How to Make Blood-Sugar Testing Less Painful

You need to prick your finger to obtain a drop of blood for home blood-glucose monitoring. Does it hurt? Some people say yes, but they've gotten used to it. Others say they find it virtually painless.

Only you can decide. But there are tried-and-true methods for making it less painful.

When Nancy Chiller Janow, age 54, was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, her endocrinologist "punctured me so hard in the middle of the finger pad, that I never wanted to test again," she says. "It really hurt."

Janow's internist recommended she experiment to find a more comfortable spot. "I did and finally found that testing on the side of the pad, close to the nail, is the most comfortable," she says. "I often use my thumb. Maybe because that's more callused, it's more comfortable and doesn't hurt when I stick it.

Fingertips are a poor choice because they tend to have more nerve endings, says Nadine Uplinger, director of the Gutman Diabetes Institute at Albert Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia.

"We teach people to monitor on the sides of their fingers, not down by the knuckle but up by the nail bed on the fleshy part and not on the tips," she says. "Another thing to do is pinch or put pressure on where you're going to test to seal it and that seems to minimize pain."

Also, don't use alcohol to sterilize your finger. "Alcohol dries out the skin and tends to cause more cracking and pain," Uplinger said. Instead, wash your finger in warm water.

There are several other things you can do to prevent sore fingers when monitoring your blood sugar:

• Vary the finger you use for testing. Pick an easy-to-remember pattern to make sure you're not using the same spot over and over again. If your finger is sore, don’t use it for testing until it heals.
• Avoid pricking the finger's tip. This part of the finger is especially sensitive and can be more painful than other parts of your finger. Aim for the side of your fingertip.
• Know how to use your equipment properly, and use a new lancet each time you check. Lancets can get dull if they are used multiple times, resulting in a more painful prick. 
• Try not to squeeze blood from the fingertip. If you don’t have enough to do the test, hang your hand down below the waist for 5 seconds. If necessary, you can gently squeeze your finger beginning at the base (near the hand) and move outward.
• Select a different blood-glucose monitor. Some devices require much less blood than others; consider investing in a higher-end model f you routinely have trouble obtaining enough blood. Others allow you to use blood obtained from places other than the fingers, such as the arm.