Home Blood Glucose Test: How It Feels

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How It Feels

Your fingertips may get sore from frequent pricking for blood sugar testing. To help prevent sore fingertips:

• Always prick the side of your finger. Do not prick the tip of your finger. This increases the pain and you may not get enough blood to do the test accurately. Also, do not prick your toes to get a blood sample. This can increase your risk of getting an infection in your foot.
• Don't squeeze the tip of your finger. If you have trouble getting a drop of blood large enough to cover the test area of the strip, hang your hand down below your waist and count to 5. Then squeeze your finger, beginning close to your hand and moving outward toward the tip of your finger.
• Use a different finger each time. Keep track of which finger you stick so that you don't use some fingers more than others. If a finger becomes sore, avoid using it to test your blood sugar for a few days.
• Use a different device. If you are having trouble with sore fingers, you may want to try a meter that obtains a blood sample from sites other than the fingers, such as the palm of the hand or the forearm.

Last updated:	July 25, 2007
Author:	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Reviewed By:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Alan C. Dalkin, MD - Endocrinology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer