Can I Wash My Test Strips Out With Alcohol and Use Again

By Marcia Kadanoff with Katie Bowles

Tips to reduce the hurting and hassle of pricking your finger each time you lot check your claret saccharide levels on a meter

When I was first diagnosed with type two diabetes ii years ago, I struggled quite a bit. I had to change my diet and reconsider my practise regimen, and I was suddenly made aware of data that had never existed in my globe earlier – A1C and blood sugar numbers swirled around in a confusing mix that I not merely had to track, but as well proceed on target. It seemed incommunicable.

For me, the hardest of these was learning to bank check my claret sugar. What do the numbers mean? How tin can I force blood to come out of my fingers when it seems like there isn't any left? I have to practice this how many times a solar day?!

These days, I'm incredibly lucky to utilise a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that helps me avoid those painful, frustrating fingersticks (both the Abbott FreeStyle Libre and Dexcom G6 eliminate the demand for daily fingersticks). Nevertheless, plenty of people with diabetes don't have access to a CGM, don't want something on their body, or aren't enlightened of this technology. This article is for you.

Question 1: Does checking your blood sugar take to hurt?

Afterwards receiving a type 2 diagnosis, I causeless that finger prick hurting just had to be a part of my life – I couldn't possibly avert it if I was regularly checking my blood sugar, right?

Wrong.

While nothing completely takes away the sting, you can take measures to reduce hurting and make information technology much more bearable. I've found that pricking the sides of my finger pads (instead of the pads themselves) helps greatly. Additionally, not using an alcohol wipe to prep my finger also helped with sensitivity for me. Booze dries out and tightens the skin (alcohol is an astringent), making it harder for the lancet to poke through the skin. Of course, yous must make certain your hands are washed before a fingerstick; otherwise yous could accept a fake high blood sugar. When I can't wash my easily, at minimum I wipe away the initial (first) drop and identify a second driblet on the strip.

Another hack that many people with diabetes utilize is to not change your lancet after every fingerstick. Notably, experts have plant that this hack – while it can reduce costs – may increase pain because the tip gets blunted, which may increase the risk of infection and therefore is non recommended.

Question ii: Am I doing this right?

When y'all're diagnosed, your healthcare provider might show you how to cheque your blood sugar. However, this isn't guaranteed. I was diagnosed during routine bloodwork and unfortunately wasn't taught how to check my claret sugar during the diagnosis. Even if y'all're lucky plenty to receive this information, there's a pretty good hazard that you won't remember everything your doctor tells you. The diagnosis can exist overwhelming and filled with information, much of which is overshadowed past the scary idea of "I have diabetes." I definitely didn't retrieve everything when I walked out afterward being diagnosed.

Betwixt myself and my girl, we could not figure out how to utilize a coded blood glucose meter (an older type of glucose meter – I recommend avoiding these). I establish the process counterintuitive and oftentimes used information technology incorrectly, resulting in multiple painful finger pricks and a lot of frustration. Perchance I'm unusually bad at figuring out fiddly strips and devices, but I – like many blazon 2s – got zero education on this topic. It was almost comical how long information technology took united states of america to learn that I had to bring the strip sideways to the drop of blood on my finger instead of trying to "dab" my claret on the top of the strip! I constitute videos like this one were very helpful (and plentiful):

I eventually found a simpler meter from I Driblet (a nearly identical model is offered through Amazon Selection), which worked meliorate because it was just put in the strip and push a button for the reading (until I got on CGM). This worked peculiarly well for me because I wasn't using my insurance (due to a high-deductible program), simply I could subscribe without insurance for an affordable monthly price.

And, check out our commodity on "How to Go More Strips on a Budget"

Question 3: I've successfully checked my blood sugar. Now what?

Senior editor Adam Chocolate-brown is fond of saying, "Claret sugars are not tests." Certain, yous'll e'er have a goal in mind – mine is 70-140 mg/dl – but if you "fail," there will be plenty of opportunities to attempt once again. That's where the data from your readings comes in.

For example: This morn, I woke up and checked my levels before eating breakfast and received a reading of 140 mg/dl. This isn't loftier for a lot of people, merely (based on my past data and the hard work I've put in since existence diagnosed) it is for me – my typical blood sugar ranges from fourscore to 100 mg/dl. (I'm but on metformin.) With a reading of 140 mg/dl, I felt I needed to take action.

For me, this action is having a depression-carb breakfast. To make things easier (particularly earlier I've had my coffee), I stick to a regular rotation of breakfasts:

• 

  Nonfat yogurt with a small amount of dark chocolate for flavoring*

• ane slice of whole wheat sprouted toast with natural/low sugar peanut butter

• 1 slice of whole wheat sprouted toast with avocado

• 1 piece of quiche – without the crust – plus bacon

• 1-2 chicken sausages*

• two eggs plus bacon*

The breakfasts marked with an asterisk are lower carb, and I know how my body will respond to them after checking my blood sugar over again an hour after eating.

Cheers to this data, I've also learned that drinking a big drinking glass of water and walking after breakfast will cause my blood carbohydrate to drop. Again, keep in heed that everyone's trunk is dissimilar – what works for me may not work for you, but using your data is the only style to know for sure.

