Where/how do you stick yourself?



J

Jeff

Guest
I'm a 45 year old male, diagnosed three years ago with Type II. I was able to keep my numbers in
order with diet and exersise up until now.

I've been taking shots now for about three weeks.

I'm taking 19 units of Lantus in the morning, and NovoLog with meals, testing right before I eat
to calculate the amount of NovoLog to shoot. Two hours after meals I test again to insure
everything is fine.

Quick question... I'm running out of fingers ;-) I lost a fingertip a few years ago (motorcycle
wreck) so I'm down to 18 sample points (each side of my nine available digits).

I've read about meters that can take samples in other locations, but I've already purchased my
meters and supplies. I use the accu-check advantage with comfort curve strips.

Suggestions, comments?
 
I usually just use the sides of my thumbs. I have heafty callouses built there so I don't feel it.
IMO pinkies are the worst. OUCH! c

"Jeff" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm a 45 year old male, diagnosed three years ago with Type II. I was able to keep my numbers in
> order with diet and exersise up until now.
>
> I've been taking shots now for about three weeks.
>
> I'm taking 19 units of Lantus in the morning, and NovoLog with meals, testing right before I eat
> to calculate the amount of NovoLog to shoot. Two hours after meals I test again to insure
> everything is fine.
>
> Quick question... I'm running out of fingers ;-) I lost a fingertip a few years ago (motorcycle
> wreck) so I'm down to 18 sample points (each side of my nine available digits).
>
> I've read about meters that can take samples in other locations, but I've already purchased my
> meters and supplies. I use the accu-check advantage with comfort curve strips.
>
> Suggestions, comments?
 
I do my 8 fingers, but not usually the index fingers which are more sensitive for me. I check about
600 times per month...

Some newer meter mfgrs suggest the forearm is less painful. I tried it twice and wouldn't do it
again, so go figure!

dave

Jeff wrote:

> I'm a 45 year old male, diagnosed three years ago with Type II. I was able to keep my numbers in
> order with diet and exersise up until now.
>
> I've been taking shots now for about three weeks.
>
> I'm taking 19 units of Lantus in the morning, and NovoLog with meals, testing right before I eat
> to calculate the amount of NovoLog to shoot. Two hours after meals I test again to insure
> everything is fine.
>
> Quick question... I'm running out of fingers ;-) I lost a fingertip a few years ago (motorcycle
> wreck) so I'm down to 18 sample points (each side of my nine available digits).
>
> I've read about meters that can take samples in other locations, but I've already purchased my
> meters and supplies. I use the accu-check advantage with comfort curve strips.
>
> Suggestions, comments?
 
> I'm taking 19 units of Lantus in the morning, and NovoLog with meals, testing right before I eat
> to calculate the amount of NovoLog to shoot. Two hours after meals I test again to insure
> everything is fine.

What formula do you use to calculate your insulin requirement before meals? I am now using humalog
and guess depending on what I am going to eat and my current sugar reading is as to how much insulin
I should inject. It is not very scientific. . .
 
On 6 Feb 2004 13:08:24 -0800, [email protected] (Jeff) wrote:

>I'm a 45 year old male, diagnosed three years ago with Type II. I was able to keep my numbers in
>order with diet and exersise up until now.
>
>I've been taking shots now for about three weeks.
>
>I'm taking 19 units of Lantus in the morning, and NovoLog with meals, testing right before I eat
>to calculate the amount of NovoLog to shoot. Two hours after meals I test again to insure
>everything is fine.
>
>Quick question... I'm running out of fingers ;-) I lost a fingertip a few years ago (motorcycle
>wreck) so I'm down to 18 sample points (each side of my nine available digits).
>
>I've read about meters that can take samples in other locations, but I've already purchased my
>meters and supplies. I use the accu-check advantage with comfort curve strips.
>
>Suggestions, comments?

I know I'm asking the obvious, as you've been diagnosed for three years, but you do adjust the
lancet for the minimum penetration that will achieve the result?

I've found that occasionally I need to re-adjust when I fit a new lancet needle, which I only do
when it starts to hurt. I still test a lot, probably as much as you, but I rarely get to the point
where all my fingertips (sides)are sore. Incidentally, I have always used an accu-chek softclix. HTH

Cheers Alan, T2, Oz. dx May 2002 , A1C 5.8, no meds, diet and not enough exercise. I have no medical
qualifications beyond my own experience. Choose your advisers carefully, because experience can be
an expensive teacher.

