Hi, I am new to supporting a child with type1 diabetes

[A. Steve]

I am new to all this but have been asked about glycerine free soap to use in school before using the blood monitoring. Can anyone recommend anything? thanks

 

[Inka]

I just use normal bar soap @A. Steve I’ve never had a problem with it at all. I know there was a Facebook scare a while ago about liquid soaps having sugar in or some such thing. I’m very sure my blood test results are accurate and not affected by soap.

 

[SB2015]

Hi @A.Steve I’ve also never heard of any issue with soap, but if they are concerned perhaps your child can just use water. I was to,d at one time to have a cotton wool ball which has been wetted in a polythene bag in with my test kit so I can wipe my finger, if hand washing was not available, so that was just water.

How are you getting on apart from this issue.
Has your child been diagnosed a while?

if there is anything we can help with ask away.

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi A. Steve, welcome to the forum.

I've never heard of there being a problem either. As long as their hands have been thoroughly washed and dried, there should be no issues.

If it's for convenience, depending on age, maybe the alcohol swabs will be handy.

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

I think the scare was because some soaps may cause the reading to be higher if they're not washed off properly - and someone misunderstood and thought the soaps were causing the blood sugar to be high. I've once or twice had a high reading from aloe vera gel on my hands, I just had to go back and wash more thoroughly and do another test.

I don't think there's any problem using any soap, with or without glycerine, so long as it's properly rinsed off! If you are keen to find one without glycerine though, I think the original Simple Soap is glycerine-free, and the Friendly Soap Co ones I get are glycerine-free too (I don't know if all of them are, they make a range of different ones, I get the aloe vera one and the shea butter one).

 

[helli]

If it's for convenience, depending on age, maybe the alcohol swabs will be handy.

My understanding is that alcohol wipes can affect blood sugar readings. This is why paramedics just wipe your fingers with saline before taking a reading.

 

[Inka]

There are some wipes which are called Diawipes or similar that can be useful if you’re out and about.

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

I just use Jackson Reece unscented baby wipes to wipe my hands if I'm out - they are free from alcohol and from the synthetic scents and other nasty chemicals which are in most wipes, they are biodegradable (also unlike most wipes), and they are available from supermarkets.

 

[rebrascora]

I very seldom wash my hands or use a wipe. I simply wipe away the first drop of blood on the back of my other hand and test the second drop but then I am usually working up at the stables with no washing facilities and I hate wipes because they are environmentally so bad. I also have very dry skin on my hands, so washing too often means that they split and crack and that creates far more problems. Never had an infection despite often testing dirty fingers although I do try to select the best of a bad bunch for testing 😳. I often cut my fingers working with the horses or on the land so I really don't see a lancet as any particular threat to my health, compared to a rusty nail or thorns etc or my hoof knife when I am trimming horses hooves.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I’ve also never had a problem with soaps. I guess rinsing thoroughly is the key?