coaguchek

[babshappy]

Hi

I need some help in using the coaguchek machine.. It seems to be a hit and miss with me when I am checking my INR..I end up using sometimes 4 strips to get my INR.
Im always in a panic with the 15 sec time limit..can i actually touch the strip with my finger???
How do other people do this???

thanks

 

[Freddie]

Been there, done that.
First of all don't panic.....relax, deep breaths until you feel calm.
Wash hands in warm water, the warmer the better (my hands are always cold).

YES you can touch the edge of the strip with your finger. No need to try to get a large drop onto the center. The strip will draw the blood to the testing area (look at the back of the strip) and the monitor will beep (correctly) once it has a good sample.


Were you shown on how to use the monitor?

Good Luck and don't panic.

 

[babshappy]

i was shown very briefly it worked when i was at the pharmacy of course, i thought that he said not to touch the strip so i try and drip it onto the centre of the strip and then i never get enough and it beeps with an error message i will try touching the edge of the strip next time...
thanks

 

[Noyolk]

I have my training Tuesday morning with the delivery of an XS monitor. I will ask trainer your questions and post it.

 

[dwhist]

I was told to place the monitor on a table as it should not be moved during test. Then I draw blood on the side on finger and then hold finger up against the side of the strip and leave it there for maybe 5 seconds. It will draw the blood into the strip.

I have been using it for maybe 8 months and had to have my wife help as I got excited at the beginning and she helped relax me and I learned to not panic. And yes warm the hand in warm water before the test.

 

[ski girl]

I second what everyone says about warming your hands! I also find that if I'm dehydrated (i.e. when I first wake up) I don't produce enough blood - so I wait until about two hours after I wake up and drink several glasses of water during that time.

My last tip is that I also stab myself twice (close together) so that more blood comes out!

 

[babshappy]

thanks everyone im going to try in the next couple of days warming my hands and leaving my finger actually on the side of the strip and trying it from there...

 

[pellicle]

thanks everyone im going to try in the next couple of days warming my hands and leaving my finger actually on the side of the strip and trying it from there...

I do mine when I get out of the shower ... also had to waste several strips on cold hands that only bled AFTER the timeout.

 

[Freddie]

Clean, soft, warm hands should the trick.
After you "poke" and a drop starts to form, lightly slide/scrape the blood drop on the edge of the strip. Using the side of your baby finger or your ring finger works really well.
Also, check what number your lancing device is on. 3 or 3.5 I believe to be the norm when first starting out. The gauge of your lancet should be 21 if you were supplied with some with the monitor (the number is on the bottom of the box).

Let us know how things went. You may also check out the coaguchek web site.

 

[Protimenow]

I don't have a CoaguChek XS and am not sure when or if I ever will. From what I've read, it may be slightly easier to get blood onto the strips than it is with the InRatio, and certainly with the ProTime meters.

A few tips:

Yes, run your hands under warm water for a few minutes. If you have room, instead of using a towel or paper towel to dry your hand, swing it around a few times so that the air dries it. This will also help get blood into your fingertips. (Once you get the hang of incising your finger and getting the blood to the strip, this step may not be necessary).

You should use a 21 gauge lancet - I set my lancing device to maximum (that is, so that the lancing device goes out as far as I can set it to go). This way, I'll get a larger incision and more blood.

While your strip is warming up, you may want to squeeze the side of your knuckle on the finger that you'll be using - this will help the blood pool into the fingertip. I'm not sure if there is a 'best' spot on the fingertip for getting blood, but I usually incise on the fleshy part, slightly to the right of the middle of the finger.

One thing to remember -- this really doesn't hurt (well, usually, not much). Press the lancing device into your fingertip (not hard, but enough to make solid contact) so that the lancet will do its job. You don't want to squeeze your finger - and you probably won't have to. With the XS, you can touch the finger with the blood droplet against the side of the XS strip. If the XS strip is anything like the InRatio, it's not always easy to get that drop of blood onto the little target on the strip. The XS probably makes this much easier.

When I got my first meter (ProTime), I wasted a few strips. Over the years, I've wasted a few more. There's a learning curve for any of these meters.

Practice. Relax. Make sure that you have the right sized lancets. Before too long, you'll get the hang of it.

 

[RTZdad]

Count me in as one who has trouble using extra strips. All of the advice given above is legit, warm water, etc. for some reason, I have run into trouble getting enough blood for my sample. The dreaded error code 5 (on my Coaguchek CS). I started to get upset when this happened and that just made the situation worse. I've since learned to draw my blood right after the countdown begins, that way I still have plenty of time to stick a different finger if I don't get a drop the size of a ladybug. I also recommend that you have your finger down on the table and apply a little extra pressure (downward) when you stick yourself. In training I was told to keep my lancet on the 5 setting. I messed around with the lower numbers and still had some issues. I told Alere and they sent me a bunch of disposable lancets that do a much better job in my opinion. They stick pretty deep though and my finger stays sore for a few days afterward. Blowing through the strips can be a real pain, my insurance company has refused to authorize any more strips until January. Luckily I have been told to check my blood every two weeks now, so I should make it with the six that I have left. There is no way that I will pay the out of pocket charge for the strips. The cost is ridiculous.

 

[Noyolk]

You can touch the test strip with your finger and I was told to not remove it until I heard the "BEEP". Was also told to wash in warn water and massage just as others have suggested. I put my lancet on level 5 and placed my sample finger on the table so that I could not pull away. After pressing the trigger, milked a good size drop and then approached the test strip. It is not about "dropping" a sample but more transferring with contact from the side. Good luck..

 

[Protimenow]

It should help if you try to get the blood into your fingertip BEFORE you lance it. You should be able to see that the fingertip is 'full' of blood. What I do is take my thumb, press down on the fingertip at the knuckle, and slide my thumb up towards the end of the finger. This helps for the blood to 'pool' at the end. I may hold the thumb there for a few seconds - and it seems as if even more blood collects at the tip.

You may not be incising at the right part of the finger. The actual 'tip' doesn't provide a lot of blood and is rather painful when you incise it. It seems to work best for me when I use the fleshy part between knuckle and tip (where the blood has already pooled). Sometimes, when my aim is a bit off, I find that incising a bit closer to the side of the finger also produces a lot of blood.

With the XS, I suspect that, once you have that drop, just touching it to the side of the strip should be good enough (but, then, not ever having used an XS, I can't be sure). One other thing that may help - if you hold your hand down - below heart level - and perhaps hold the hand so that the palm is facing the floor, you might be able to get a bit more blood - but incising a finger in this position can be a bit awkward. And, as I mentioned earlier, you have to be really sure that the lancing device is pressed against the finger, so that you can get the best incision.

If you do it right, your finger shouldn't be sore for long - if at all - after incising. (You also shouldn't have to press the paper towel to your cut finger very hard, or long, to get the bleeding to stop).

 

[babshappy]

thanks everyone this is great advice

 

[babshappy]

all the advice that was given too me has worked really well. thanks everyone i am so grateful for this forum i just love it