Wildly different glucose in opposing hands

[Tamagno]

My wife tested my glucose in both my right and left hands - little finger on both - around 2:00am last night having cleaned them with alcohol and insured they were then dry.

The result was 30 points higher in my right hand - well beyond the usual glucometer variation; plus at other times finger sticks in both hands have proven virtually identical when using the same meter (the built-in on my Omnipod pump).

Strikes me as very odd! Any thoughts?

[skb]

Very odd indeed. Tough one to fathom. Readings do vary from finger to finger but maybe not that much. I'd would think that the strips are the culprit.

[BobIA41]

A few questions.  Were both test strips removed at the same time?  Was one test strip exposed to lamp light while one finger was tested?  Was there sufficient blood for the test strip?  This is often a problem for unreliable readings and insufficient blood can cause lower than actual readings. 

I have learned that a test strip should be taken out of the container, the lid closed, and the test strip used within thirty seconds for an accurate reading (tolerable variance allowed).  Then the second strip should have been removed and used within 30 seconds. 

Even at that time of day, lamp light can damage strips and cause unreliable readings if exposed to bright lamp light.  During the daytime, it is never wise to expose test strips to direct sunlight.  I see people dump a few test strips out on the table by a window receiving direct sunlight and wonder why they can't get good readings. 

[skb]

I know that blood circulation takes about 1 minute in the body, that is from the heart & back to the heart, otherwise I would have risked the notion that the blood sugar was wildly different in the two hands. It has to be external factors.

[ShottleBop]

I only ever take my blood sugar readings from one finger of one hand.

[Shanny]

Same here . . . my numb thumb!

[rocky]

hey man, so which hand is better to test. i start tommorrow.

[Shanny]

Doesn't really matter, either hand and any digit, but fingertips are very sensitive, so make the prick on the side of your finger, not in the middle, as shown on the image.

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