Hi Rosie,

Thank you for your question to the forum.

We’re sorry your fingers are getting sore from your blood glucose testing.

It’s great you are changing your fingers all the time. It is something we recommend to try and stop them from becoming sore. We call this rotating sites.  Just as you should not give your insulin injection in the same place each time you should not do your fingerprick each time in the same place. 

It’s a good idea to change the lancet every time you do a fingerprick as a blunt one will make your fingers sore.

You also need to do your fingerprick on the side of your fingers not on the pads where you feel the most pressure, when you’re holding a pen for instance.

On most fingerprickers there is a depth setting.  The lowest number that you dial up will not go too deeply into your finger. If you are getting lots of blood when you prick your finger, it’s a good idea to turn down the depth setting. This will make it hurt less and your fingers will be less sore.

There are many different fingerprickers on the market.  Some of them are for alternate site testing such as on your hand or arm.  It might be a good idea to speak to your Diabetes Educator about this. Also ask your diabetes educator about your fingerpricker, they might recommend something different for you if they think it will help your fingers.

While your fingers are sore you could try putting a cold pack on them too.

Best Wishes