Lancets.

Image taken from Shoot Up or Put Up

Yesterday, my brother had a friend from school round, and this friend also has type one diabetes, diagnosed less than a year ago. I'd just arrived home after seeing a friend, and their dinner was almost done. My brother's friend came up to me and asked where he could do his injection (so considerate; I just do it and others can like it and lump it!) I told him that no one would care if he wanted to do it at the table, but if he felt more comfortable he could take himself away to another room: it was up to him (he's only 13). He decided to do it at the table. I was sat there, glancing at what he was doing.

Out came the finger pricker. He took the lid off, inserted a new lancet, put the lid back on, loaded a test strip into the meter and pricked his finger. Then, he took the lancet out and put it in a section of the meter case where he kept sharps and used test strips.

I chuckled.

"What?!" he asked me.

"You put in a new lancet and then took it out after you used it."

"Yeah...that's what you're supposed to do!"

"I know," I shrugged and walked away, but not before I heard my brother say "She hasn't changed the needle for her finger pricker in months. She just says she's saving the NHS money! That and it takes too much time to change it all the time."

It's true! I save sooooooo much time by not changing the lancet in my finger pricker and I am indeed saving the NHS money! And my sharps boxes last so much longer too! It's a win-win-win situation for me!

Disclaimer: You should change the lancet for your finger pricker after every use. I don't, but that doesn't mean I am condoning that you do the same thing! Just so you know!