Brian
Member
Bayer has a Clear Cap (for Alternate Site Testing) available to replace the stock opaque one that comes with the Microlet 2. It shows not available on the website, but I phoned the Bayer Customer Care Canada number on the back of my Contour meter and asked about this endcap. The very nice lady said she'd send me one right away and it arrived via courier a few days later. Free
:
Using the stock opaque endcap, I find I hit the ear vein pretty often for ugly bruising (they heal no problem, but still...). I had tried for about a week to freehand stab for better aim. Linus would meowl every time I did this compared to not even flinching when I use the springloaded fast stabbing lancet device, vein stab or no, so I went back to using the spring loaded device. I had initially hoped this clear endcap would allow for better aim on the ears.
It did, but it has the drawback of not having an adjustable depth. Here's a comparison photo with the standard opaque endcap set at minimum depth (what I use on Linus' ears) placed directly behind the clear cap:
Coupled with the fact that the clear endcap is concave (curves down towards the centre), you can hopefully see the transparent one will stab a fair bit deeper (helps to enlarge the pic). The end result was going right through Linus' ear and into my finger, causing me to feel sorry for myself. Linus displayed no sympathy for me
. Better aim wasn't worth a full ear pircing and me whining like a baby, so the clear endcap was a failure for my original purpose.
The clear endcap appears to stab even deeper than the opaque one set to maximum depth. Here's a side by side comparison that isn't very illuminating:
I figured the clear endcap was worth a go for a footpad test, I had tried a few times with the opaque one set to maximum depth and never achieved more than a teenie weensie bit of blood. The clear cap stabs deep, the concave end forms nicely to the footpad and I can see where I'm aiming.
I'm happy to report this worked like a charm and footpad stabbery is now part of my testing arsenal! I did use a rice bag to heat the foot pad, and aimed for the side of the large pad on a rear foot. The clear cap vs footpad is worth a try for anyone having trouble getting blood from the ears, or anyone wanting to give the ears a rest now and then. Plus it's free to order (at least in Canada it was), so there's no much to lose.
:Using the stock opaque endcap, I find I hit the ear vein pretty often for ugly bruising (they heal no problem, but still...). I had tried for about a week to freehand stab for better aim. Linus would meowl every time I did this compared to not even flinching when I use the springloaded fast stabbing lancet device, vein stab or no, so I went back to using the spring loaded device. I had initially hoped this clear endcap would allow for better aim on the ears.
It did, but it has the drawback of not having an adjustable depth. Here's a comparison photo with the standard opaque endcap set at minimum depth (what I use on Linus' ears) placed directly behind the clear cap:
Coupled with the fact that the clear endcap is concave (curves down towards the centre), you can hopefully see the transparent one will stab a fair bit deeper (helps to enlarge the pic). The end result was going right through Linus' ear and into my finger, causing me to feel sorry for myself. Linus displayed no sympathy for me
. Better aim wasn't worth a full ear pircing and me whining like a baby, so the clear endcap was a failure for my original purpose.The clear endcap appears to stab even deeper than the opaque one set to maximum depth. Here's a side by side comparison that isn't very illuminating:
I figured the clear endcap was worth a go for a footpad test, I had tried a few times with the opaque one set to maximum depth and never achieved more than a teenie weensie bit of blood. The clear cap stabs deep, the concave end forms nicely to the footpad and I can see where I'm aiming.
I'm happy to report this worked like a charm
and footpad stabbery is now part of my testing arsenal! I did use a rice bag to heat the foot pad, and aimed for the side of the large pad on a rear foot. The clear cap vs footpad is worth a try for anyone having trouble getting blood from the ears, or anyone wanting to give the ears a rest now and then. Plus it's free to order (at least in Canada it was), so there's no much to lose.
