My daughter is a type 1 diabetic who tests her blood sugar four times a day using a glucometer and a lancet. Can this high number of daily tests cause some pain or numbness in the fingertips? She has no other numbness or pain and her A1c is 7.4

I think that if one repeatedly uses the same fingertip(s) over and over again, especially if the lancet is set on a higher strength, it would indeed cause some mild “scarring” of the site which could have less sensitive feeling. This is one of the reasons that “alternative site” testing has been forwarded. Different meters are approved for different alternative sites, but most allow the front of the forearm, the back of the forearm, the top of the thigh, and the heel of the base of the thumb. The skin is thicker and the blood flow not as robust to these areas so you will need to use higher settings on the lancet. A good moisturizer, applied routinely, might help soften the fingertips, too.

You should continue to check glucoses as recommended by your own Diabetes Team.

DS

[Editor’s comment: Since her diagnosis in 1989, we have always used our daughter’s fingertips for blood glucose checks. She is now 19 and often checks her blood sugar as many as 16 times a day. So far, she has no pain or numbness in her fingertips.

BH]