checking blood sugar…
Hello Tina,
Irrelevent to me which unit anybody uses… 5 second, 45 seconds, as long as its MY blood… its all “bad” <wg
This is another one of those issues I’ve never “gotten”…. as for less blood… <shrug
But in truth, tiny little droplets, or big drops… see my first sentence above… “as long as its MY blood…. its all “bad”… its “too much” no matter how “little” it is or is not!
Just my perspective for whatever its worth…
Jeff
October 29th, 2005 at 1:37 am
Hello Judith,
<< I have only been blood testing since 1982 but every time I stick, I wipe my finger with vinegar instead of alcohol
: O ?????
Wiping with Alcohol has been a NO-NO for a pretty long time now. The alcohol from the swabs, etc. apparently skewed the results sufficently…. so that its no longer “good protocol” as it can screw up the actual number you get.
Vinegar… I would think would do the same, or have the potential for screwing up the readings anyway. Ever check w/o using Vinegar then using the Vinegar? Anyone with a Chemistry background confirm this hypothesis on my part?
Jeff
November 6th, 2005 at 4:54 am
we were in the hospital April 03 and were taught to wipe with alcohol and then rub with a tissue and then test. does anyone know why? and can we stop with the alcohol, because it doesn’t bother her, but it dries the heck out of my fingers!
Rhonda
November 7th, 2005 at 7:48 pm
Rhonda,
I haven’t wiped with alcohol in many many years. I was taught in 1983 in medical assisting school that it just moves the germs around, but does not kill them. Last year in microbiology, we were told alcohol can dehydrate the cell membranes of bacteria, but it does not occur instantaneously. So. I don’t bother with it. If my hands are relatively clean, I don’t even worry about washing them. (I know some of you will absolutely shriek at that.) However, if I had something sugary or with lots of carbs/sweetness, then I wash them so I don’t get an aritificially high reading.
By the way, if you think I get more colds than others, I do not. I get the really weird stuff that is not contagious. But, as far as colds and flu and other contagious things go, I don’t get them. Perhaps my resistance is built well enough because I have had SOME exposure to the bad bugs. This ‘anti-bacterial’ stuff is overkill (no pun intended), and I believe our resistance is being diminished because of it. A good roll in the dirt is beneficial, in my humble opinion.
have a great night, everyone!
Whatever thy hands find to do, do it with all thy might. Ecc. 9:10
Joan Geohegan
November 13th, 2005 at 11:50 am
Hi Rhonda, good old hand washing with regular soap and water. It was put to me that the alcohol having some sugar value would alter results so that’s the point of rubbing it or blowing it dry. I quit with alcohol years ago. I buy the pads for my son to use to clean his game CD’s Another thing that was told to me in the beginning in the hospital was you only receive a true fasting result in the AM if you test before you brush your teeth since there is some sort of sugar in toothpaste. Who knows? We are told so many things….I just do what works for me. Hugs to Syd!
Take care,
Carol
we were in the hospital April 03 and were taught to wipe with alcohol and then rub with a tissue and then test. does anyone know why? and can we stop with the alcohol, because it doesn’t bother her, but it dries the heck out of my fingers!
Rhonda
December 2nd, 2005 at 7:04 pm
Steve,
Just recently, my endo told me to use only my fingers, since varying results will occur with other places. You are not alone!
Joan