Many people new to life with diabetes worry about having to do blood tests. This is a natural response, and with help and support from their diabetes care team, the majority of people adapt very well and find it is not as bad as they feared.
Part of the problem is often that people do not really have an idea of what to expect. Very few people are actually needle-phobic, suffering panic attacks at the sight or even thought of pricking their finger. But some people are, and need the appropriate support to help them overcome this. Various approaches can be taken.
Anyone who is worried about the prospect of doing blood tests should talk to their diabetes care team. Everyone has their own way of dealing with blood tests, and you need to discuss with your care team what might work for you and the possible approaches you can try.
There are ways to make blood glucose testing easier without using special devices, such as washing the hand in warm water and shaking it to increase blood flow before you test, or using the sides of the fingers rather than the more sensitive fleshy pulp. Some blood glucose meters and lancing devices allow you to avoid the fingertips altogether and use less sensitive test sites, such as the upper arm or thigh. And some people find some of these newer testing devices to be almost pain free, such as the FreeStyle or FreeStyle mini meter by Abbott Diabetes Care or the Ascensia Vacculance lancing device by Bayer.
Many meters these days come with spring-loaded lancing devices. The lancet is placed in the system, out of sight, and the device is put against the test site. You then press a button to make the lancet enter the skin. Often people find this to be a better approach to pricking the finger themselves directly with a lancet.