More lancet talk (Coaguchek Sofclix)

[Chuck C]

ALL of that changed when I swapped over to the yellow 21 gauge lancets for the SoftClix.

The disposables do the job, but a little too well. I think I could get enough blood to fill a small test tube at the lab with how well it works, lol.

I'm super excited for my 21g Softclix replacement lancets to arrive. Well, excited is the wrong word. That would be pretty nerdy if one got truly excited about the new lancets arriving.

FWIW, I have small hands and soft hands

In some cases that may be better than the alternative. For some reason this clip comes to mind:

 

[pellicle]

FWIW, I have small hands and soft hands

Donald hands or more like Dead Pool hands when it was growing back?

;-)

 

[Cris N]

Those spring loaded one-time use lancets bruise me terribly and painfully. I use the SoftClix device and 21 gauge. My boxes of lancets that are provided by me service will last me forever since I reuse one for a couple of months or so.

 

[Protimenow]

This may sound strange, but swinging my arm around like a propeller also helps move the blood to the fingertips. Just be sure that your ceiling is high enough that you don't hit it when you swing your arm (I know, this doesn't apply to most people - I sometimes have to check if I'm not in the right room for this maneuver). Dental floss also does a good job of concentrating the blood into the fingertip.

 

[Dunwanted]

when i first bought the machine it was hard for me to get a good sample and i go used to it and made it work using some rubber for pressure but sometimes it still was hard, then i bought the coagu chek 21g lancets and after that it was been a breeze to get a good enough sample.

i buy them on ebay and id say the cons getting a consistent sample for the strip is totally worth it and i can barely feel the prick.

 

[Amy]

I find that doing a few sets of push ups really helps.

Pushups and flinging your arm around like a helicopter?! Now I won’t feel silly anymore about breaking out into some jumping jacks.

 

[Chuck C]

Pushups and flinging your arm around like a helicopter?! Now I won’t feel silly anymore about breaking out into some jumping jacks.

In addition to the push ups, I also swung my arms vigorously. It was more like the helicopters from Dune than the helicopter blades that spin 360. I also soaked in warm water and used Pellicle's tourniquet technique. I lost a couple of strips from drops being too small early on in my self testing and vowed to never let that happen again! Then, recently, I discovered that I was using 28g lancets when 21g is the recommedned gauge. No wonder why I had to work so hard to get a decent drop.

Now that I use the 21g, I just soak in warm water for about one minute and I'm good to go.

 

[Amy]

I’ve been using 23 gauge accu-chek safe-t pro plus lancets; also actually, embarrassingly, forgot the depth was adjustable; I usually use some pressure to really push, and get a little bruise sometimes. They come out to about 25 cents each, but that’s if I get a good deal.

So with these - -
https://store.whitecrossdispensary.com/products/roche-coaguchek-softclix-lancets-50-pack
- - instead of a button, you just push it in as far as you think is good enough to get a big enough drop?.. (I’d look it up on YouTube, but I’m out of fast internet for the rest of the month.)

Do you not do the reusable ones, Chuck, because of disposal concerns, or..? Just curious; have never tried them.

 

[Chuck C]

Do you not do the reusable ones, Chuck, because of disposal concerns, or..?

I was using the Softclix 28g, with all of the antics to get a proper drop.

When I realized my lancet gauge was too small, I tried to find the 21g lancet replacements with no luck. CVS did not carry them either- plenty of 28g and smaller, but not any 21g or 23g.

So, I ordered the 21g disposable, which I linked above. They work great. In fact, a bit too great. They puncture deeply than I prefer and left a small bruise. I do like the feature of the Softclix which lets you control the depth, so when PhillyJohn posted the link for the ones he found online, I ordered 50 of the 21g Softclix replacements. Really, controlling the depth is my only reason. Since I rinse my Softclix lancets in alcohol and reuse them several times, I'd estimate that I won't need to reorder for about 25 years.

 

[pellicle]

I'd estimate that I won't need to reorder for about 25 years

Lifetime supply?

 

[Chuck C]

Lifetime supply?

Speak for yourself. I plan to live to 128. How else am I going to beat @dick0236 's mechanical valve world record?

 

[Chuck C]

Do you not do the reusable ones, Chuck, because of disposal concerns, or..?

As a follow up to my answer above, my 21g Softclix replacements have not arrived yet, so I continue to use the 21g disposable ones. When I tested yesterday I pushed as gentle as I could to activate the spring action and it did not go as deep as the previous few weeks and didn't bruise my finger. So, if the Softclix replacements get caught up in customs and never arrive, I'll do fine. But, all else being equal, I do like the ability to control the depth of the puncture with the adjustable setting of the Softclix, so I hope they make it through.

 

[3mm]

I find that doing a few sets of push ups really helps. Plus, you get the added benefit of doing regular push ups

A good suggestion! The gripper does not seem to help.

5 minutes up and down the steps did work nicely, however. Large drop of blood after lancing while my heart was still beating rapidly from the steps.

 

[Protimenow]

You may have to practice a bit with the single use lancing devices. I don't like the ones that are activated by pressing them into your fingertip -- some CAN leave a bruise. (I've had some that DON'T, but they're not my favorite.)
I found that the ones with a pushbutton activator (remove the lancet cover, push lightly against finger, press button) seem to work well. It may take a small bit of practice to figure out how firmly to press, but once you've figured it out, getting a good enough drop (and not TOO large an incision or bruising) is pretty easy.