--
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
 
On 6 Feb 2004 13:08:24 -0800, [email protected] (Jeff) wrote:

>I'm a 45 year old male, diagnosed three years ago with Type II. I was able to keep my numbers in
>order with diet and exersise up until now.
>
>I've been taking shots now for about three weeks.
>
>I'm taking 19 units of Lantus in the morning, and NovoLog with meals, testing right before I eat
>to calculate the amount of NovoLog to shoot. Two hours after meals I test again to insure
>everything is fine.
>
>Quick question... I'm running out of fingers ;-) I lost a fingertip a few years ago (motorcycle
>wreck) so I'm down to 18 sample points (each side of my nine available digits).
>
>I've read about meters that can take samples in other locations, but I've already purchased my
>meters and supplies. I use the accu-check advantage with comfort curve strips.
>
>Suggestions, comments?

See Sig for Free BG software that will keep track of the frequency of how often you test each finger
or forearm for the past 30 days. A good method to even out the testing on all your fingers.

_____________________________________________
http://www.tcainternet.com/retired/index.html
 
Look at this one ..... could be somthing for you ...

http://www.glucerna-precision.com/servlet/nutrio/?page=221&cat=0

Godd luck ! Marit

"Jeff" <[email protected]> skrev i melding
news:[email protected]...
> I'm a 45 year old male, diagnosed three years ago with Type II. I was able to keep my numbers in
> order with diet and exersise up until now.
>
> I've been taking shots now for about three weeks.
>
> I'm taking 19 units of Lantus in the morning, and NovoLog with meals, testing right before I eat
> to calculate the amount of NovoLog to shoot. Two hours after meals I test again to insure
> everything is fine.
>
> Quick question... I'm running out of fingers ;-) I lost a fingertip a few years ago (motorcycle
> wreck) so I'm down to 18 sample points (each side of my nine available digits).
>
> I've read about meters that can take samples in other locations, but I've already purchased my
> meters and supplies. I use the accu-check advantage with comfort curve strips.
>
> Suggestions, comments?
 
"Colleen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I usually just use the sides of my thumbs. I have heafty callouses built there so I don't feel it.
> IMO pinkies are the worst. OUCH!

Yikes! I tried my thumbs just once. It seemed clumsy to do and it was very painful. So I only do the
sides of the fingers and never the thumbs. For some reason, my pinkies bleed quite well and they are
less painful to do. So any time I need to do extra tests, those get used.

--
Type 2 http://users.bestweb.net/~jbove/
 
Good ol' YMMV. I do my pinkies and they bruise and hurt for days. My thumbs must be really tough. I
think Loretta uses her thumbs, too. c

"Julie Bove" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
>
>
>
> "Colleen" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > I usually just use the sides of my thumbs. I have heafty callouses
built
> > there so I don't feel it. IMO pinkies are the worst. OUCH!
>
> Yikes! I tried my thumbs just once. It seemed clumsy to do and it was
very
> painful. So I only do the sides of the fingers and never the thumbs. For some reason, my pinkies
> bleed quite well and they are less painful to do. So any time I need to do extra tests, those
> get used.
>
> --
> Type 2 http://users.bestweb.net/~jbove/
 
"Jeff" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm a 45 year old male, diagnosed three years ago with Type II. I was able to keep my numbers in
> order with diet and exersise up until now.
>
> I've been taking shots now for about three weeks.
>
> I'm taking 19 units of Lantus in the morning, and NovoLog with meals, testing right before I eat
> to calculate the amount of NovoLog to shoot. Two hours after meals I test again to insure
> everything is fine.
>
> Quick question... I'm running out of fingers ;-) I lost a fingertip a few years ago (motorcycle
> wreck) so I'm down to 18 sample points (each side of my nine available digits).
>
> I've read about meters that can take samples in other locations, but I've already purchased my
> meters and supplies. I use the accu-check advantage with comfort curve strips.
>
> Suggestions, comments?

A comment would be "I use only three fingers" and I test an average 6 times per day. (For at least
16 years) So far my fingers are coping well:)

A suggestion I could make would be (and if this doesn't tickle you, you're buggered..) "Stick to it
and eventually you won't feel the meat stabber stabbing. There ARE prickers that are designed for
forearm sticking, but I've never felt the need for that and I stuck with the fingers and like I
said, they've survived and they're still in excellent condition too.

Beav
 
count carbs.

Find out what your insulin/carb ratio is.

Find out what your drop ratio is.

learn it. live it. live longer, and better.

dave

Bob wrote:

>>I'm taking 19 units of Lantus in the morning, and NovoLog with meals, testing right before I eat
>>to calculate the amount of NovoLog to shoot. Two hours after meals I test again to insure
>>everything is fine.
>
>
> What formula do you use to calculate your insulin requirement before meals? I am now using humalog
> and guess depending on what I am going to eat and my current sugar reading is as to how much
> insulin I should inject. It is not very scientific. . .
 
I've been using the middle and fourth fingers of my left hand for....?....probably the whole 12
years. Sides or middle of the finger a couple of times a day usually. I have a dim tattoo on both
but it's never bothered me. And I use my fingers on a computer keyboard every day. Sounds odd, even
to me! Nan, Type 2
 
My endo gave me a sliding scale. 1 unit every 20 bg starting at 80.

I've also used the 500 rule to compute the number of carbs covered by extra units. For me that's
about one unit for every 20 carbs. So if my pre meal is 125, that's three for a regular meal (45g
carb) anything over that and I add. So if I'm having a calzone (bad idea in general) that's 80
carbs, I add an extra unit.

From what I've read, it takes a while to figure out "your milage"

jeff

Not a doc, my own opinions! NOT medical advice!

"Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> > I'm taking 19 units of Lantus in the morning, and NovoLog with meals, testing right before I eat
> > to calculate the amount of NovoLog to shoot. Two hours after meals I test again to insure
> > everything is fine.
>
> What formula do you use to calculate your insulin requirement before meals? I am now using humalog
> and guess depending on what I am going to eat and my current sugar reading is as to how much
> insulin I should inject. It is not very scientific. . .
 
How do I determine my insulin/carb ratio? drop ratio?

"Bay Area Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> count carbs.
>
> Find out what your insulin/carb ratio is.
>
> Find out what your drop ratio is.
>
> learn it. live it. live longer, and better.
>
> dave
>
> Bob wrote:
>
> >>I'm taking 19 units of Lantus in the morning, and NovoLog with meals, testing right before I eat
> >>to calculate the amount of NovoLog to shoot. Two hours after meals I test again to insure
> >>everything is fine.
> >
> >
> > What formula do you use to calculate your insulin requirement before
meals?
> > I am now using humalog and guess depending on what I am going to eat and my current sugar
> > reading is as to how much insulin I should inject. It is not very scientific. . .
> >
 
Bob, rather than explain it fully here, I'd like to suggest that you pick up a book that will
explain these concepts. One of the books that does a credible job is "Pumping Insulin" by John Walsh
& Ruth Roberts. You don't HAVE to be a pumper to learn a lot of valuable DM management techniques
from that book.

Here is a brief explanation of the ratios:

When I count carbs for a meal, I already know how many carbs each unit of insulin will accommodate.
For example at breakfast, a unit will cover 9 carbs, so if I eat say, 36 carbs, I need to bolus 4
units. At supper, my ratio changes a bit to 1:11, so for every 11 carbs, I bolus a unit.

The drop ratio is how much my bg's drop for each unit given as a corrective bolus. During the
daytime, my correction (drop) ratio is
1:38, and in the wee hours it's about 1:22. So if my bg is say, 200 in the afternoon, I might take a
corrective bolus of 100/38= ~3 to bring me down to a target bg of 100. Make sense?

Since I pump, I can fine tune the quantity of insulin I take to the nearest 1/10 of a unit. I don't
calculate things in my head to a high degree of precision because it isn't generally necessary.
Let's say that I count the carbs for a meal and it comes out to 58. I round that to 60. Let's say my
actual ratio is 1:11. I'll round that to 10 and bolus 60/10 = 6 units. Trying to micro manage it any
closer than that isn't practical because a bit of activity or a difference in true carb intake
versus what's listed on food packages makes it fruitless to attempt perfection.

Hope this helps!

dave

Bob wrote:

> How do I determine my insulin/carb ratio? drop ratio?
>
> "Bay Area Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>count carbs.
>>
>>Find out what your insulin/carb ratio is.
>>
>>Find out what your drop ratio is.
>>
>>learn it. live it. live longer, and better.
>>
>>dave
>>
>>Bob wrote:
>>
>>
>>>>I'm taking 19 units of Lantus in the morning, and NovoLog with meals, testing right before I eat
>>>>to calculate the amount of NovoLog to shoot. Two hours after meals I test again to insure
>>>>everything is fine.
>>>
>>>
>>>What formula do you use to calculate your insulin requirement before
>
> meals?
>
>>>I am now using humalog and guess depending on what I am going to eat and my current sugar reading
>>>is as to how much insulin I should inject. It is not very scientific. . .
>>>
>>>
>>
 
"Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> How do I determine my insulin/carb ratio? drop ratio?

Eat a known number of carbs and test at one and two hours after eating. That'll tell you how
"undiluted" carbs affect your BG.

