How can I tell the difference

if you mean you can't always clean your hands, I test anywhere and everywhere. I have to test out in the middle of nowhere whilst running and walking . Occasionally there's been a problem with glucose on my fingers from earlier but apart from fingers like sieves I have never had any adverse effects. I would add that I have no problems in general with healing or infections.

Marzeater.

What are the symptoms of hypoglycemia?
Hypoglycemia causes symptoms such as:
hunger
shakiness
nervousness
sweating
dizziness or light-headedness
sleepiness
confusion
difficulty speaking
anxiety
weakness
nausea

Symptoms of hyperglycaemia:
Symptoms of hyperglycaemia are the same as those of untreated diabetes. They do not appear suddenly, but develop gradually, over a period of time. Symptoms include:

thirst,
frequent urination,
tiredness, and
increased susceptibility to infections, such as thrush.

Each of us is different and it may be the case that you get similar symptoms. The only sure way to know is to test. You do not need ultra clean conditions, I know a mechanic who has oily hands who tests as and when required. He cleans up as best he can and then tests.

All you need is a pack of baby wipes and some tissues to dry the skin off. I carry that stuff around when minding granddaughter anyway.( plus disposable bibs and a spare nappy and disposal sack :lol: )
I NEVER bother to clean skin before testing, but then I test on my forearm, so I'm not likely to have anything there to mess up my result.

Thats funny as i have the same problem... usually i can guess which if ive eaten something naughty or havent eaten in a while, but safe bet is to test, if you feel like your reading is accurate or you really can't test then assume its a hypo and treat it accordingly. obviously its easier to correct this if when you get to a suitable place you test your sugar and its high than to find out twenty minutes it was actually low and youve collapsed or something. im no expert but thats the advice ive been given by my DN. and advice for going on holiday. i always wash my hands before i test BUT i recently went to turkey and it was HOTHOTHOT and i always found my readings we sometimes off the radar. and after pondering a while i found that because its hot my hands were sweaty even after a wash.. and if i was high already obviously my body chucked out some sugar along with it. so when i pricked my finger and squeezed out some lovely blood it was mixing with the sweat and saying i was over 27!!! i fidgured this out and washed immediatly before literally and it went down to 16!! all because of sweaty hands. what a relief. first time away from home with diabetes and that didnt make it any better gosh ive wrote alot. hope this helps