Here is a question we received from a woman with diabetes…
I am diabetic and i am not bleeding enough to take my blood sugar had to prick my self 6 times to get enough? I had to prick myself 6 times to get enough blood; blood sugar was 437 why was i not bleeding almost nothing. Please help, Amy
My answer:
Hi Amy,
There are a few reasons that you are unable to get enough blood.
1. Some people have thicker skin and need to change the setting on the lancet device to go deeper
2. If you test in the same area, something like scar tissue can temporarily make the skin thicker in that area.
3. When you have diabetes, blood circulation decreases to the extremeties (specifically fingertips)
4. When your blood sugar because very high (>350) your body tries to get rid of the extra sugar by peeing it out -which makes you dehydrated and more difficult to bleed for the blood test.
Hints to make it easier:
1. If you are pricking your finger -it can work better to prick slightly to the side of the finger pad instead of in the middle.
2. If you are pricking your finger -rub your fingers/hands together to get the blood flowing
3. In the future you can get a machine that allows testing in alternative places (like arm) instead of just finger testing.
437 as blood sugar…
Drinking water can help flush out some of the extra sugar.
You may want to call your physician about using some short acting insulin to help decrease it now.
If it becomes higher >550, you will need to contact your physician/ER because it can lead to some serious issues like -HHNS (Hyperglycemic hyperosmolar non-ketotic syndrome) which is a fancy name for too much sugar in the blood.
Take care and good luck!
I am having a terrible time getting blood also. Only a tiny pinch comes out. I put the lancet on the highest code and still no luck, I will try the side of the finger.
thanks