Wash your hands!

sno0opy

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Ok this is going to seem stupid I know, but just had a minor panic!

Finger prick test before lunch at 20.5!

Haven't even eaten anything, thinking something is going seriously wrong.

Washed hands and cleared the table a little prior to pricking.

Realised after I had moved my kids bowl out of the way and he had jam on toast. Tested through my sticky finger, washed hands and tested again at 4.4.

Re did it twice more to be sure it's got 4.4 4.5.

In fairness I have had a long week lol
 

Pipp

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I did that once with toothpaste on my finger. Scared the wits out of me until I realized what caused the double figure reading.
 

catinahat

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Far from stupid, it's a mistake I think that everyone who tests has made. The important thing is that you have learned that when you get a result outside of your expectations, wash your hands and retest
 

Metabolism_Boss

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This has brought back a memory for me. My mum saw me doing my blood test and asked if I would test her. "Clean hands?" I asked "I washed them ten minutes ago" she replied. So I did the test and to my horror it was 19.0! I tried again - even worse!
"Did you eat anything after you washed your hands?" I asked "Well I did have some dates..."
So she washed her hands and this time the result was text book normal. I'm sure my blood pressure was not normal for some time after that.
 
M

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I don't always wash my hands prior to a test but, if I do, it's just under warm running water and dried with a paper towel. No soap.
 
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Muneeb

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That's why as inaccurate as the libre can be, its often rang alarm bells for me in these situations. When tested using a glucose meter and its 13 etc, but it only showing ~7 on libre. Wash hands and re-verify.
 

Rachox

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My rookie error was testing after I’d peeled a satsuma for my daughter! :wideyed:
 

Antje77

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I never wash hands before testing (and not much at other times either) but I don't have children and live alone, so not much sugary food around. Must have been a long time ago I last double checked because of dirty hands.
 

Robbity

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Another no soaper unless I've had something foul on my hands...

My biggest blooper when I do wash my hands pre test, is putting cream back on them. Nivea doesn't seem to be an issue, but I used to use one containing aloe vera - which actually tasted sweet if I licked my finger - and this used to send my results through the roof.
 
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Glucobabu

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I did that once with toothpaste on my finger. Scared the wits out of me until I realized what caused the double figure reading.
I didn’t think toothpastes have sugar in them. As far as I know they use artificial sweeteners. Unless of course some other ingredient caused a false reading!
 

Norfolkmell

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Plus best not to test just after the dog has licked you to say thank you for his treat, who knew that there was sugar in dog biscuits? We've changed his biscuits now and I don't give him anything before I test. Funnily enough he also has a liking for doggie tea tree cream. As fast as we put some on him for his paws ( he got them burnt on the patio when we had that heatwave) he licks it off which means they are taking longer to heal. He also has to be no where near me whenever I have cream put on otherwise it's licked off as soon as its put on. He's a big licker as you can see from his tongue.
 
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Annb

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A week or so ago I tested, after washing my hands and the meter just said "Hi". Off the scale, in other words. So I washed them again, in case I had done an inefficient job after chopping some dates. the reading was 21.5! On the scale at least. Don't know why but I took some extra insulin overnight and it was down to 6.8 by morning.
 

Robbity

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Plus best not to test just after the dog has licked you to say thank you for his treat, who knew that there was sugar in dog biscuits? We've changed his biscuits now and I don't give him anything before I test. Funnily enough he also has a liking for doggie tea tree cream. As fast as we put some on him for his paws ( he got them burnt on the patio when we had that heatwave) he licks it off which means they are taking longer to heal. He also has to be no where near me whenever I have cream put on otherwise it's licked off as soon as its put on. He's a big licker as you can see from his tongue.
:)
Going slightly off topic does he show the same behaviour if you're preparing a meal with butter, cream, yoghurt, etc involved? My pair are a couple of discerning wannabe LC high fatters, and will come running if I say "licky fingers!":hungry: But hand cream's not on their list of yummy mummy stuff...
 
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Shaul Dror

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Ok this is going to seem stupid I know, but just had a minor panic!

Finger prick test before lunch at 20.5!

Haven't even eaten anything, thinking something is going seriously wrong.

Washed hands and cleared the table a little prior to pricking.

Realised after I had moved my kids bowl out of the way and he had jam on toast. Tested through my sticky finger, washed hands and tested again at 4.4.

Re did it twice more to be sure it's got 4.4 4.5.

In fairness I have had a long week lol
 

Shaul Dror

Member
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Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
So important to wash hands properly.
Below is an abstract from a definitive article published by Dutch researchers in 2011.

Diabetes Care. 2011 Mar;34(3):556-60. doi: 10.2337/dc10-1694. Epub 2011 Feb 2.
Self-monitoring of blood glucose: the use of the first or the second drop of blood.
Hortensius J1, Slingerland RJ, Kleefstra N, Logtenberg SJ, Groenier KH, Houweling ST, Bilo HJ.
Author information

Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
There is no general agreement regarding the use of the first or second drop of blood for glucose monitoring. This study investigated whether capillary glucose concentrations, as measured in the first and second drops of blood, differed ≥ 10% compared with a control glucose concentration in different situations.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS:
Capillary glucose concentrations were measured in two consecutive drops of blood in the following circumstances in 123 patients with diabetes: without washing hands, after exposing the hands to fruit, after washing the fruit-exposed hands, and during application of different amounts of external pressure around the finger. The results were compared with control measurements.

RESULTS:
Not washing hands led to a difference in glucose concentration of ≥ 10% in the first and in the second drops of blood in 11% and 4% of the participants, respectively. In fruit-exposed fingers, these differences were found in 88% and 11% of the participants, respectively. Different external pressures led to ≥ 10% differences in glucose concentrations in 5-13% of the participants.

CONCLUSIONS:
We recommend washing the hands with soap and water, drying them, and using the first drop of blood for self-monitoring of blood glucose. If washing hands is not possible, and they are not visibly soiled or exposed to a sugar-containing product, it is acceptable to use the second drop of blood after wiping away the first drop. External pressure may lead to unreliable readings.
 

Norfolkmell

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:)
Going slightly off topic does he show the same behaviour if you're preparing a meal with butter, cream, yoghurt, etc involved? My pair are a couple of discerning wannabe LC high fatters, and will come running if I say "licky fingers!":hungry: But hand cream's not on their list of yummy mummy stuff...
No luckily he knows not to be in kitchen when I'm preparing food but because he knows I frequently drop things and can't pick them up he goes in and hoovers up afterwards thinking that I won't notice. The only thing he won't eat are mushrooms. He's a strange dog he only barks and then very rarely when he's asleep and dreaming. Instead he talks and sings. He even likes taking tablets which he's having at the moment as he has hip problems. He can also tell the time 6pm he's waiting for his tea and at 7pm without fail he demands his dentastix and woe betide if we are late!
 

rover44

Member
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LADA
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Insulin
Hey I'm doing it right, soap and water followed by a really good rinse under the tap, I work as a cleaner and my hands are often exposed to cleaning products of all sorts, in my glucose meter pouch I carry small makeup pads for wiping blood after testing and a packet of dia-wipes ,useful for when I need to test and can't wash.