# scarred fingers from blood testing



## SilentAssassin1642 (Sep 17, 2009)

Does anyone else have this???

My poor fingers? They're properly scarred, and it looks like there's lots of little dark dots all over them from the many many years of blood tests  Not only that the skin is pretty tough now too  not very fetching.

Anyone got any ideas? I'd love the irritating little dark dots to go and the skin to soften. But saying that, 14 years of stabbing ones fingers every day isnt going to do much good for them


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## SamInnocent (Sep 17, 2009)

You and me both - loads of little dark dots (scabs from where the lancet goes in) and calluses. There's not a lot you can do about the dark dots, but for the hard skin, just moisturise as much as possible. Should help to soften the skin a bit!


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## insulinaddict09 (Sep 17, 2009)

*I think it just goes with the territory Sam , I have hundreds of little dark dots on my finger tips  I am a constant hand washer (OCD) So I tend to constantly moisturise aswell so my hands are really soft *


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## Steff (Sep 17, 2009)

yeah im the same i use vaseline hand and nail cream kinda helps me


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## Northerner (Sep 17, 2009)

I've just moved onto my middle fingers for testing to try and give my little and next-to-little fingers chance to recover a bit. I've only been at this for a year! I sometimes get the black dots, and sometimes I get the multiple blood drops coming out of all the previous holes when I test! And sometimes I get no blood at all, which is most annoying!


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## Adrienne (Sep 17, 2009)

Palmers Cocoa Butter Forumla with Vitamin E is supposed to smoothe and blend marks and scars and tones skin and softens, smoothes and relieves dry skin.    Copied that off the pot.   No idea if it works but it smells lovely, all chocolatey !!!!


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## insulinaddict09 (Sep 17, 2009)

Northerner said:


> I've just moved onto my middle fingers for testing to try and give my little and next-to-little fingers chance to recover a bit. I've only been at this for a year! I sometimes get the black dots, and sometimes I get the multiple blood drops coming out of all the previous holes when I test! And sometimes I get no blood at all, which is most annoying!



*Hehe the Colander effect !! I get that all the time >> I do tend to favour one finger to prick though >> Im rotating more now *


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## Psychomuso (Sep 17, 2009)

I've got a favourite finger that tends to get the hard skin and black dots. Maybe this could be a secret diabetes signal  I don't tend to test regularly (GP restricting strips & general forgetfulness!) and it does improve when I don't keep stabbing that same spot. I guess the professionals would tell us to rotate sites (although swopping hands feels really weird) and consider alternative site testing.


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## Steff (Sep 17, 2009)

Northerner said:


> ! And sometimes I get no blood at all, which is most annoying!



yes the one thing guarenteed to really pee me off is that especaiily if your a tentative person to start off with you get all pshyched up to prick the finger and then nothing or not enough of a drop to get a reading grrr


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## Northerner (Sep 17, 2009)

Psychomuso said:


> I've got a favourite finger that tends to get the hard skin and black dots. Maybe this could be a secret diabetes signal  I don't tend to test regularly (GP restricting strips & general forgetfulness!) and it does improve when I don't keep stabbing that same spot. I guess the professionals would tell us to rotate sites (although swopping hands feels really weird) and consider alternative site testing.



It took me a while to get used to using my little fingers, but I do prefer them now as they get least used for anything else (even typing!)


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## Adrienne (Sep 17, 2009)

You can use all fingers and the thumb (though only been told that recently was originally told no thumb!).  They say don't use the index finger if you can help it as that is the main finger.  You can use your ear lobe, the meaty base of your thumb, your toes, your heel.   You can also use your arm but this has stipulations attached to it.    It is a suction thing and most kits come with a different top on the pen for the arm.  However there is no point in using your arm if you have eaten within the previous two hours as the reading will not be as accurate as the fingers !


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## Steff (Sep 17, 2009)

well i can admit now i have never used either of my little fingers


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## katie (Sep 17, 2009)

I have the little black dots, but dont think they are scars, just tiny scabs/bruises from the most recent tests.  I guess it's best to use every finger, both sides and change finger each time you test.


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## Psychomuso (Sep 17, 2009)

This is slightly at a tangent but, I think, still relevant. A few months ago, my support group had a talk by a local pharmacist. She said they regularly reviewed prescribing habits and the majority of people with diabetes didn't request prescriptions for lancets. A quick poll of the group revealed that almost no-one changed the lancet every time they did a test. She pointed out that this could lead to infection and it was more comfortable to use a fresh lancet each time. I certainly notice the difference with a fresh one and I know I'm guilty of using the same lancet for quite a while


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## Steff (Sep 17, 2009)

yeah muso we have had a discussion on this beforehand someone might be able to find the old thread many of us did not change everytime many did some like myself had the same lancet for up to 2 weeks , i have recently been changing mine ever 3 days since july though



just found the thread 

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=71&highlight=lancets


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## katie (Sep 17, 2009)

Psychomuso said:


> This is slightly at a tangent but, I think, still relevant. A few months ago, my support group had a talk by a local pharmacist. She said they regularly reviewed prescribing habits and the majority of people with diabetes didn't request prescriptions for lancets. A quick poll of the group revealed that almost no-one changed the lancet every time they did a test. She pointed out that this could lead to infection and it was more comfortable to use a fresh lancet each time. I certainly notice the difference with a fresh one and I know I'm guilty of using the same lancet for quite a while



it may be more comfortable when using a new lancet, but often doesnt result in muh blood!  when a lancet is a bit blunt you get more blood.

i think the infection thing is just health professionals being cautious. ive never had an infection... and i havent even had lancets on my prescription for over a year because i dont change them very often


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## insulinaddict09 (Sep 17, 2009)

katie said:


> it may be more comfortable when using a new lancet, but often doesnt result in muh blood!  when a lancet is a bit blunt you get more blood.
> 
> i think the infection thing is just health professionals being cautious. ive never had an infection... and i havent even had lancets on my prescription for over a year because i dont change them very often



*Ive not changed my lancet for a few MONTHS  it hurts less if its blunt , and I only have it set to 2  
Same here no infections or any nasties like that , I do constantly hand wash though lol hehe *


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## katie (Sep 17, 2009)

insulinaddict09 said:


> *Ive not changed my lancet for a few MONTHS  it hurts less if its blunt , and I only have it set to 2
> Same here no infections or any nasties like that , I do constantly hand wash though lol hehe *



yeah as long as u wash your hands i really cant see how you will get an infection. they just have to say that


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## AlisonM (Sep 17, 2009)

Blunt needles? EEEK! I've been changing lancets every time and my surgery have given me a catering sized pack of the things. I'm using about 4 of them a day at the mo, unless I test at lunch time as well. They told me to use a clean one every time as the risk of infection is greater if you don't and a blood related infection for a diabetic is not a good idea. Made sense to me.


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## katie (Sep 17, 2009)

no not blunt needles, ouch! blunt lancets.

find me a diabetic who has had an infection from a finger pricker and i'll consider changing it every time.


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## allisonb (Sep 17, 2009)

I have to admit to only changing my lancet every week or so and I agree with Katie, you getting more blood with a blunt needle.  I also have black spots and hard skin, and like Northerner also often get blood out of more than one hole.  Guess it just comes with the job and apart from varying sites there's not a lot that we can do.


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## insulinaddict09 (Sep 17, 2009)

katie said:


> no not blunt needles, ouch! blunt lancets.
> 
> find me a diabetic who has had an infection from a finger pricker and i'll consider changing it every time.



*Yeah Im with Twin on this one  *


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## AlisonM (Sep 17, 2009)

katie said:


> no not blunt needles, ouch! blunt lancets.
> 
> find me a diabetic who has had an infection from a finger pricker and i'll consider changing it every time.


Forgive me, I was only diagnosed a couple of weeks back and I'm still learning the lingo and figuring out how this disease affects me. I'm maybe being overly cautious with the lancets because I'm prone to infections and don't want to risk it. I was going to ask if my fingers will get all calloused from the pricking but I have the answer now don't I?  Something else to look forward to.


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## Psychomuso (Sep 17, 2009)

Hi Alison, I'm also prone to infections but have never had one at the site where I test (and I tend to use the same site 95% of the time). I guess it's personal choice plus the question of what do you do with the used lancet if you're out & about (I got severely told off for putting them in the rubbish bin and was given a sharps bin for use at home).


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## katie (Sep 17, 2009)

AlisonM said:


> Forgive me, I was only diagnosed a couple of weeks back and I'm still learning the lingo and figuring out how this disease affects me. I'm maybe being overly cautious with the lancets because I'm prone to infections and don't want to risk it. I was going to ask if my fingers will get all calloused from the pricking but I have the answer now don't I?  Something else to look forward to.



I think everybody changed the needles/lancets everytime when they were first diagnosed  I certainly did at first - you just do what the doctors and nurses tell you hehe.  But when youve been testing and injecting for years you tend to get a bit more lazy!  and it doesnt seem to do any harm.

I wouldnt worry about your fingers, you are bound to get tough bits of skin on the sides of them after years of testing but nothing anyone would notice without looking closely


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## rossi_mac (Sep 17, 2009)

Started off changing lancet every time, but soon thought balls to that, try and change it every day but more likely every 2-3 days.

I think I said last time in last thread I prod the tops of my fingers near the nail as I find it difficult to draw blood out, although I try and rotate fingers, it depends what I've been doing, if I've been using my hands I'll prod the middle, but if I've been sitting still or on pc I'll use little finger as find blood pours out of that one easiest.

Black spots appear I'm sure it'll get worse, maybe one day I'll use some of that moisture cream thingy!!

I doubt any serious infections would appear from lancets even if you didn't wash every time to be honest!


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## Copepod (Sep 17, 2009)

*infection pronenes, nurses & changing lancets frequency*

Alison M - it's possible that you have been more prone to infections recently, when you probably had diabetes, but were undiagnosed and untreated, so your blood glucose levels were higher. As your treatment begins to work, you may well find that your blood glucose levels improve and infections become less frequent.
I think most people with diabetes use a new lancet each time, because that's how it's taught by nurses, who have to change lancets each time between patients. However, I suspect I'm not the only nurse who developed diabetes after working for several years, and I continue to change lancets when finger pricking anyone else, but only change my own lancets when I remember - at least 2 weeks between changes in UK, although I change a bit more frequently when in tropical regions, camping for days / weeks in temperate /arctic / subantarctic regions etc, when washing anyhting more than hands and groin in cold water isn't too popular!


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## katie (Sep 17, 2009)

rossi_mac said:


> I doubt any serious infections would appear from lancets even if you didn't wash every time to be honest!



yeah... ive had a nail through my foot and that was ok...


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## Smit (Sep 17, 2009)

I always used my thums from the age of 2. Only in the last two or three years i have started to use my middle finger and one next to little finger. I always use hand cream, have really dry skin on hands. Doctors said it's my diabetes causing this, apparently a reaction to insulin. I'm sure, if i were to be hit by a bus the doctors would say my diabetes caused it. They blame everything on it. I have a few wee dots about the place as well. x x x


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## Psychomuso (Sep 17, 2009)

If I had better aim with my lancing device, I wonder if I create a smiley face on my finger?


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## lesley1978 (Sep 17, 2009)

I get it.  My fingers are terrible!!!  really hard skin on them and loads of little dots.  normally when I test myself I stab my finger and squeeze and more often than not about 3 teeny blobs of blood come out all in random places!


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## Steff (Sep 17, 2009)

when i come out the bath and look at my finger ends it does make me laugh they look a mess


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## lesley1978 (Sep 17, 2009)

insulinaddict09 said:


> *Ive not changed my lancet for a few MONTHS  it hurts less if its blunt , and I only have it set to 2
> Same here no infections or any nasties like that , I do constantly hand wash though lol hehe *



I am so glad that there are other people who do this!  I just thought I was a lazy bum!


