Tips for First-Time Lancet Users

Diabetics who must check their blood sugar regularly with a blood glucose meter are all too familiar with using lancets. If you've just been ordered to start testing your blood sugar, however, pricking your finger with a sharp lancet can be quite scary. Lancets are small blades designed to induce bleeding from a finger tip to produce a small blood sample. A few tips to get you started may help to relieve any lancet related anxiety.

Adjust the Lancet Device

• Lancets are used along with a lancet device, which holds the lancet in place and releases it at rapid speed so it can penetrate your skin quickly and with the least amount of pain. Many lancing devices have adjustable lancing depth settings. If you have tough skin or don't bleed easily, adjust to a deeper lancing depth to ensure you get enough blood to run your test. If you don't get enough blood on the first try, you will need to lance the skin again. Those with delicate skin can use a shallower lancing depth for best results. This will prevent you from bleeding more than necessary and suffering pain in some cases.

Choose the Right Gauge

• Just as you can adjust the depth of the lancet prick, you can choose different lancet gauges to control the width of the lancet prick. A lower gauge number means a thicker lancet, while a higher gauge number means a thinner lancet blade. If you have callused hands or poor circulation, you might want to start with a lower gauge to ensure that the lancet penetrates the skin enough to get a sufficient amount of blood. Use a thinner, higher gauged lancet if you don't have calluses and bleed easily. If you experience pain beyond that of a simple pin prick and your finger bruises after using the lancet for the first time, then switch to a thinner lancet.

Lancing Site

• The fingertip is the standard lancing site that is used to obtain blood for a blood glucose setting. Always lance the skin on the side of the finger instead of on the finger pads and switch your testing finger often. You use your the pads of your fingers much more often than the sides, which would mean that you'd feel pain or discomfort every time your testing finger touches something. Avoiding the pad is especially important for first time users who may not yet know the best lancing depth for their fingers. Lancing too deep on the pad could cause a bruise and even more pain. If you find that pricking your fingers, even on the side, causes you too much discomfort, speak to your doctor about alternative lancing sites, like the thigh or arm.

Increase Circulation

• Getting a good blood sample largely depends on the circulation of blood to your finger tips. Make sure your finger is pointing down so blood flows to your fingertips. If you know that you have poor circulation, get the blood flowing to your fingers before using the lancet. You could try washing your hands with warm water, waving your arms around, pumping your hands open and closed or massing your hands and fingers just before lancing your finger. Taking these steps may get the blood flowing well enough that you don't require the deeper lance setting. If you lance your finger and enough blood doesn't flow out immediately, don't lance it again right away. Give your finger a squeeze from your hand to the fingertip to coax more blood out of the finger.