As of today, I have done approximately 48,836 blood glucose checks.  That is an estimate based on the 33+ years I have had type 1 diabetes, checking on a low estimate of 4 times a day.  The past number of years I have checked daily many more times than that however I wanted to take into consideration the first couple of years not having a glucose meter to check with or the number of years I unfortunately checked less than that.  So that’s the number I calculated and I’m sticking to it 🙂

It’s no wonder my fingertips are a mess!  I cannot tell you how often I need to re-stick myself in order to get blood from my fingertip.  My fingers are marked with scars and are hard to the touch.  It may sound gross but it comes with the territory.  When the team at Genteel reached out to me, asking if I’d like to try their lancing device, of course I said yes.  Why wouldn’t I want to see if there is a gentler-on-my-fingertips way to check my BG?

My very first impressions when receiving the Genteel device was that it was pretty (of course I got the princess pink).  And big.  But those were just based on how it looked and nothing yet on how it works.  After reading the material on how to use it – it comes with various contact tips for different depths of penetration so I chose the one I thought best suited for my fingers – I gave it a try.  To my surprise, it didn’t hurt at all!  You can also use the Genteel to test on other areas, not just your fingertips.  I may be a creature of habit (a 30 year habit) so I haven’t branched out to other areas.  But I may give it a try at some point 😉  You can also use multiple types of lancets with this device which is a great feature since it doesn’t limit you to just one particular type.

Overall the device is comfortable for your fingers.  It also comes in various colors (yes I do like “pretty” diabetes devices and accessories.  And choices.) and the stickers are a cute feature for kids to dress theirs up.  I even put a sticker on mine 🙂  One thing I honestly didn’t love about it is that it’s pretty bulky.  However comfort should precede looks if it’s an important enough feature.  Your diabetes may vary of course.

The great team over at Genteel (https://www.mygenteel.com/) have provided a code to be used for readers here, for $10 off the purchase of your own Genteel lancing device.  The code to use during purchase is “stacey10off”.  Keep in mind they have a 120 day money back guarantee in case you’re concerned about buying something you haven’t tried before.

After all these years of fingersticks, I actually never knew this (from Genteel’s website) “All lancing devices on the market today mainly rely on extracting blood from the fingertips, because they are the primary area where blood capillaries are closest to the surface of the skin. Unfortunately, they also have the most abundant supply of pain nerves.”  See, it’s never too late to learn!