As a perfectionist, I as well had to larn that in that location is no "perfect score" when it comes to claret saccharide. It'south non a test. My goal is to keep it within a certain range for equally much of the 24-hour interval as possible. For me, that range is seventy to 140 mg/dl (four-8 mmol/l), but for someone else, it could be 80 to 150 mg/dl, so on. Merely like choosing lancets, it's best to listen to your body (this time via the data in your reading).

Question four: I tried to check my blood sugar and couldn't get whatever blood out of my fingers. What should I practice?

Even after learning ways to lessen the pain and finding a meter/lancets that worked for me, I nonetheless occasionally struggled to get claret out of my fingers in the mornings – my cold hands just wouldn't cooperate. On top of the temperature, I besides have diabetic neuropathy in my hands and feet.

After many frustrating mornings, I began post-obit the recommended procedure beneath, and it made a earth of deviation:

1. Launder your hands in warm water. This removes any food residuals if you're testing mail service-meal, and the temperature encourages claret period.

2. Rather than towel-drying, dry your hands past dropping them past your hips, pointing at the floor and flapping them around (think Phoebe's running style on Friends). You'll experience ridiculous, but this method really helps the blood menstruum. If your easily aren't completely dry out at this point, apply a towel, as wet easily tin result in a falsely low reading.

3. In one case your easily are warm and dry out, use the lancet on the side of your "favorite" finger. This may exist generally mental, but when it's early morning and my hands are common cold, using a tried-and-true finger (left fiddling finger, for me) really helps.

1 boosted tip from Virginia Valentine, a certified diabetes educator (CDE) with type 2 diabetes on diaTribe's advisory board:

"I take found many patients lament of pain then I discover their lancing device is dialed up to "stun." I dial it downwards to 2 or three and they are totally skeptical but hither is the trick:  Press the lancing device really firmly confronting the side of the finger before you lot striking the button. When you take the lancing device away from your finger you may recollect "goose egg happened" merely and then when y'all clasp from the base of the finger you will get a adept size drop of blood."

Question five: Which lancet/lancing device should I apply?

Lancets and lancing devices are not one-size-fits-all. And while the affluence of options is corking, it can too be overwhelming. To find the correct pairing for you lot, it'south all-time to consider your priorities. Do y'all want the least amount of pain (smallest needle)? Do you need something large that's easy to grip? Do y'all want a bigger needle estimate that's more likely to piece of work on the commencement try?  If yous have item issues such as tendonitis, talk to a CDE for recommendations.

For me, convenience was a priority, so I chose the Accu-Chek FastClix ­– it'southward got a drum feature which means I don't take to bring lancets with me when I travel which I always seem to forget.

Other popular lancing devices include LifeScan'southward OneTouch Delica, a smaller device that offers ii sizes of lancets, and the FreeStyle Lancing Device, which provides multiple depth settings. Playing around with lancet size and depth can help with pain.

Finally, if accuracy is more than of an issue than hurting, you lot can try the TrueDraw, a larger device that'due south easier to hold.

Once you've determined your priorities and which devices you want to attempt (no shame in trying multiple, if you have the ways), make sure you're buying the correct equipment. Some lancing devices require their own lancets, while others work with multiple brands – you tin observe this information on the product website.

Additionally, brand sure you don't overpay for lancets and lancing devices. Nigh can be purchased on the production website or in pharmacies, but you tin too more often than not find them on Amazon (ofttimes along with helpful reviews). Doing a little enquiry tin can salvage a lot of coin! Go on an heart out for coupons, and if you take health insurance, always check with your provider to run into what (if annihilation) is covered.

Question six: What about strips?

When information technology comes to strips, more is more – many brands now offer device/supply bundles that include an unlimited supply of strips. One case is the 1 Drop subscription ($49.95/month, no insurance required), which I used. This monthly subscription includes a meter, unlimited test strips (you can request more at any time) and diabetes coaching, which is very handy for people new to diabetes direction.

Another similar unlimited strip pick is the mySugr bundle ($49/month, no insurance required). This package likewise includes a meter (the Roche Accu-Chek) and diabetes coaching, and adds access to the mySugr Pro app, which syncs with the meter to provide assistance with almost every aspect of management.

If you aren't looking for an unlimited supply, Amazon as well has a line of affordable-ish test strips, coming in at $10.99 for fifty strips ($0.22/strip), $18.50 for 100 strips ($0.19/strip), or $34.05 for 200 strips ($0.17/strip) that are compatible with the Choice Wireless BGM ($23).

Both of these packages come with highly rated meters, per the Diabetes Technology Society's contempo Blood Glucose Monitor System (BGMS) Surveillance Plan. The meter included in the One Drib subscription is the same as the CVS Advanced from Agamatrix, which received a score of 97%, and the Roche Accu-Chek came in at 95%. If you're considering other meters, information technology's wise to check out the results of this study – an accurate meter makes a earth of difference in blood sugar stability.

The takeaway from all of this? Claret sugar monitoring will probably never be fun – but it as well shouldn't ruin your day, and is an important part of self care for people with diabetes.

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Source: https://diatribe.org/taking-sting-out-fingersticks-lancets-life-hacks-and-more

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