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Can hand cream effect results?

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Tee G

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
At risk of diabetes
Could you look over a few of my results and comment please :- I have just started testing myself (Standard gluco Navii GHD)...
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Last week (1st ever test) Fasting level 5.8, - Breakfast, 1 toast with tinned mackerel, cup tea with milk = 1hr 7.1 ... 2hr 7.8 (happy with that). Never reached over 7.8 post meal at all since then. But yesterday got a spike of 9.00 after same 1 toast but with peanut butter as topping. (it doesnt contain sugar), and not sure why......

Fasting 6,1 (then went fast paced walking half hour, had an appointment). Home again and Pre breakfast 5.8....experimenting with foods so had 4 tbsp porridge with skim milk 2hr 7.8 (not too bad). Lunch was 1 whole avocado and sugar free jelly, (didn't want much) = 2 hr 5.3. Dinner: a boiled egg and half hour later 2 large mugs of home made veg soup (asparagus, celery, pok choi, leek, sp onion) = 2 hr 5.5 (great!) around 9pm was peckish and had the toast and peanut butter = spiked at 9.

I know 9 wont seem much to some, but to me it was unexpected ( I thought peanut butter was ok?) and i already had toast earlier in the week with no terrible ill effect, Where did i go wrong?? only difference i can see is i had hand cream on since early evening (but did wash my hand before last test)
 
Hello Tee G
There are a few things to note, but also bear in mind that there unexplained results with testers are not unknown, and I have sometimes re-tested not long after and got a different result.
But, having said that, yes hand cream may well make a difference, if there were even some small traces still there. Also sometimes particular combinations of food can cause spikes, even if they are OK individually.

Overall your results are looking really good and you should be very please with your progress, so I shouldn't let one spike worry you, although I know it is upsetting when you are trying so hard. It is the overall trend that is far more important, and that looks good.

Another point - this is a personal one that effects me and on 'the on size doesn't fit all' remit may not apply to you. I find that I have much better morning fasting results, if I don't eat after about 7.30pm - and maybe eat a little more at that time, to stay feeling full for longer - but that's just me, I'm sure it won't be the case for everyone - as with everything there is always some trial and error.
 
thanks so much for the response @Toucan, you are a kind and knowledgeable person, I will keep calm and count carbs 😎 LOL. im glad you're here.
 
You say you'd washed your hands so in theory there should've been no residue of hand cream left to affect results, I use hand cream a lot and have never had a higher than usual reading when I've had it on even if I haven't washed my hands previous to the test xx
 
I’ve read about squeezing your finger too much can affect results. Is there any truth in this?
 
Nope, it shouldn’t make a significant difference. I’ve never noticed any, for sure. Mind you, I do bleed fairly easily, when I do a fingerpick test it’s almost always depth 1 on the dial, even with a six month old lancet. I’ve always had warm hands, too - a useful characteristic for a doctor🙂

The report that Bruce has posted shows a range of differences that don’t amount to more than the expected range of the average monitor. Finger pricking is far from a dead on accurate test. That’s why they always take venous blood in a clinic situation.
 
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mikeyB said:
The report that Bruce has posted shows a range of differences that don’t amount to more than the expected range of the average monitor.
Click to expand...

Agreed, it's not something that I ever worry about. (Much more important not to smear fruit juice over your fingers before testing, so everyone should definitely stop doing that.)
 
From reading up hand cream is something that will effect results - I do always wash hands first but know people who don't. As for squeezing I have read that milking the finger (which is the recommended technique) can effect results because it isn't just blood that will come out.
I really struggle with getting blood out - so often squeeze - I think it is a bit like scales - our scales may not be as accurate as those in the surgery but we are comparing our weight using the same out of sync scale it will show the loss/gain.
As has been said there can be up to a 10% difference between our home readings and those done by our medical team but it gives you a good idea and the range is like those scales again....
 
Tee G said:
I know 9 wont seem much to some, but to me it was unexpected ( I thought peanut butter was ok?) and i already had toast earlier in the week with no terrible ill effect, Where did i go wrong?? only difference i can see is i had hand cream on since early evening (but did wash my hand before last test)
Click to expand...

Might be worth checking the carb count on the peanut butter. Not all are low carb, when I went shopping I noticed that certain brands do have more carbohydrate than you'd expect. I ended up going for an aldi "whole nut" something or other. Had way less carbs than the others.

It might just be the PB. Try it on a stick of celery instead of the toast and see if that changes your level.
 
Hi @zoombapup, thanks for responding. Good idea about the peanut butter, I used Lidl Whole nut (no added sugar) carbs per 100g = 9.1 (sugars 5.5g) ..and .Per 15ml serving, which i assume is about a teaspoon? and about as much as i put on my toast comes in at 1.4g & 0.8g sugar...I ditched their other peanut butter because it had a little added sugar. But I didnt think this was bad?? I try to go less than 10g/100g ratio on foods. ... I have bought some Livelife bread and will try again with this. I will keep testing!
 
hi @Neens, thanks for the reply. I bleed like a pig! no need to shake, squeeze or milk my fingers beforehand😱 LOL
 
Tee G said:
Per 15ml serving, which i assume is about a teaspoon?
Click to expand...
15g is a tablespoon size serving, a teaspoon is about 5ml/g xx
 
Tee G said:
Hi @zoombapup, thanks for responding. Good idea about the peanut butter, I used Lidl Whole nut (no added sugar) carbs per 100g = 9.1 (sugars 5.5g) ..and .Per 15ml serving, which i assume is about a teaspoon? and about as much as i put on my toast comes in at 1.4g & 0.8g sugar...I ditched their other peanut butter because it had a little added sugar. But I didnt think this was bad?? I try to go less than 10g/100g ratio on foods. ... I have bought some Livelife bread and will try again with this. I will keep testing!
Click to expand...

Hmm, that sounds like the Aldi version I have, so I don't think its likely to be that (I've tested myself with the Aldi version and it didn't move me much.

I guess there's some outside chance that it is something to do with toast AND peanut butter together. Or total amount of carbs. Or just one of the 40+ other things that affects diabetes and BG levels. I'm still amazed at how variable my readings are.

Good luck figuring it out. I guess you should experiment some more.
 
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