Lowering blood test with water over fingers?

A nurse told me that if I run water over my fingers my blood test will be lower…so not to run water over fingers before checking blood?
Is this fact or fiction? I’m really curious.

This is true because the water mixes with the blood and dilutes the glucose levels. You are suppose to squeeze out the first drop of blood and wipe it off and then use the second drop of blood. I had much better sugar levels when I did not wipe the first drop of blood off.

If there’s water on your fingers, it will dilute the blood you are getting to test and, since the samples used are small, that is enough to give a false low reading. Fruit juice can give a false high. I don’t bother to clean skin before testing, because the blood coming out will keep the puncture clean. I don’t use fingers either, but my forearm. . My fingers get too sore. Alternative site testing is fine for most type 2s.I have a Freestyle Mini

You run water over your fingers to warm them or wash them before you test. I presume
that you wipe them so that your fingers are not damp. That is supposed to lower your
blood test level? Nope, I’ve never heard of that one. I don’t believe it either. But I’ll ask my
Endo the next time I see him, just in case. :smiley:

I don’t wash my skin before testing.

This is probably good, but since I know that a puncture wound that bleeds freely is very unlikely to become infected, I don’t bother. I’ve just come in from a long walk and measured (4.4 ~79) I’ve just eaten a bit of crispbread, because that’s rather low

extra. I use my forearm for esting. Obviously this is less likely to be “dirty” than my fingers.

Washing my hands well does not always remove resin residues from fruits, balsamic vinegars, etc. which can show up as an anomalous high reading. Cleaning any stick site with alcohol before reading has been found to present lower than accurate readings.
Unless you are in a state of rapid change, usually forearm will be a more accurate site.
If you are in a state of rapid change, it is said that testing the fleshy part of your palm at the base of your thumb should give a reasonably accurate read.
I’ve also found that if my fingers are cold, they will read 20 points lower than my forearm, or if I am in a state of rapid change (i.e., postprandial), about 20 minutes later than my forearm. This happens regardless of what meter technology I am using. So for me, forearm is usually a more accurate site.