Terumo Fine Touch lancing device

[Jeannette & Lily]

Hi All! Lily and I have been busy learning all about this diabetes thing, and I've been practicing home-testing. I'm not very good at it yet! I've come to the conclusion that I probably need a different lancing device, because the one I'm using only draws a drop of blood every 3-4 attempts, and by that time her ear is quite red. Poor thing.

A German website specializing in products for feline diabetes sells the Terumo Fine Touch lancing device. It looks more like a pen than the one I'm using now, with a smaller tip. Does anyone have experience with this one? If so, what setting to you have it on - it seems to have five? I really want to make this easier for both of us. I'm really not ready to try it without a lancing device, that's just too scary for me at this point.

Lily also came to us with one ripped ear from back in her wild youth. ;-) The rip is of course completely through the "sweet spot" and I've had no joy getting a test from that ear at all.

But on a positive note, all tests have been in the high 100s (starting at about 175) or low 200s for the past 9 days, with her highest test being at 235 at PMPS several days ago. She's on 2 units of Caninsulin twice a day, which is the lowest "standard starting dose", and I think the change in her diet has probably contributed most to her numbers dropping from the high 400s when she was first tested.

Any advice on the lancing device would be highly appreciated, thanks!

 

[Julia & Bandit (GA)]

Have you tried using a different gauge lancet? The ultra thin lancets (30-33g) that come with the devices tend to make it hard to get a good drop of blood. I buy the 26g lancets, and those work well for me. That tends to make a bigger difference over what actual device you use.

While I like to use a lancing device, many people here also free-hand poke with the lancets. You could also try that and see if it works for you? Also, backing the ear with a cotton ball or tissue before you poke is really important, also. Otherwise, the lancet kind of glances off the ear instead of poking it directly.

 

[Jeannette & Lily]

Have you tried using a different gauge lancet? The ultra thin lancets (30-33g) that come with the devices tend to make it hard to get a good drop of blood. I buy the 26g lancets, and those work well for me. That tends to make a bigger difference over what actual device you use.

While I like to use a lancing device, many people here also free-hand poke with the lancets. You could also try that and see if it works for you? Also, backing the ear with a cotton ball or tissue before you poke is really important, also. Otherwise, the lancet kind of glances off the ear instead of poking it directly.

I'm not actually sure what size I'm using - I got a packet of no-name lancets from the pharmacy, who were also nice enough to give me a second lancing device for free after I completely failed with the one that came with the glucometer. I've ordered the Terumo Fine Touch and a packet of lancets to match today, hopefully this will work out better.

 

[Jeannette & Lily]

I just wanted to update this thread to say that I can highly recommend the Terumo Fine Touch for home-testing beginners. I tried it for the first time just now and - for the first time ever - it took only one attempt to get a drop of blood. And Lily looked suitably underwhelmed by the whole thing, so that was a succes too! It has a fine tip, about the size of a pen, which really made it easier.