Tips on DIABETIC TESTING

Getting a Blood Sample from your Fingers:

All glucose meters vary in technique. Refer to your owner's manual for more information specific to your glucose meter and diabetic testing strips. However, here are some simple diabetic testing tips for getting a blood sample from your fingers.

• Wash hands with warm soapy water
• Avoid using alcohol, since it can cause drying and cracking of the skin
• Shake hand down at the side of your body to increase blood flow
• Grasp finger near the area to be lanced and squeeze gently until redness appears
• Prick the side, rather that the center of the finger, because there are fewer nerve endings
• Squeeze gently until you obtain a large drop of blood; do not apply force
• If necessary, gently rub hand from the base of the palm to the finger tip to increase flow
• When you have a large hanging drop of blood, apply it to pad on the test strip.  Or, if your strips are "sip-in" style, touch the strip to the blood droplet.

NOTE: All glucose meters and their corresponding testing strips require varying amounts of blood to acquire an accurate reading. If you have difficulty acquiring blood, consider changing to a glucose meter that requires a minimal sampling. SOURCE