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Tips on Testing & Insulin
American Diabetes Services, a leading provider for diabetic testing supplies, offers these valuable insulin and diabetic testing tips to help you with diabetes self management.
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.
Getting a Blood Sample from Alternate Sites:
New alternate-site technology is available.
Follow the manufacturers instructions on acquiring blood samples for the most accurate results. These alternate site meters allow for diabetic testing on your forearms, upper arms, and thighs - which reduces the pain of sticking.
Here are some diabetic testing tips to help you with alternate-site testing:
- To increase the blood flow to the testing area, rub the area several times
to warm it up and draw blood to the surface.
- Rubbing the site prior to drawing a sample not only makes it easier to
acquire a good sample, but also causes the readings to be more similar to
the readings your would find from your fingertips. (It effectively
reduces the "lag-time result")
The various meters have been approved for diabetic testing on different areas of the body. Refer to owner's manual to learn which glucose meters have been approved for which sites.
which sites.
Click here to read more about alternate-site testing.
Insulin Temperatures
The temperature of insulin can affect the pain of the insulin injection. Cold insulin can be painful when injected. Insulin left at room temperature (55ƒ - 86ƒ F) in most cases will not cause any undue pain. Here are some insulin tips for handling your insulin injections:
- When using insulin that has been refrigerated, roll the vial between your palms for 3-5 seconds prior to injecting.
- Rubbing too long will cause the insulin to heat up and can affect the potency of the insulin. Especially if it is heated up frequently. So be careful when heating up your insulin.
Note: The potency and stability of most insulins can last longer if the insulin is refrigerated. However, cartridges for insulin pens should not be refrigerated when in use. Refer to your insulin's instruction sheets for proper storage information.
Proper Disposal of Syringes and
Lancets
Laws regarding the proper disposal of your insulin syringes and lancets, vary from state to state. Primarily you would want to dispose of these items in a puncture-proof and leak-proof container, referred to as a Sharps Container. It's important to dispose of insulin syringes and lancets in order to protect individuals who may come in contact with your discarded needles, for example, your trash collector.
To find out what is required in your local area, try contacting one of the following agencies for specific information for your immediate area: Hazardous Waste Disposal, Public Health Department, or your community hospital.
Sharps containers can be purchased from your local or mail-order diabetic supplier.
Some communities may offer an exchange program in which you can swap out a filled container for a new one. Other communities may offer a mail-in service to exchange or dispose of the sharps containers.
If these options are not available and purchasing a Sharps Container is not in your budget, please follow health/safety guidelines. Use a rigid, leak & puncture-proof plastic container, such as a Clorox bottle & mark it as Bio-Hazard. When it is full, put the lid on and tape it securely shut. Place this bottle in the middle of the trash bag, and double-bag. Do not recycle hazardous materials!
American Diabetes Services hopes these diabetic testing tips will help you with diabetes self management. If you need assistance with your diabetic testing supplies, we encourage you to fill out our form and one of our staff will contact you to assist you with ordering. |
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