Remake
WARM YOUR HANDS Th e worst
thing that happens when you prick your
fi nger is that not enough blood comes
out. Increase the fl ow to your fi ngers
by washing your hands in warm water
fi rst. Don’t have a sink nearby? Rub your
palms back and forth.WIPE AND WAIT If you use alcohol
pads to clean your fi ngers before check-
ing, give the alcohol time to evaporate.
“Th at will reduce stinging,” says Diabetic
Living advisor Marty Irons, RPh, CDE.START THE FLOW Hang your hand
down by your side for a few seconds
before sticking your fi nger to increase
blood fl ow. (Or shake it out by wiggling
your hands back and forth.)SWITCH IT UP Devise a routine so
that you don’t favor one fi nger or one
hand. Start with your left thumb and
move one fi nger to the right each time
you check.TRY A NEW LANCET Lancets dull
aft er a few pokes, which means it takes
more force to prick the skin (bringing
more pain). To prevent this, choose
lancets with a very fi ne needle. Irons
recommends the OneTouch Delica: “It
has less vibration, so it’s less painful than
most generic devices.”CHANGE THE SETTINGS How low
can you go? Set the lancing device depth
to the lowest number possible that will
still draw blood.14 DI ABETIC LI VING / FALL 2 019
Prickly BusinessChecking your blood sugar isn’t fun, but it shouldn’t ruin your day.
These routine tweaks can make checks less of a chore.BY LARISSA ZIMBEROFFFingertips are densely
packed with feeling
receptors that send pain
signals to the brain. Use
the side of your fi nger,
which has fewer nerve
endings than the pad.DA
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