Gettin
g
a b
lood s
a
mple
21
Lancing and sampling from an alternate site
Sampling from your palm or forearm allows you to use your fingertips
less often. You may find that obtaining a blood sample from an
alternate site is less painful than using a fingertip. Getting a blood
sample from your or forearm or palm is different than getting a sample
from your fingertips.
Forearm
Palm
Palm sampling
Choose a fleshy area on the palm below your
thumb or pinky finger. Select a spot with no visible
veins and away from deep lines which may cause
your blood sample to smear.
Forearm sampling
Choose a fleshy area of the forearm away from
bone, visible veins and hair. Sometimes there
is less blood flow to the forearm than to the
fingertips. To help you get a large enough drop of
blood, you may gently massage or apply warmth
to the site to increase blood flow.
DCO_06355102A_OU2_OB_CAe.qxd 6/5/08 11:29 AM Page 21
