Sugar Turned On Me

I collect swords. I’ve taken classes to teach me how to use them. I keep them hanging on my walls, tucked into corners and resting next to my bed. I admire the simple beauty of them, the efficiency of a sharp piece of metal designed to interrupt integrity of the epidermis. I’ve never feared them.

And yet, a needle less than an inch long intimidates me.

Part of being diabetic is sticking yourself, drawing that tiny crimson dot that your digital vampire, i.e. the ever present monitor, requires to let you how your blood sugar is doing that day. It’s one of the simple facts you accept the moment you start dealing with the disease. You will bleed every day, sometimes many times a day, from now until your blood flows no more.

For some, I imagine this is an easy reality to accept. My wife was fascinated by the concept. I’ve spoken with others who say it’s no big deal and feel no pain in the process.

That’s not me. The first time I took my blood took 2 testing strips, 3 lancets, and 30 minutes. I sat there, trying to press the button on the lancet device while the subtle pressure required to trigger it seemed more force than my fingers were capable of producing. I could feel the blood drawing back towards my heart, my body unwilling to co-operate as I performed this unnatural act. I had to insert the strips into the monitor more than once as the device timed out and turned off waiting on me. When I tricked myself into pressing the button, I flinched and just put a tear in my skin that produced little result. I the repeated the process, the anxiety no less the second go round, and at last yielded the desired sample, feeling as if I’d just performed minor surgery.

Knowing that in the long run this wouldn’t do, I asked around. After much trial and error, talking with friends and getting pointers, I’ve worked out the following tips:

1. Before the poking, shake your hand like it was wet and you were trying to fling water off. This will get blood into the fingertips.

2. Use the side of your finger. The pad will be more sensitive and will make typing hurt.

3. Most lancet devices are adjustable, allowing you to make the needle penetrate deeper or shallower. Remember your pinky isn’t going to require as deep a poke as your middle or ring fingers.

4. Change fingers every couple of days. I personally don’t take blood from the same side of the same finger more than 3 days in a row. Take blood from your index finger last as you use it more.

5. If blood doesn’t come out immediately, don’t worry. Just massage the area a bit. If you do that and not much comes out you may be pressing too hard. Stop, let blood come back to the area and massage it a little more.

6. Keep in mind that you’re going to need to dispose of something sharp. Most lancets come with a cap or something to put the needle into after use, but you may want to keep an empty water bottle or something similar to have as a “sharps” container.

I’ve gotten my blood draws down to a quick few moments now. It is something you never think you’ll get used to, but you do. Just load the device, put it to your skin, look away if you have to, and click… it’s done.

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