Pain management

5 tips for gentle blood sampling

Lancing fingers is a vital part of daily diabetes management. In a recent study, up to 35% of the participants stated that pain is the main reason people with diabetes refrain from regular blood glucose testing1.2One factor contributing to greater pain sensation when lancing the finger is wrong handling of the lancing device. Lancing correctly with Accu-Chek lancing devices keeps discomfort to a minimum. You can test more comfortably with these five easy steps:

Ensure hands are clean and dry.

Lance on the side of the fingertip rather than the pad.

Keep the skin taut by pressing the lancing device firmly against the skin.

Select a penetration depth as shallow as possible but still produces blood.

Alternate fingers daily and take the necessary steps to ensure good blood circulation.

Also:

• Consider testing beyond the fingertip. If you and your healthcare professional agree that checking from other sites is right for you, you may experience less pain after a blood glucose test if you use your palm, forearm or upper arm instead of your sensitive fingertips.³
• Use a fresh lancet. Today's lancets are so tiny that just a single use can bend or dull the tips. As a result, they can hurt more if you try to reuse them.

Choosing the least-painful lancing technology can help reduce blood glucose test pain, too. The Accu-Chek Multiclix, Accu-Chek Softclix Plus and Accu-Chek Softclix lancing devices all use the same Clixmotion technology, which minimizes side-to-side motion for less skin tearing. What's more, each offers 11 customizable depth settings to help match your skin type and help eliminate blood glucose testing pain.