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## katie (Sep 17, 2009)

Smit said:


> I always used my thums from the age of 2. Only in the last two or three years i have started to use my middle finger and one next to little finger. I always use hand cream, have really dry skin on hands. Doctors said it's my diabetes causing this, apparently a reaction to insulin. I'm sure, if i were to be hit by a bus the doctors would say my diabetes caused it. They blame everything on it. I have a few wee dots about the place as well. x x x



I have really dry hands too and it is definitely only since ive had diabetes.  No doctor has ever said it is but I guess a reaction to insulin could explain it?!


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## rossi_mac (Sep 17, 2009)

Smit said:


> I always used my thums from the age of 2. Only in the last two or three years i have started to use my middle finger and one next to little finger. I always use hand cream, have really dry skin on hands. Doctors said it's my diabetes causing this, apparently a reaction to insulin. I'm sure, if i were to be hit by a bus the doctors would say my diabetes caused it. They blame everything on it. I have a few wee dots about the place as well. x x x



Last time I saw my nursey she almost had a go at me for trying to blame something on Db, funny how different folk have different outlooks! I try not to blame anything on anything stuff happens! If it was the knight bus I'd be asking Tez what he was doing that night


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## insulinaddict09 (Sep 17, 2009)

lesley1978 said:


> I am so glad that there are other people who do this!  I just thought I was a lazy bum!



*Hehehe I'm lazy too Lesley , I'm sure if more people were honest they'd admit to it too !! its actually been so long since Ive changed my lancet I cant remember !! probably the last time we had a thread like this made me change it !*


katie said:


> I have really dry hands too and it is definitely only since ive had diabetes.  No doctor has ever said it is but I guess a reaction to insulin could explain it?!



Hmm yes I get quite dry skin , only since going  on Insulin , I am a compulsive moisturiser now though , I spend a forture on it !


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## katie (Sep 17, 2009)

insulinaddict09 said:


> Hmm yes I get quite dry skin , only since going  on Insulin , I am a compulsive moisturiser now though , I spend a forture on it !



It's soo annoying  I never used to bother moisturise that much but now i have to several times a day because my hands feel horrible otherwise GRR.


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## lesley1978 (Sep 17, 2009)

insulinaddict09 said:


> *Hehehe I'm lazy too Lesley , I'm sure if more people were honest they'd admit to it too !! its actually been so long since Ive changed my lancet I cant remember !! probably the last time we had a thread like this made me change it !*
> 
> 
> Maybe we should change now??? he he


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## insulinaddict09 (Sep 17, 2009)

lesley1978 said:


> insulinaddict09 said:
> 
> 
> > *Hehehe I'm lazy too Lesley , I'm sure if more people were honest they'd admit to it too !! its actually been so long since Ive changed my lancet I cant remember !! probably the last time we had a thread like this made me change it !*
> ...


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## katie (Sep 17, 2009)

ive got a multi clix, so i just have to turn it for a new lancet, but i still dont do it lol


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## aymes (Sep 17, 2009)

I don't think I've changed my lancet since the last time we discussed the topic, I'll use this as my remidner for doing it tonight!

I too get the irritating little black dots. My index finger on my left hand has typically been my favourite testing finger and I development a perfectly round patch of dry skin on it. I've not let myself use that finger for about four months now, used lots of moisturiser but it's not improved in all that time, think it might be a permanent fixture now, sigh...


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## lynne51 (Sep 18, 2009)

Northerner said:


> It took me a while to get used to using my little fingers, but I do prefer them now as they get least used for anything else (even typing!)



I  have never used my little finger before but after reading your reply thought id give it a go well i stabbed my finger blood came out instantly which was great so then i carried on cooking the tea and then noticed my finger was running with blood i thought i was going to have to have a stitch in it lol


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