I have a five year old daughter who was diagnosed in September in 2008.. She is still having some pain issues with doing her finger pokes and using a syringe for her insulin... I use the bd finger poke and the one touch 28 gauge lancets...
I was wondering which lancet and finger poke device are the most pain free or less painful..
Do you find that the insulin pen is less painful than using a syringe...
Thanks - Debbie
I have found that the accucheck soft click lancets are the least painful and have very low settings for more sensitive fingers. As far as needles go there are different lengths and gauges I use pretty much the shortest and thinest in both the syringe and pen they are 31gauge and my pens are 6mm syringe 8mm. I don't think that pens versus syrigne makes a difference as far as pain goes, its more just the size of the needle and the amount of subcuutaneous tissue in the area you are giving the injections. I hope this helps and that you can find something that works better for your daughter.
-Rosemary
My son was diagnosed Feb 09, 3 weeks after open heart surgery so it's been quite a year for us!!!!
He started with finger pokes and switched to inner arm, closer to elbow than wrist. I left him check mine by sticking me there, really don't feel it - also stuck his 6 yr old brother, he didn't feel it at all. Worth a try???
My son was diagnosed Feb 09, 3 weeks after open heart surgery so it's been quite a year for us!!!!
He started with finger pokes and switched to inner arm, closer to elbow than wrist. I left him check mine by sticking me there, really don't feel it - also stuck his 6 yr old brother, he didn't feel it at all. Worth a try???
My son was diagnosed Feb 09, 3 weeks after open heart surgery so it's been quite a year for us!!!!
He started with finger pokes and switched to inner arm, closer to elbow than wrist. I left him check mine by sticking me there, really don't feel it - also stuck his 6 yr old brother, he didn't feel it at all. Worth a try???
I have been diabetic for 25 yrs. ( I was diagnosed at age 5 in 1983) and for the last 10 yrs., I have been using BD Ultra Fine, Short Needle syringes. They are 8mm (length) and 31 gauge (thickness). I refuse to use any other syringe, it's too painful. Where does she inject her insulin? I primarily use my abdomen for injection sites, it seems to be less painful in my opinion. My arms are my second choice, but I only use them for allergy injections most of the time.
She will only allow me to inject in her buttock... It is the least painfull place but it still hurts and she cries every time i give her an injection... I use the walgreens 31 gauge short needle; it is similar to the bd syringes.. My insurance will only pay for the generic brand.. What other brands have you tried? If the bd needles are the least painful then i will probably get those instead and pay the full amount for them... I hate to see my child suffer if there is something better out there....
Thanks for you advise...:-)....
Your daughter is still adjusting, and it tough to deal with. Is there anything you can think of to help her relax more when she gets her insulin? I know that when I was little a lot of the pain felt was caused by the tension. This is one of those things that's easier said than done, but keep trying to find a way to help her. I'm sure you know how much she needs you right now. Maybe there's a children's support group somewhere in your area? I know that I am so grateful to my parents for all they went through because of my diabetes.
I recommend the Accu-chek Multiclix lancet! I hate the one that comes with the onetouch ultramini meters. The Accu-chek one is very pain free and I also suggest to do it on the side of the finger, not the middle.
I am currently using the pens because they are a lot more user friendly than the syringes. The needles are shorter, but the same gauge. I have my mom do the syringes that I have just to use them up on the weekends when i'm home from college, but I find that it the pens are 100% less painful! It is so much easier to just dial up the medicine instead of preparing the syringe!
Courtney :)
I honestly can't remember the brand names of the old syringes I used, sorry. If the walgreens brand are the same guage and short needle, I'm not sure if she would notice a difference by using the BD brand instead. The only thing you can do is try if you're willing to pay for the syringes yourself. Also if try them and she likes them better your doctor may be able to call the insurance company and request BD brand only, it's worth a shot. After I was diagnosed my mom every once in a while would let me do my own injections (with her supervising of course) to see how I dealt with it. I would say maybe let her do it herself but it might be tough only using her buttocks as her site. I started doing my own injections by age 8. I just asked my mom and she told me that I didn't complain too much about getting my shots, just on occassion. Being a child with diabetes can be very scary and stressful. I agree with amy that tension could be a part of her pain. If you're tense then your muscles tighten causing some uncomfortable feelings. Maybe try to find a way to distract her by making her laugh, get one of those stress balls for her to squeeze, perhaps let her give a baby doll a shot while she is getting one, just a few suggestions. One other thing I did that I remember very clear was I kept all of my syringe tubes and plungers for like 2 yrs., my parents put the cap back on and broke the needle off before I could have them. I know it may seem weird that I would do that but I was so proud of my collection. I showed everyone who came to visit that I was a big girl, lol. Eventually I threw them away. My parents felt the same way you do about seeing your child suffer. My mom says it got a little easier over time once I accepted that diabetes was a part of my life. I was in and out of the hospital with ear surgery (6 times) also while dealing with my diabetes until I was 9 yrs. old. I had one surgery that had failed and they had run some tests to find out why, that's actually how they found out I was a T1D. We spent lots of time at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh,Pa. Good Luck.
Ps. Have you thought of sending her to a diabetes camp? They're great, I went for 3 summers. It is a chance for her to be around kids her age with T1D, it teaches you how to deal with life as a diabetic. I used to go and teach other kids how to give their own injections : ) We did camping, singing, exercise, swam, icking ( natural clay pits kinda like a big play doh pit), arts and crafts.
I agree the one touch lacet devise was very painful... I am using the BD lancet devise and the one touch 28 gauge lancets and it isn't as bad as the one touch lacet devise... I would like to get the most painfree one on the market... I will look into the Accu-check lancet devise... The pen is alot less painful than the syringe? How much are you paying for the pen and the insulin that goes with it? I might consider the pen instead of the syringe... I plan on going to either the omnipod or the pump within the next year... Maybe try the omnipod first then maybe the pump...
Thanks for the advise....
[quote user="Debbiefran"]
The pen is alot less painful than the syringe? How much are you paying for the pen and the insulin that goes with it? I might consider the pen instead of the syringe...
Thanks for the advise....
[/quote]
It is a lot less painful, I don't know really why though. The insulin comes in the pen so you buy the box which is usually 5 pens. I couldn't tell you how much it costs since my parents take care of my medical expenses for now, but I don't think it's that expensive.
Thanks for the information Courney on the pen... I will serously look into using the pen instead of the syringe..
Hi Amy,
I am sure that her being stressed out doesn't help... There are no support groups in my area for young children with diabetes.. I wish that there was one... Thanks for the time that you are sharing your experiences with me...
Debbie
You're welcome! Good luck with it!