Been meaning to post this for a while. When I first got my blood meter (freestyle optimum neo) for ketone testing I totally misread the instructions and ended up with bruised fingers trying to fill the strip with blood. Ouch.
I should have gone straight to the YouTube video on how to use which I’m copying here to save your fingers!
I guess the question is … is the finger pain with the accuracy ? I’m sticking to pee testing for now 
No finger pain if you do it right, just a quick prick (barely felt), one little drop of blood and you’re good to go. It’s so much more accurate than ketosticks please don’t let my initial idiocy put you off blood meters! Once I watched the video and stopped laughing at myself it was so easy and virtually painless, promise!
Use the side of the fingers, not the tips. Basically, to see where to poke, put your hands together, fingers touching. That area between where the fingers touch and the cuticles around the nails are the place you poke. Trust me, don’t get to close to the cuticles.
Thanks for the tip but in the side was a bit ouchy for me, the fleshy part barely hurts at all so I guess it’s figuring out what hurts least for each person 
True, MooBoom - I find when I use the tips for everything else - like typing, if I have “poked” them, they hurt more. No place is fun!
I had to look up what you all meant by PSA - Public Service Announcement:grinning:!
I have found a perfect spot on my little finger. As mentioned earlier in this thread, use the side of the finger, where it touches the one next to it. Which is roughly halfway between top and bottom. And about as far forward as about 1/4 of the nail, measured from back of nail towards front about 3 or 4 mm.
I have been using this location now for a few months, and it is only slightly calused, and I can barely feel it when it gets pricked. I’ve even set the spring loaded firing pin down a few more notches. I was at a tension of 8, now it’s down to 3. Sometimes I think I missed, but soon see a little bubble of blood show up.
Funny thing is, even though I don’t even feel it any more, I still cringe every time I’m about to hit the button on the lancer. Anticipating the puncture, and everyone relieved that it didn’t hurt 
So funny to come back to a post to see what was ‘liked’
Then to read it and catch an obvious typo (random auto correct actually) and have no idea what I really meant. 
Keto Vitae!
Easily one of my favourite things about this forum is members are totally dedicated to proper spelling and grammar 
