Protect Yourself at the Hospital!

Next time you're in the hospital, make sure you do your own insulin injections and that you keep your pen in your room, and label the body of the pen, NOT the cap. 

Thousands of hospital patients were exposed to HIV, Hep and other blood bourne diseases by nursing staff switching the CAPS of the pens, and using the pen on more than one patient. 

Pens MUST be specific to ONE patient. 

There is now evidence that there IS some backwash, which contaminates the insulin, making it very risky for more than one person to use a pen. 

In hospitals, there ARE going to be diabetics with HIV or Hep. 

Protect yourself! 

This is why I always keep my testing kit and insulin with my personal property and refuse to let nurses handle my equipment or insulin. If they want to test my blood glucose I insist that I do the lancing with my own lancing device and then let them collect the blood sample for their device. This way I am not exposed to any risk if proper proceedures have not been followed. Sharing lancing devices isn't safe, even if you change the lancet, because there is minute blood splatter all over and inside the lancing device. 

http://insulinnation.com/treatment2/medicine-drugs/pen-reuse/

Which Lancet is the Finest?

Want to avoid unneccesary pain when testing your blood glucose?

Doesn't any diabetic?

Well, how about using a finer lancet?

Here are two to consider:

The BD Ultrafine, which has a gauge of 33.

Here's a page comparing it to other popular lancets, its the one on the far left, the pretty peacock blue one:

Comparison of lancets for size

I have found one other lancet which might be suitable for children, its the Tinyboy.
Its the pale blue lancet on the left in the picture below.  As you can see, its very very short.

And what about lancing devices? 

My favourite is the BD one shown at the very bottom of this photo: 

 
More Options: 

Another option to reduce pain when testing, is to use Alternate Site Testing.   
Here's an excellent article on it, which explains when its appropriate and not appropriate to use it, and how to get the best results:

Alternate Site Testing 

Where should I test if not on my fingers? 

http://gb.pinterest.com/pin/112801165641726163/

This shows the alternate sites you can use with their systems. It also shows alternate sites on the hand, (I find these just as effective as fingertip testing, you might too). As you see, you can use the base of your thumb, and the edge of your palm too.

Note that when you use fingertip testing, its usually less painful to use the side of your fingertips, rather than the flat part where your fingerprint is. 

Talk to your doctor about using alternate sites, and mention these alternate hand sites too.