Lancing Trouble

Using the lancing pen and lancets that came with my meter never really seems to give enough blood. But using a lancet by hand seemed to cause Podo some pain. The lancets that came with the meter are 33 gauge, but the ones I have to use by hand are 30 gauge. I would think a smaller lancet would cause less pain. Is it just that doing it by hand is slower than the pen that is causing the pain?

 

Just a few tips, are you using a warm rice sock to get the blood flowing? Also there are usually different depth settings with a lancet pen, have you tried a different setting? I personally have always used the lancet freehand because I felt it gave me more control on where to prick. You need to try and angle it 45 degrees , unlike staright with the pen, when you prick and not go all the way through. It takes some practise to feel the right amount of pressure. You could also try a different brand of lancet, that might work for you.

 

Ahh, I was going straight on and I did end up going through her ear. I am using the rice sock. And I had the lancet pen already at 6/10, it says to start at 3. I was really afraid to go much higher than 6.

 

Try warming the ear, first. A rice sock warmed for a bit in the microwave works GREAT for warming the ear and increasing blood flow.
Once it is warm, (NOT hot), hold it against the interior of the ear while you gently, but briskly rub the vein on the backside of the ear.
Set the poke tool, (brain drain - cannot remember the "real name" right now), to its next to deepest setting.
While still holding the rice sock on the underside of the ear, (as support), press the plunger. You should get a good drop of blood with relatively little pain, or problems. After you get your sample, (I clutch Stormy Blue's ear by the tip so he does not "flick away" my droplet until I get it on the strip), press and hold a cotton ball onto the pricked spot for a few seconds to a) stop the bleeding and b) lessen potential bruising.


~M

 

The ear does toughen up a bit more with regular testing, and you'll find it will become much easier for the blood to flow and also for you to prick the lancet half way through, and feel the right pressure to prick. Massage the area really well, and warm it up with the rice sock (don't hold a very hot sock next to the ear, or it might burn), and then try to lancet.

 

If you're using the pen, you can try a different depth setting and seeing if that helps. I preferred the greater control that using a lancet without the pen device gave me. Regardless of which you use, you'll have better luck with the pricking if you have something on the other side of the ear to poke against. (Think of trying to write on a piece of paper dangling from your fingertips -- it'll keep moving away when you touch it with a pencil.) Some folks use rice socks to get the blood flowing; I just used a vigorous ear massage, and held a cotton ball to the other side of the ear.


> The lancets that came with the meter are 33 gauge, but the ones I have to use by hand are 30 gauge.
> I would think a smaller lancet would cause less pain.

30 is a larger size needle than 33 gauge, so a 30 gauge lancet will hurt more. But there's no reason you can't take the lancets that came with the meter and try freehanding them and see how things work. After getting the blood on the test strip, put pressure on both sides of the ear, to help reduce bruising, which will make the next test somewhat less painful.


The other side of using a smaller lancet (33 is smaller than 30) is that the hole you poke is smaller, so less blood will come out. You may want to use a larger lancet here at the start, until you're both more comfortable in getting blood. Other things you can try:

if the blood is soaking into the fur before you can get to it, you can try putting a tiny bit of Vaseline where you plan to poke, to help the blood bead up. If the problem is that Podo moves her head before you can get the blood on the test strip, try scraping the blood onto your fingernail and testing from there. You can try 'milking' the ear: put your thumb behind the ear and press in with your forefingers, kinda like you're trying to pop a pimple; do that several times until you have enough blood. And, instead of pricking the ear just once, if you're freehanding, you can try pricking the ear twice, real close together.

And, yes, crazy as it sounds, the ears really *do* 'learn' to bleed better

-- Jean and her Gwyn

 

The rice sock has to be really really warm but not hot. Fold it over the edge of the ear for at least a minute if you can. Hold the sock under the ear to provide support while you prick the ear.

Try a different lancet device. The local Human pharmacy will usually have a few different ones. Don't buy the CVS brand one, though. It's impossible to use.

Try a higher depth setting on the lancet device. If the lancet device comes with a clear cap, use that so you can see where you are pricking.

A thin gauge lancet may cause less pain but it will also cause less blood to come out. Try a higher gauge lancet like 30 or even 28 gauge. Here is a lancet comparision chart: http://www.walgreens.com/marketing/libr ... ancets.jsp

You can try freehanding the lancet without the device. Some people find this easier.

 

I prefer to use the lancet device for better control / more consistency -- for my kitties, I have it set for 4 out of 5 (for yours, that would probably be similar to 8 out of 10)

 

Ok, got it first try this evening and with only a little flinching and no head shaking.

I think one of the problems is my vet showed me to take the sample from the white side of the ear, it is much more natural to do it from the furry side.

Solution at this point: warm rice sock, remove sock, use folded tissue behind ear, lance ear, set down lancet, milk ear, get sample, set down meter, stop blood with tissue. Wait and hope not to get Er 2 (not enough blood). Since I started removing the sock and using the tissue to keep from lancing myself, I haven't gotten one of the "blood too warm" errors.

 

Sounds like you're getting it !!!

It takes practice and a little experimentation.

Sunny today, I hope...I'm in Enumclaw WA.

 

BD brand Ultra Fine II 30 Gauge lancets. Sharpest ones out there - I really think that makes a difference. As already said, the angle is important. You'll get faster with more practice.