[Tribbles]

I have no idea what the causes are but here is the difference (
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi...4/7/1303-a.pdf) as a pdf file - it starts on page 7. There is a shorter version of the original proposition but the response is useful as well.

Interestingly rubbing the arm improves the correlation so the circulatory issue must have some validity.

[maxcooper]

This is not a recommendation. I am just sharing my experience. I think everyone should do what they personally feel comfortable with.

RE: alcohol wipes. I don't use them.

The idea of using them for finger pricks seems odd -- I don't think any doctor or health care professional has ever recommended that to me. I usually just poke, test, and then put my finger in my mouth to clean off any extra blood. I will wash first if my hands are really dirty, but mostly out of concern that it would skew the test results rather than a concern about harming myself. Washing just to do a test is very rare. 25K+ tests and counting with no infections.

I did 3-5 injections a day from 1991 to 2008 (~25K injections). Doctors have recommended wipes for injections, but I read an article that said using wipes did not significantly affect infection rates so I stopped using them in the first year. I may have misread the article or something, but that's what I thought it said. I would also frequently inject through my pants for convenience (at the risk of occasionally making a little blood spot at the injection site). If there was a drop of blood after a bare skin injection, I would wipe with a finger and than put the finger in my mouth. And maybe wipe again with now-wet finger if there was more blood. Zero infections.

Now I am using a pump. I don't use a swab for the infusion set, even though it was recommended. No problems.

I am generally a "clean" guy. I shower every day and live and work in fairly clean environments. I just don't think that the potential benefit of using alcohol swabs for these procedures is worth the hassle for me. At an estimated 10 seconds each (unpack, swab, wait for skin to dry), I would have spent ~140 hours swabbing with zero effect on the number of infections so far.

-Max

[art]

I wonder.
Would Purell be just as effective?

Art

[Tribbles]

Originally Posted by maxcooper

I would also frequently inject through my pants for convenience (at the risk of occasionally making a little blood spot at the injection site). If there was a drop of blood after a bare skin injection, I would wipe with a finger and than put the finger in my mouth. And maybe wipe again with now-wet finger if there was more blood. Zero infections

There was a study to look at the safety of injecting through clothes and they had identical results in both effectiveness and infections (there were none) as injecting into bare skin. The only negative they noted was the blood spot problem!

[ramon]

Originally Posted by Bountyman

Speaking of "not necessary"...did you know that when they give a condemned man a lethal injection...the guy inserting the needle uses an alcohol wipe, first?

What's up with that?

They use the RELI-ON alcohol pads because it comes with a pain reliever

[GOV]

Oh, h-e-double hockeysticks!!!!

1) never use alcohol on fingers
2) rarely wash hands before testing (only if I know I have residual sugar on my fingers)
3) lick my finger after

4) don't use alcohol on injection sites
5) don't use alcohol on vials
6) re-use needles until they hurt
7) inject through clothing... all it seems to do is dull the needle quicker.

Never had an infection, never got the flu, never got sick becuse of the practices stated above. I now use 70% alc. on fingers prior to test and on vials / used needles prior to injection.... haven't noticed any differences.

your resuts may vary.

[Jules49]

I wash my hands. Have never used swabs on my fingers. Just want the fingers clean. Was told to use only might right hand after a surgery. You can think about it and know what kind of surgery caused that.