PMPS and insulin soon. SO SCARED

[Lauren & Red]

So last night was my first time doing both the glucose test and insulin. I did the glucose test myself after a few tries on the ear. For the insulin, my mom was nice enough to come over and hold my kitty. Tonight I’m all alone.

This a.m. I decided to skip insulin because he had lower AMPS, and he wasn’t eating. Mostly though, by the time I was finished talking it out with people, it was much later than planned. so the biggest factor in skipping the shot was to get a manageable time schedule. I’m supposed to test and inject in about 30 minutes..

But I am literally freaking out and having panic attacks. I’m terrified to do this alone. I was so terrified yesterday and so nervous I don’t even remember what I did. I’m worried about hitting a muscle or injecting in a way that hurts him. I am picturing 1 million different things that could go wrong in my head.

I’m trying to take deep breath‘s and calm down. I just need some tips and advice. I don’t know what I’m doing. Realistically, the only place I’m going to be able to inject is somewhere on the back or neck. I can sometimes keep him between my legs and stand above him. Or hold with one hand-ish. I doubt for long. I know I can’t get him to eat as a distraction. He’s weird. Just in any situation with food if someone is too close to him or petting him he won’t eat.

Mostly this first shot (technically not first but still feels like it) is a big deal because it’s going to affect future shots. I don’t want to hurt him and then have this be a major ordeal all the time. If I can do it without him feeling it, he will be less likely to fight me.

I’m shaking scared. Literally

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Take a few deep breaths and try to calm yourself or you're never going to get him to calm down. Cats are so very good at knowing how we're feeling and if you're nervous and scared, he's going to think there's a darn good reason he should be nervous and scared too!

The needles on insulin syringes these days are so short there's really no way you can get it into the muscle or anything other than the sub-q space unless you're really trying to.

If you were taught how to "tent", you might want to try a different method that's just as good called a "wrist roll". You grab some fur between your thumb and forefinger and then "roll your wrist" to gently pull until there's a "break" in the fur....aim for that break at about a 45 degree angle and shoot. It's hard to explain but here's a picture.

 

[StarburstMom]

Also make sure the bevel on the needle is facing up....I learned that the hard way.

 

[Lauren & Red]

Take a few deep breaths and try to calm yourself or you're never going to get him to calm down. Cats are so very good at knowing how we're feeling and if you're nervous and scared, he's going to think there's a darn good reason he should be nervous and scared too!

The needles on insulin syringes these days are so short there's really no way you can get it into the muscle or anything other than the sub-q space unless you're really trying to.

If you were taught how to "tent", you might want to try a different method that's just as good called a "wrist roll". You grab some fur between your thumb and forefinger and then "roll your wrist" to gently pull until there's a "break" in the fur....aim for that break at about a 45 degree angle and shoot. It's hard to explain but here's a picture.

View attachment 61849

So you roll to make the skin tight and inject the skin closest to the cat? Not the extra fat part?
And 45 degrees down or up?
Sorry I should know this. Stress makes me even more dumb than I already am on this. If I pinch the skin up and tent since that how I didn’t yesterday… do I still make a 45 degree angle or have the syringe horizontal to the cat.

what hurts less?

Also for probably the worlds dumbest question ever to be asked…
after I take off the orange cap to expose the needle there is a small clearer part that kind of reminds me of a big rubber earring backing. Is that supposed to come off or stay on?

I’m such a failure. And yet again an hour late

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Also for probably the worlds dumbest question ever to be asked…
after I take off the orange cap to expose the needle there is a small clearer part that kind of reminds me of a big rubber earring backing. Is that supposed to come off or stay on?

can you post a picture of it? Are you talking about the plastic cap on the opposite end of the syringe from the needle?

 

[Lauren & Red]

Also make sure the bevel on the needle is facing up....I learned that the hard way.

What is a bevele?
My needle keeps getting bent when I flick inside the lantus bottle to remove air bubbles. This is literally my own personal hell.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

And 45 degrees down or up?

90 degrees would be straight down into the skin like you were throwing a dart at him from above. 45 degrees is half that steep

 

[Lauren & Red]

can you post a picture of it? Are you talking about the plastic cap on the opposite end of the syringe from the needle?

No, it’s on the bottom part of the needle itself. Someone already told me that it’s supposed to stay there. So never mind. And the site for some reason says I’m not allowed to post pictures so I can’t can’t

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

On the picture I posted above....you see how the syringe isn't going straight up/down, perpendicular to the skin but is going in at a gentler angle?

 

[StarburstMom]

What is a bevele?
My needle keeps getting bent when I flick inside the lantus bottle to remove air bubbles. This is literally my own personal hell.

The bevel is the tip of the needle that has a hole in it. The slant at the end of the needle tip is the bevel. So when you pierce the skin the slant needs to be face up for minimal discomfort. I don't know how else to describe it without showing you, sorry

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

What is a bevele?

This picture shows the bevel (highly magnified) and how the needle (or lancet) has a shape to it that makes it glide into the skin easier.

My needle keeps getting bent when I flick inside the lantus bottle to remove air bubbles.

You shouldn't "flick" while it's still in the vial. Pull out a tiny bit more than you need, remove the syringe from the vial (or pen) and then "flick it" to bring any air bubbles to the top to expel. Sometimes if you have the bubble "stick" to the end of the plunger or along the edges of the syringe, it helps to suck in a little more air and then "flick". It sometimes is easier for the tiny bubbles to move up into a bigger bubble of air and then you just expel it all.