What are you doing to protect fingers?

danielsmom · #1 11-29-2011, 02:58 PM

Reading another forum of adult type 1...it was so dismaying to read what years of pricking fingers have done to them. We seem to use the same 3 fingers on each hand. Very rarely I use pinky unless at night and I'm having trouble with the others.. I started using thumb(it seems to bleed the best), but think its a little painful...Are you using creams..anything to prevent long term callouses? Or does it just come with the D territory over time?

StillMamamia · #2 11-29-2011, 03:10 PM

We use 3 fingers on each hand, excluding the index and thumb. So far they look okay-ish. They do have some callouses (sp?). Sometimes I put a tiny bit of Neutrogena hand cream on one hand, and use the other for testing, and the following night I switch.

You can also try alternate test sites. Some people use the toes at night. Others test at the area at the base of the thumb, some even on the forearms.

wildemoose · #3 11-29-2011, 03:13 PM

I've had type 1 for 18 years and my fingers are fine. No unusual calluses, infections, or anything like that.

Christopher · #4 11-29-2011, 03:15 PM

No, it doesn't have to come with the territory over time. My daughter has been doing this for 4 years and we test a lot. So far her fingers seem fine. I don't think it should be a foregone conclusion that PWD will have finger damage over time. Here are some things you can do if you are really concerned:

Rotate fingers as much as possible.

Use different sites on the fingers not always the same spot.

During night checks, use fingers you don't normally use during the day.

Use alternate sites, like the forearm, toes, earlobes, etc.
(Just be aware that SOME people find that the numbers they get from alternate sites may lag behind the finger sites by up to 30 min).

Use the sides of the fingers, not the pads.

Use a meter like the Freestyle that takes the smallest blood sample size in the world. That way you only need to prick the finger lightly to get a small drop of blood.

Use a lancer like the Delica that seems to be easier on the skin, with less trauma.

lil'Man'sMom · #5 11-29-2011, 03:26 PM

We use paraffin wax treatments. He isn't having any issues but we live in NH so the colder weather play havoc with our skin. It feels super good and your hands are soft after.

Butterfly Betty · #6 11-29-2011, 03:29 PM

Sophie likes to use the same couple of fingers, in the same places. I remind her to switch and use a different one, making sure she gets both sides and not just one. Sometimes, she even listens to me, lol

GreatSambino · #7 11-29-2011, 05:50 PM

We use the middle three fingers on each hand. I noticed that ds was ALWAYS using the same spot on the same finger and it started looking beat up so I reminded him to switch it up and it's been better since then. We also make sure to move around on the fingers. Every couple weeks I do give him a "manicure" where after his bath I rub heavy duty lotion on his fingers and I take a good look at the tips to make sure none are looking beat up. So far so good, but I'm not sure how long he is going to allow his mom to give him manicures

mommabear · #8 11-29-2011, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielsmom

Reading another forum of adult type 1...it was so dismaying to read what years of pricking fingers have done to them. We seem to use the same 3 fingers on each hand. Very rarely I use pinky unless at night and I'm having trouble with the others.. I started using thumb(it seems to bleed the best), but think its a little painful...Are you using creams..anything to prevent long term callouses? Or does it just come with the D territory over time?

Shirley~I often worry about Blake's fingers..(yes it's one of the lesser things to worry about,

but I still do) When I go to poke him at night and I can see all those spots, it bothers me. Or when his hands are dirty(because he is 100% boy, so that is often

) and all the spots stick out like a sore thumb..It bothers me..I feel like there is not to much that we can do about it, besides lotion and trying to alternate places. I sure hope that their fingers hold out well.It don't seem to bother Blake, so I guess that is good..

Editing to say...when I said alternate places, I ment alternate (rotate) places on the fingers..

lynn · #9 11-29-2011, 08:38 PM

We do almost everything to avoid thickened skin on his fingers and it still happens sometimes. We use the Freestyle meter and the multiclix lancer and use all the fingers and pay attention to use both sides and move up and down a bit. We don't use alternate site because his endo isn't a fan of it and I don't feel like pushing it. I also don't test his toes at night because he's eight now and can really kick!

I've tried different lotions and creams and such and the best thing I have found is vitamin E capsules. We just take a pin and poke a hole in the end and squeeze a tiny bit out on each side of each finger a couple of nights a week before bed during the times that his fingers look worse. It seems that winter is harder on his skin so we will probably be buying another bottle of vitamins soon.

caspi · #10 11-29-2011, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielsmom

Reading another forum of adult type 1...it was so dismaying to read what years of pricking fingers have done to them. We seem to use the same 3 fingers on each hand. Very rarely I use pinky unless at night and I'm having trouble with the others.. I started using thumb(it seems to bleed the best), but think its a little painful...Are you using creams..anything to prevent long term callouses? Or does it just come with the D territory over time?

We rotate fingers. At night, I always test his right hand since he's right handed and he tests the left hand.

We've been at this for 5 years and haven't seen any issues. We use the Multiclix lancet. I will say, however, that his fingers look quite interesting after he's been swimming in the pool for an hour, lol.