of the most important abbreviations
Measuring blood glucose correctly
With the following recommended actions, blood collection is easy and you will get correct measurement results:
- Utensils: put all the measuring utensils such as blood glucose meter, test strips, lancing device with lancet and diary at hand.
- Warm hands: Before taking blood, your hands should not be too cold. The escaping amount of blood is otherwise not always enough for the measurement. Massage the fingers lightly and thus promote blood circulation.
- Wash hands: Wash your hands before taking a blood sample. Otherwise, sugar residues (for example, from fruit) on the fingers can feign too high blood sugar values. If you wash your fingers with warm water, you will also improve blood circulation. Please also make sure that your hands are well dried. Do not disinfect your hands. You can only use alcohol swabs in exceptional cases, for example if you are performing work associated with dirt and it is not possible to clean your hands on site. Allow the alcohol to evaporate completely. Otherwise, alcohol and blood will mix, which can lead to incorrect measurement results.
- Massage hands: After pricking, it often takes a while for the blood to come out. Be patient and gently massage the finger from the palm to the fingertip. This light massage is allowed. Since hardly any tissue fluid escapes during this process, there is also no risk of falsifying measurement results. So you can already measure your blood glucose with the first drop of blood.
For successful self-monitoring in diabetes, the measured values should also be recorded in each case in a diabetic diary and discussed in regular control appointments with the doctor. This can also set individual goals with the affected person.
Blood glucose meters
Diabetics can select their blood glucose meter according to their individual requirements. In addition to the classic blood pressure monitors with test strips and lancet, there are now also devices that regularly measure blood glucose via a sensor. This sensor is attached to the arm and causes a small, less painful puncture. The sensor must be changed approximately every two weeks. In general, it is important for sufferers to seek good advice when choosing a device or to inform themselves through customer reviews. The correct understanding of the meter is central, as many measurement inaccuracies in blood glucose self-monitoring are due to operating errors. With some meters, calibration of the device is necessary after opening a test strip or sensor electrode package by means of code entry or coding strips.The majority of blood glucose meters on the market are measured amperometrically, i.e. electrochemically. The photometric, i.e. optical, method of measurement is no longer very common today. During measurement, the drop of blood is either applied to a test strip or held against a measuring opening of the sensor and sucked into the meter through a capillary. The measuring times also vary depending on the device. Since, in addition to the pure blood glucose meter, lancing aids, test strips, a control solution and lancets are required, among other things, there are different sets on the market whose contents differ from each other and which can be selected according to requirements.
6 Tips for less painful blood collection
There are a few things you can do to make blood glucose testing largely painless. Here are a few small tricks with a big impact:
- Draw blood from the side of the fingertip. There is a strong blood supply, but the pain sensation is very low.
- Take blood regularly on different fingers. For example, right-handed people should also prick on the fingers of the right hand. By alternating, there is less cornification, which complicates the blood collection.
- Take the blood preferably on the side of the fingertip of the middle, ring and little finger. On the thumb and index finger disturb the smallest injuries, because we grip a lot with these fingers.
- Press the lancing device firmly on the skin when taking blood. So you can reduce the puncture depth and the associated pain sensation.
- Firmly squeeze the affected skin area for about 30 seconds after blood collection. This will prevent secondary bleeding, which can lead to small bruises and thus to pain.
- It is recommended to change the lancets of the lancing device before each blood collection.
By the way: In addition to the finger, the earlobes are in principle also well suited for a measurement of blood glucose. Some people find the self-measurement at this point, however, more difficult, because you may need a mirror.
Well-being program for the hands
Your hands are regularly “teased” during blood collection. You can do something good for your hands with this feel-good program:
- Care bath: lukewarm water with a tablespoon of vegetable oil (for example, olive or almond oil) add. Bathe your hands in it for a few minutes and then dry well.
- Peeling: a scrub of olive oil, sea salt and liquid honey refines the skin texture. Treat the skin with it carefully and do not scrub too hard.
- Hand mask: with a face mask, for example with vitamin E, massage the hands and wrap with cling film. Remove again after the specified exposure time.
