Testing BG from Ears Question

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Dena

Dena

Member Since 2018
For those that use the ears to test BG, how exactly do you do it? Do you poke one ear for the entire day and then poke the other ear the next day, alternating back and forth each day? Or do alternate ears each time you poke?

One of Cosmo's ears bleeds better than his other one, so sometimes in his ear I have to poke 2-3 times to find a place that bleeds. This is with using methods to warm the ear up and encourage blood flow (massage, rice sock, warm washcloth).

I'm checking his BG 4 times a day and seems like a lot to keep poking his poor little ears. Doesn't seem like it gives them much time to heal. Just wondering how everyone else does this.
 
I tend to alternate ears from poke to poke. One of my guy's ears tends to bleed better than the other and I often have better luck if the poke hits very, very near to the edge of the ear. Are you using thicker lancets? 26 to 28 gauge is better than 30 or higher.
 
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I find alternating from poke to poke makes them more comfortable day-to-day. If you feel like one of his ears seems sore, you can use Neosporin with pain relief to help with that. :)

If you're having issues getting blood, I suggest smearing the tiniest bit of vaseline or olive oil on the ear just before you poke. It helps the blood to make a nice droplet rather than a puddle, that way any and all blood from the less bleedy ear will be used and you'll have to poke less. :)
 
I've found if I do consecutive tests on same ear, when I "milk it" sometimes the old spot bleeds too. Usually when I'm testing frequently for low numbers.
 
I have to test only on China's left ear.....I'd have better luck getting blood out of a rock than her right ear.

It's not unusual for one ear to bleed better than the other.

There's really no right or wrong way....ECID so whatever works for you is fine!
 
I poke whichever I can reach better. You can poke the outside edge or the edge ø on the side by the center of the head.
 
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