Ds is 11 yo, newly diagnosed (9/18/13). We have been advised to wash hands or use alcohol before testing bg. Have read alcohol can toughen skin so was trying soap and water. (His hands do get quite dirty.) Discovered that many liquid soaps have glucose in them. Sugar helps support the lather. If you don't rinse well, it can affect the readings, I've been told by a T1D lifer (40 yrs). Don't know if true, but that's what she said. So, I got soap without glucose in it, but ds's knuckles are raw! His sensitive skin can't take all the washing. I asked him to just wash the end of his fingertips, and that is helping. Wondering if anyone 1. thinks the glucose (or glucoside) can affect readings, 2. know of a gentle soap that won't cause dried out skin? At night, I'm just using a wet washrag. Or, should we wipe the first drop and use the second (he clots fast).
Many of us just wipe the one finger with a damp paper towel before testing. You want to wipe it dry but I wouldn't worry too much about a finger being less than perfectly clean. What is going to mess up your reading is sugary residue from food, or water from not fully dry hands.
I've never had an issue with soap, and we normally use bath and body works. All different scents-moisturizing, deep cleansing, you name it. I'd rather my daughter wash her hands than use alcohol because it dries the skin out. We do keep alcohol on us just in case we can't wash hands. I don't use paper towels. I always have baby wipes on me too. I've never gotten a wrong reading with either soap, or baby wipes. I also believe only twice in four years that we've gotten a high reading because her hands were dirty. We retest every high number anyway. Try the moisturizing soap from bath and body works. My daughter's skin never gets dried out. I also use their lotion on her too after bath time.
I knew we were forgetting something. We just don't bother with washing or wiping his hands at all. Unless they are really filthy in which case we tell him to wash them. For the past 8 years, no problem.
lol, mine does this too, which is why it's important to me that she washes them before hand. We used bandaids the first couple of years and at one point she had like all her fingers bandaged. That was the end of that lol
I'm not sure that most ordinary commercial soap contains sugar. In any event, I generally ask DD how clean her hands are -- if she's eaten something or not washed them in a while, we might ask her to rinse or wash them. When we are out and about, I use non-alcohol wipes when we don't have access to water.
