About 3 months ago, I decided to inquire about new insurance coverage. That required a physical including a blood test. That test was much more comprehensive. The nurse was incapable of drawing blood from me. She went through 3 vacutainer needles and two butterfly needles before redirecting me to a local lab. The consequence was the 9 hour fast was extended to 12 hours. I ended up with a fasting blood glucose of 106 and A1C at 6.2. That was my first A1C ever. My dad was an insulin dependent diabetic. That was enough to point me into the local urgent care facility for a better physical. It's still a work in progress.
I see A1C kits are available OTC now, but it is really difficult to get any blood out of my wife using the usual lancets, and I generally can’t do it. Even with the depth set at nearly the maximum there is only the tiniest trace of a droplet and not even enough for the fancy low requirement meters. I’m afraid the lancet tip is going to hit the bone if it goes any deeper. The forearm is hopeless — no sign of blood whatsoever. What do people do in a case like this? We have tried the usual heating the area, rubbing the area, etc., etc. OTOH, I gush with just a small prick when I have practiced on me. Maybe the answer is to fly up at 12,499 MSL and try for a sample? Perhaps at the bottom of a loop