I just got finished reading about how often do you cahnge your lacets? Now the other question I have is “When you prick your finger do you use an alcohol wipe before you do it?” GERMS… If you do are they covered by insurances?
Thanks
larry, are the alcohol wipes you refer to used to wipe fingers? if so, nope! alcohol swabs are pretty bad for diabetic skin as it tends to dry out skin and make it harder, so it becomes more difficult to poke the fingertip and get a blood sample. i do not use alcohol swabs, but wash my hands with soap and anti-bacterial hand wash before testing. if i am out, i use alcohol-free baby wipes to wipe my hands before testing, as per the suggestion of the diabetes nurse.
We use alcohol swabs every time and have never in 2.5 years and testing 4-5 x daily had problems with his finger drying out or making the skin tough. As far as them being covered by insurance what would be the point since they only cost about a dollar for a box of 100. Yes I too have heard that the alcohol wipes are bad for your fingers although I have never actually seen it in practice.
I don’t use them I use soap and wash my hands really good to get the germs off my hands with Dial soap. If that don’t work then oh well I guess… No I haven’t heard of insurance paying for them in the last few years. It used to when my daughter 1st took diabetes but don’t now that I know of.
I want to thank everyone who has responed to my question. So, I guess I will keep on washing my hands before testing for my blood sugar.
Have a great weekend.
I really really recommend that you don’t use alcohol wipes on your finger. I used them when I was first diagnosed, and it dried out my fingers. I got horrible sores on my fingers that had to be treated at the emergency room. And then it was harder to find a place to test because most of my fingers were bandaged. Soap and water are adequate for handwashing. I don’t even use anti-bacterial soap. In twenty years of doing this, I’ve never had an infected test site. Also, I find that most times when I test, I’ve recently visited the bathroom so it’s not even necessary to wash another time.
Alcohol wipes work great for the occastion camping trip or natural disaster though.
we use them when we’re out in public, I take my kid to playgrounds and that’s just breeding grounds for germs.
oh and they are covered by my insurance, but it’s only a couple of bucks.
I just wash and dry my hands. Alcohol can mess up the BG result and because those numbers need to be accurate I choose not to use alcohol on my fingers.