Do the same thing again with the same number of carbs, but shoot insulin at 1u per 15g this time.
teat at the one and two hour mark again and you'll begin to get an idea of how effective insulin is
at arresting BG rises caused by food.

Then, when you're neither rising or dropping (your BG's not you personally:) shoot 1u of insulin
and test at the one hour and two hour mark. that'll give you an idea of how effective insulin is
when there's no food to deal with. (your drop time/ratio)

All this takes time and shouldn't be attempted all in one day. Do one of the above, then leave any
experimenting alone for a day or three before thinking about another experiment.

Beav
 
"Nan Eklund" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've been using the middle and fourth fingers of my left hand for....?....probably the whole 12
> years. Sides or middle of the finger a couple of times a day usually. I have a dim tattoo on both
> but it's never bothered me. And I use my fingers on a computer keyboard every day. Sounds odd,
> even to me!

It pobably does to anyone who doesn't do it Nan, but not me, and the "tattoo" you speak of is
something I get when my hands have been working on some old junker for a day or two. A long bath
makes them disappear though.

Beav
 
On 6 Feb 2004 13:08:24 -0800, [email protected] (Jeff) wrote:

>Quick question... I'm running out of fingers ;-) I lost a fingertip a few years ago (motorcycle
>wreck) so I'm down to 18 sample points (each side of my nine available digits).

Howdy Jeff,

I use all of my fingers and both thumbs. So for me there is 3 pokes per side plus two pokes for the
top of my fingers close to the nail. So 8 to 9 pokes per finger, same for the thumbs.

>I've read about meters that can take samples in other locations, but I've already purchased my
>meters and supplies. I use the accu-check advantage with comfort curve strips.

I use a One Touch UltraSmart, and have tried the arms, don't really feel it, but using my fingers
for me is faster. So I'd rather do my fingers. Now if my fingers are really cold, I poke the pads of
my palms on either side of my wrist (not in the middle), near the base of my thumbs or base of the
little finger.
--
Terrell
type 2, dumped the metformin
D&E for now...
 
i have the freestyle and test on my arms and i love it I would never test before I got that meter
Now I want the new one touch ultra smart cause I tend to forget to write it down but it is so much
money.....

t2 __29 years old "Bay Area Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Bob, rather than explain it fully here, I'd like to suggest that you pick up a book that will
> explain these concepts. One of the books that does a credible job is "Pumping Insulin" by John
> Walsh & Ruth Roberts. You don't HAVE to be a pumper to learn a lot of valuable DM management
> techniques from that book.
>
> Here is a brief explanation of the ratios:
>
> When I count carbs for a meal, I already know how many carbs each unit of insulin will
> accommodate. For example at breakfast, a unit will cover 9 carbs, so if I eat say, 36 carbs, I
> need to bolus 4 units. At supper, my ratio changes a bit to 1:11, so for every 11 carbs, I
> bolus a unit.
>
> The drop ratio is how much my bg's drop for each unit given as a corrective bolus. During the
> daytime, my correction (drop) ratio is
> 1:38, and in the wee hours it's about 1:22. So if my bg is say, 200 in the afternoon, I might take
> a corrective bolus of 100/38= ~3 to bring me down to a target bg of 100. Make sense?
>
> Since I pump, I can fine tune the quantity of insulin I take to the nearest 1/10 of a unit. I
> don't calculate things in my head to a high degree of precision because it isn't generally
> necessary. Let's say that I count the carbs for a meal and it comes out to 58. I round that to 60.
> Let's say my actual ratio is 1:11. I'll round that to 10 and bolus 60/10 = 6 units. Trying to
> micro manage it any closer than that isn't practical because a bit of activity or a difference in
> true carb intake versus what's listed on food packages makes it fruitless to attempt perfection.
>
> Hope this helps!
>
>
> dave
>
> Bob wrote:
>
> > How do I determine my insulin/carb ratio? drop ratio?
> >
> > "Bay Area Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> >
> >>count carbs.
> >>
> >>Find out what your insulin/carb ratio is.
> >>
> >>Find out what your drop ratio is.
> >>
> >>learn it. live it. live longer, and better.
> >>
> >>dave
> >>
> >>Bob wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>>I'm taking 19 units of Lantus in the morning, and NovoLog with meals, testing right before I
> >>>>eat to calculate the amount of NovoLog to shoot. Two hours after meals I test again to insure
> >>>>everything is fine.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>What formula do you use to calculate your insulin requirement before
> >
> > meals?
> >
> >>>I am now using humalog and guess depending on what I am going to eat and my current sugar
> >>>reading is as to how much insulin I should inject. It is not very scientific. . .
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >