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    • 1 hour, 11 minutes ago
      ConnieT1D62 likes your comment at
      Do you store your unopened insulin in the refrigerator?
      I keep my opened insulin in the refrigerator too. When traveling I use a FRIO evaporative pouch.
    • 1 hour, 12 minutes ago
      ConnieT1D62 likes your comment at
      Do you store your unopened insulin in the refrigerator?
      Sorry. Of course I store unopened in frig. Opened in my room as I use it up in 30 days
    • 1 hour, 12 minutes ago
      ConnieT1D62 likes your comment at
      Do you store your unopened insulin in the refrigerator?
      No, I keep it in the oven! ;) Same answer as the last time they asked this ridiculous question!
    • 1 hour, 54 minutes ago
      Becky Hertz likes your comment at
      Do you store your unopened insulin in the refrigerator?
      Unopened yes, and now even opened just in case. I am getting a new health [lan (thank goodness a much better one - with better doctors and hospitals in network!) so it's worth it. But I can't get any appt - even for a PCP until September. I've been occasionally buying out of pocket insulin, pump and CGM supplies (in my mind, hoarding is a character asset for T1D people). I need to have my enough stuff to see me through, Of course, I am hoping there''s an appt cancellation.
    • 3 hours, 17 minutes ago
      Bruce Schnitzler likes your comment at
      Do you store your unopened insulin in the refrigerator?
      Unopened yes, and now even opened just in case. I am getting a new health [lan (thank goodness a much better one - with better doctors and hospitals in network!) so it's worth it. But I can't get any appt - even for a PCP until September. I've been occasionally buying out of pocket insulin, pump and CGM supplies (in my mind, hoarding is a character asset for T1D people). I need to have my enough stuff to see me through, Of course, I am hoping there''s an appt cancellation.
    • 5 hours, 15 minutes ago
      alex likes your comment at
      Here’s What You Need to Know About the Dexcom G7
      This article explains the Dexcom G7 features in a clear and easy way, especially for people new to continuous glucose monitoring. Very informative and helpful. Sportzfy TV Download
    • 20 hours, 38 minutes ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      Have you ever been told you couldn’t physically do something because you live with diabetes?
      Long time ago - told there were certain occupations I would not be allowed to do because if T1D. Pilot, air traffic controller, military, etc.
    • 20 hours, 40 minutes ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      Has someone ever told you that you can’t eat something because you live with diabetes?
      I have been told many times "YOU CAN'T EAT THAT!" ONLY to frustrate them and eat it anyway and then bolus accordingly.
    • 20 hours, 41 minutes ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      Has someone ever told you that you can’t eat something because you live with diabetes?
      I think it is a common experience for most people with T1D. People do not understand anything about it. I do not take it personally. I try to educate when appropriate.
    • 20 hours, 41 minutes ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      Has someone ever told you that you can’t eat something because you live with diabetes?
      Lol hell when haven't they. Lol
    • 20 hours, 50 minutes ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
    • 22 hours, 42 minutes ago
      lis be likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I was only 2 when Diagnosed 70 years ago. My small town doctor admitted he didn't know much about T1D, and fortune for my parents and I he called what is now Joslin Clinic, and they told him how much insulin to give me. He taught my parents, who then traveled over 350 miles to Boston, to learn about how to manage T1D. My doctor learned more about T1D, and was able to help 2 other young men, that were later DX with T1D in our small town. I went to Joslin until I turned 18 and returned to become a Joslin Medalist and participated in the research study, 20 years ago. Still go there for some care.
    • 22 hours, 43 minutes ago
      lis be likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I was 7 when things changed in my home. My older brother was hospitalized for 2 weeks. When he came home, we no longer ate the way we had before. This was 1956. Dessert alternated between sugarless pudding or sugarless Jello. I learned that bread and potatoes had carbohydrates and that turned to sugar. There was a jar in the bathroom. It seemed my brother was testing his urine every time he went in there. There was a burner and pot on the stove designated for boiling syringes. I watched my brother give himself shots and I remember how hard it was to find someone to manage his care if my parents had to travel. Diabetic Forecast magazine came in the mail each month and there were meetings of the local diabetes association that my mother attended religiously. My brother got a kidney and pancreas transplant at age 60 and before he died lived for 5 years as a non-diabetic. A few years later I was diagnosed. Sorry he was not able to make use of today’s technology. I often wonder what he and my late parents would think about me, at age 66, being the only one in the family with type 1.
    • 22 hours, 45 minutes ago
      lis be likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
    • 1 day, 2 hours ago
      kilupx likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      My brother was type 1 since an early age. I was only diagnosed in my late 40s
    • 1 day, 4 hours ago
      Phyllis Biederman likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Absolutely nothing. Diagnosed in late December 1962 at at the age of 8 years and was told I was going for a stay in hospital because I have "sugar diabetes".
    • 1 day, 5 hours ago
      Bill Williams likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
    • 1 day, 5 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I was diagnosed in 1976 at the age of 18 while in college. One weekend, I was drinking a lot of water and peeing frequently. I remembered having read a Reader's Digest article on diabetes, and I told my friends I thought I might have it. Two days later, the diagnosis was confirmed.
    • 1 day, 5 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Absolutely nothing. Diagnosed in late December 1962 at at the age of 8 years and was told I was going for a stay in hospital because I have "sugar diabetes".
    • 1 day, 5 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I knew I couldn’t or shouldn’t have my two fav things in the world: Pepsi cola and chocolate. I was 42, and suspected very strongly that I had it, and ate a large piece of chocolate cake before my doctor’s appointment (sounds more like I was 12). Fast forward 25 years later: I never had a real cola again, but do occasionally have chocolate. I’m way healthier than I was back then in terms of diet. I no longer have irritable bowel, and I’m lucky to be able to afford what I need to combat the ill effects of this chronic disease. I’m blessed, and grateful for insulin.
    • 1 day, 5 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      It was 35 years ago for me. I had no experience with T1d. I was starting to show symptoms and my sister-in-law quickly researched T1d and told me what she found. I went to my GP a week or two later. My BG was over 600. He sent me to the hospital right away. Blood test confirmed it.
    • 1 day, 5 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I only knew a little . That is why I give grace to others who do not know anything or have misconceptions.
    • 1 day, 6 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
    • 1 day, 6 hours ago
      KCR likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I knew I couldn’t or shouldn’t have my two fav things in the world: Pepsi cola and chocolate. I was 42, and suspected very strongly that I had it, and ate a large piece of chocolate cake before my doctor’s appointment (sounds more like I was 12). Fast forward 25 years later: I never had a real cola again, but do occasionally have chocolate. I’m way healthier than I was back then in terms of diet. I no longer have irritable bowel, and I’m lucky to be able to afford what I need to combat the ill effects of this chronic disease. I’m blessed, and grateful for insulin.
    • 1 day, 6 hours ago
      Gary R. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
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    Which of these best describes how often you typically change your lancet?

    Home > LC Polls > Which of these best describes how often you typically change your lancet?
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    In the past 7 days, how many nights was your sleep disrupted by device alerts, checking blood glucose levels, or treating a high or low?

    Sarah Howard

    Sarah Howard has worked in the diabetes research field ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Marketing Manager at T1D Exchange.

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    44 Comments

    1. KC

      I use a CGM, so I infrequently use a lancet anymore meaning I no longer have the burnout associated with changing it. I still don’t change it EVERY TIME, but basically every time.

      3
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. sweet charlie

        Please check your finger stick OFTEN… do not fully trust your CGM!!!!!

        1
        3 years ago Log in to Reply
    2. Leigh French

      I use the Tandem x2 IQ insulin pump so I test my blood sugar infrequently.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    3. Molly Jones

      Definitely not nearly as often as I should. I change it when I remember to. I don’t use my glucometer on a regular basis or often.
      This question is a good reminder to keep the lancets in a visible location with my meter and only insert them before I use it when/if that occurs.

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    4. LizB

      I have Medtronic so I still have to test a minimum of twice a day, more often on the first day of a new sensor. I rarely remember to change my lancet. When I finally do I can tell the difference when I poke myself but that’s still not enough to get me to change more often.

      3
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    5. Lenora Ventura

      I rarely check my blood sugar using a meter thanks to my Dex. Been using since 2008 yet I make sure I have unexpired test strips & lancets available for when I do need to. My lancing device has cartridges of 6 so it can be over 6 months before I need to change it out. For the record, I have never reused a lancet.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    6. RegMunro

      I seldom use my lancet as use cgm

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    7. Ahh Life

      I think the Plank constant might be the smallest thing in physics – ten to the minus 34 power or so.

      That’s about how often I change a lancet. 🦖

      7
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    8. dave hedeen

      When I was using 780g, slept thru every nite. Back on 770g, CGM pumps requires BG every 4 hours !

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    9. gary rind

      pre CGM, I would change my lancet daily.

      2
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    10. Lawrence S.

      I use a new, clean lancet every time I do a blood test. Sanitation is very important to me. When I first started became a diabetic, one of the first things my doctor told me is that sanitation is always important.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    11. Rebecca Jervey

      I change it when it starts actually hurting. This is sometimes every couple months and sometimes (more often since I have the CGM and only test a couple times a month) every couple years. But if I do a test and it really hurts I move on to the next needle!

      6
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    12. mojoseje

      I keep a lancet a long time if it doesn’t hurt. I know I shouldn’t but I’m in range 90% of the time so my pump/CGM are doing the job.

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    13. Nevin Bowman

      You can change them? (sarcasm) I still have boxes of lancets from the 1990s if that is any indicator of how often I change them.

      7
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. Lynn Smith

        👍🏼

        3 years ago Log in to Reply
    14. Amanda Barras

      Rarely use them anymore on Dexcom. When I do it’s maybe once a month… probably less…

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    15. Ginger Vieira

      CHANGE my lancet? Why would I ever do a crazy thing like that?! :p

      5
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    16. Bruce Schnitzler

      Using a DexCom G6, so very rarely need to use a lancet except once in a while during the two hour warmup.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    17. AnitaS

      I try to change it every time I check my blood sugar, but sometimes get lazy and change it ever 2 times. I also don’t check my sugars often since having my cgm–usually if I can’t wear a CGM for a few days because I am scheduled for an MRI in the next few days, or if my CGM is giving me unreliable numbers and I want to double check with a blood glucose meter.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    18. Cristina Jorge Schwarz

      Having worked with testing equipment for over 20 years, I know I to always calibrate the instrument.

      I check my CGM vs my meter, calibrating when necessary, once per week. Sometimes that’s coincident with a CGM change, other times I’m checking the CGM is still accurate. CGM accuracy drifts, sometimes a lot!

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    19. Jeff Balbirnie

      Give me 10 minutes with the &@ing imbecile who came up with this Middle Ages leeches let’s bleed to test someone’s health ignorance… bloodless would be the only standard within days, and I wouldn’t require the whole 10 minutes to change their thinking 👺

      Every time it bends e.g. getting blood is impossible. Anytime it takes two or 2/3 tries to get blood, averages out to a couple times a month lancets get changed typically.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    20. Andrew Stewart

      For the last few years it’s almost never which is same same for how often I do a finger stick BG test.

      For those that don’t trust the CGM technology, are you still using urine strips? I didn’t think so.

      #BeWell

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    21. E24murph@gmail.com

      I use a cgm as the main way of monitoring. I rarely stick myself so I don’t change the lancet unless I see the need to.

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    22. Chrisanda

      Since I use a CGM and Tandem Pump, I only check my BG to calibrate or if I feel something is off. I only change the lancet about once every 3-4 sticks.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    23. Bea Anderson

      In the context of accurate CGM use I answered once a month. I have high confidence in my Dexcom and know other companies have also provided good devices. That said before CGM I checked bgs 8-15 times a day and would change lancets daily when they began to hurt.

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    24. Glenda Schuessler

      Since beginning to use a CGM and following that with a Tandem pump I am using the lancet much less so I do not change it often. Prior to this I changed it regularly, but not daily or weekly, perhaps monthly or as I felt it should be changed.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    25. Janis Senungetuk

      Other, I change the lancet when it hurts. If I question the Dexcom 6 results I’ll use my meter to check. Since that hasn’t happened that often I’m not using the lancet that frequently. At the most I might change the lancet once every four months.

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    26. Jane Cerullo

      Have Dexcom so only when I change device or reading seems off.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    27. Stephen Woodward

      If it grabs skin or I have to push hard to get it to bleed, >once a year.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    28. KSannie

      When I was testing about 12 times per day, I would change the lancet when it began to hurt, once or twice a year. But with my Dexcom, it is every few years, since I rarely need to do a finger prick.

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    29. Thomas Cline

      I think this question should have also included how many times a day (week) we do a finger stick.

      2
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    30. Robert Wilson

      Whenever I have to reset the clock for daylight savings…LOL

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. Jordan Harshman

        Funny, I was looking for this option, but didn’t see it!

        1
        3 years ago Log in to Reply
    31. Bob Durstenfeld

      With a CGM, I hardly use my blood glucose meter anymore.

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    32. Kelly Wilhelm

      I very rarely use my meter since my Dexcom is spot on for me. I never calibrate it. But, if I were checking my blood sugar regularly with a meter I would likely only change the lancet every couple of months.

      2
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    33. Sondra Mangan

      I change my lancet with every Omnipod change—every three days.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    34. Yaffa Steubinger

      I change my lancet each time I replace my Dexcom…every 10 days.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    35. Michael Andrews

      I change my lancet every time I need to use my Meter, but i rarely use it b/c I never have issues with my Dexcom G6.

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    36. William Bennett

      Wait, you can change those things?

      😉

      4
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    37. PamK

      I chose “other” because I don’t use my meter/lancets every day. I use a CGM and only check my blood glucose with my meter when necessary. When I was using my meter every day, I would change the lancet once a week or when the point was too dull to puncture my skin. Now, it’s once every few months to a year.

      1
      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    38. Steve Rumble

      Since I started using a CGM I rarely use lancets. Pre CGM I normally changed lancets when I opened a new set of test strips, usually a couple times a month.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    39. Joan Fray

      Really?!? You’re kidding right? Once a month, if that. I have a cgm, don’t check unless something seems really amiss.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    40. ConnieT1D62

      I rarely use a BG meter anymore since being on Dexcom. However in the days when I did use a meter I would change the lancet when it started feeling dull to prick my fingers – maybe once a week or so. Nowadays? Since I rarely use a meter unless my CGM is having an issue I change it once a day since I may have to prick my finger 5 times or more while waiting for the CGM issue to be resolved.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply
    41. Wanacure

      I seldom use alcohol wipes before using lancet device. Years ago from another T1D I learned NOT to draw blood from finger pads where nerves are really dense. Instead i use backs and sides of finger tips for less pain. Also suspect fewer.germs on those areas compared to pads of fingers.

      3 years ago Log in to Reply

    Which of these best describes how often you typically change your lancet? Cancel reply

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