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BM Range in a matter of seconds

M

markies

Newbie
Messages
4
Hi everyone,

Apologies if this has been address elsewhere.

My wife was diagnosed type 1 on our honeymoon 2 years ago. Despite several trips to the Diabetic specialist & consultant there is one question they are unable to answer..


Why should my wife's BM readings vary so much in the space of a few seconds....

My wife will usually wash her hands and then alcoswab her skin - & let it air dry - 20 - 30 secs. She then stabs - usually her arms, wipes away the blood droplet and then applies the BM stick to the next droplet. Sometimes the reading is unexpected - e.g. too high or too low. A 2nd or 3rd reading taken a matter of second later can have as much variation in the BM value of 10 units.

Is her technique fundamentally flawed?

The same happens no matter what machine she is using.

Can anyone shed any light?

Many thanks sin advance
 
Hi markies,welcome to the forum.I don't think your wifes technique is wrong,we have all found that our meters can give different readings one after the other.Why does your wife use an alcoswab? Usual advice is just the wash hands thoroughly and dry, then take test.I also discard first blob of blood and test the second to avoid epithelial contamination but do not use alcoswab just soap and water.Get her to try without the swab,see if there is any difference.
 
I never wash my hands to test. I use my forearm, I work on the principle that the blood coming out will wash the tiny would clean.
 
Many thanks for the replies

It just staggers me that one reading can suggest she is verging on a "clinical hypo" but the next a few seconds later can suggest she is 10 or more higher. I could understand a difference of 0.5 or maybe even 1 to 2 units - but there is a huge difference in a BM reading of say 2.8 and 11.7 - which one do you believe.

As we have got to grips further with her diabetes - it's becoming easier to make an educated guess and if the reading is unexpectedly low or high to discount it and maybe end up taking 4 or 5 readings and assess those in the bigger picture of what & when last eaten, level of exercise etc ....
 
Some thoughts but I don't think they explain your results. I personally always use fingers and don't have a big problem with variability.
1) meters can have up to 20% variablility in results and still be considered OK, in practice I've found occasional wide differences, but most times repeated tests seem to be fairly close.
Have you checked your meters with control solution and (sorry but I'm trying to think of all possibilities) if your meter needs coding, checked that you have the correct code/chip.
2) I was told never to wipe with alcohol as it influenced results. Checking on the internet it seems that some authorities say use it and others say don't.
3) Alternative site testing is only recommended (according to Accuchek) at times when the BG is likely to be stable, pre meals, fasting, but not after exercise, during illness or if testing for a hypo.
 
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