The lancet is the pricking device that actually pierces your finger tip and some blood capillary under the skin to draw out the drop of blood that you need to place on the testing strip. I have been using the Accu-Check Active blood glucose meter for around five years now. The instruction manual indicates that the lancets are single-use. However, I and quite a few other diabetics I know reuse a lancet many times until its tip get blunt and it starts to hurt when it pricks the finger.
This is how I re-use a lancet. I insert a new lancet into the lancing device and twist off the small cap that covers the sharp tip. I do not discard this cap and carefully keep it in the opened case of the Accu-Check kit. After the test, I carefully replace the cap on the tip and then eject the lancet from the lancing device into the opened case of the kit. That way I can re-use the lancet again and again. Replacing the cap can be somewhat difficult for the first few times with a new lancet given that the tiny hole at the bottom of the cap must be made to exactly match the tip of the lancet.
I use the same meter to check my mother's blood sugar too. I have another lancet for her maintained as described above but in another small container separate from the lancet that I use. I ensure that I always use our respective lancets and that they never get mixed up.
I make sure the exposed lancet tip never comes in contact with any surface other than my skin and the hole in the lancet cap. I have never sterlized or even washed/wiped the tip of the lancet and faced no problems over the many years of doing this.
This technique has helped me keep down the cost of a blood sugar test giving me the opportunity to test more often.
My mother is suffering from diabetes from last 8 odd years. I also reuse the lancet when using accu equipment for her, though I keep the lancet in the pricking machine itself. I think your method of retaining the cover and storing the lancet is something I plan to implement right away
ReplyDeleteI need to remove the lancet because it is used by the two of us - me and my mother. But in your case, it appears that the glucometer is used only for your mother. In that case, there may be no real need to eject the lancet but just capping it should be good enough.
ReplyDelete