Diabetics: Tips for Pain-Free Testing

One of the most difficult aspects of being a diabetic is the pain from testing for glucose levels. Nobody wants to prick his or her finger, elbow or palm on a daily basis. The kind of hurt that comes from this process can range from high to low. So, one of the major goals of anyone who has diabetes is to find a way to get test results with as little distress as possible.

If you have diabetes, reduce your pain from testing by . . .

1) Staying hydrated. Ask any nurse and she'll tell you patients who are hydrated are easier to draw blood from. The skin is supple and pierces more readily. Also, as a diabetic, water helps lower your blood glucose numbers. For these reasons, you should drink 8 glasses of this liquid every day.

2) Using smaller needles. The bigger the needle - the higher the affliction. As a result, diabetics with sensitive skin can use this tip: buy smaller, shorter needles for pain-free testing. Tiniboy is a supplier of lancets that fall into this category. This company markets toward children and teens, but adults can benefit from their products too. Visit their Website at Tiniboy.com.

3) Warming up your skin. Reduce the amount of discomfort you feel by warming up the area you're about to prick. You can do this by applying a heated towel or washing the spot under warm water. The higher temperature minimizes the intensity of being lanced by the needle helping you feel less of a sting.

4) Resetting your lance device. The wrong setting on a lancing device can be the source of great anguish for diabetics. These instruments usually have depth indicators from 1 to 10 that dictate the force and pressure of the needle. A tip for pain-free testing would be to educate one's self on which number to use. For the most common area that people with diabetes test - the finger - the number should be between 1 and 4.

5) Changing needles regularly. Lancet needles can dull. Unfortunately, when this happens, testing is more difficult and painful. As a consequence, you need to change your needles often. You probably want to make the switch bi-weekly or monthly. This way, your needle is always sharp and can quickly penetrate your skin.

Get more information about diabetes and testing for glucose levels at American Diabetes Website, www.diabetes.org. There, you can get basic information and other valuable tips on how to live successfully with diabetes.