If the meter has been hit hard, it can affect how accurate the results are, as can the batteries. How do you know if the meter is working? Test with control solution instead of blood. The solution has a given sugar content so you can see if the answer on the display is correct. The solution often comes with the meter when you buy it, but is also available at pharmacies.
3Dirt and moisture
Maybe you just held fruit, or got butter on your finger without noticing? Hand cream, wet hands, sugar and oil on your skin can distort your measurement result and give both falsely low and falsely high values. Get in the habit of always washing your fingers before testing your blood sugar, soap and water is best, and wipe dry.
4The knitting place
The palm, arms, thighs and calves work well as a puncture site if you want to rotate more. However, blood from alternative sites does not give as reliable a measurement as blood from a finger prick, especially not if blood sugar plummets or rises quickly. This is because it takes several minutes longer for the blood to reach the outermost blood vessels in, for example, the arm, than in the fingertips. If you suspect low blood sugar, the finger prick is the one to go for – always.
