02/09 Ethan PMPS 247

Erin Ethan

Erin Ethan

Member Since 2023
Not a good start today.

Lots of pokes for poor Ethan kitty, I got at least 3 drops at different times that I thought were sufficient but the meter never picked up a reading. Supposedly the Lite takes the least amount of blood of any meter on the market which is why we bought it, but it feels very fussy in taking up the blood...although I have nothing to compare it with.

I gave 1.5U this morning since I can watch him like a hawk today...and he got quite a hearty amount of treats and food in the process of trying to test and then giving his insulin (that was in addition to a hearty breakfast >2hrs before testing).

I feel like I am failing him. He is such a sweetheart putting up with everything and I couldn't get the fluffernuffin' thing to register a single reading for him.

Edit:
I experimented on myself this afternoon to get a better sense of what could be going wrong.

1) The initial poke didn't hurt at all, but a couple minutes after my finger felt pretty sore. I did squeeze gently to get a second drop out. Not sure if the soreness happens every time or if squeezing made the wound tender. Moving forward I will stop trying to get a reading 2-3 minutes after the first poke.

2) I was not able to even get a reading of my own blood using the same technique I use on Ethan (picking up the drop on another clean finger then holding it on the strip). Something about the transfer sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. I will try again later to work out what the issue could be.
 
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Erin Ethan said:
Not a good start today.

Lots of pokes for poor Ethan kitty, I got at least 3 drops at different times that I thought were sufficient but the meter never picked up a reading. Supposedly the Lite takes the least amount of blood of any meter on the market which is why we bought it, but it feels very fussy in taking up the blood...although I have nothing to compare it with.

I gave 1.5U this morning since I can watch him like a hawk today...and he got quite a hearty amount of treats and food in the process of trying to test and then giving his insulin (that was in addition to a hearty breakfast >2hrs before testing).

I feel like I am failing him. He is such a sweetheart putting up with everything and I couldn't get the fluffernuffin' thing to register a single reading for him.
Click to expand...

:bighug:

awwwww hang in there! I know I've been there. At one point I was elated because I thought I had the ear poking down pat. And then somehow it was like I completely lost it and was starting from scratch. so frustrating and mentally and emotionally exhausting
 
Thanks Kyle...That's exactly it! Its so disheartening to feel like you're getting somewhere and then...total failure.

And Ethan just goes on being lovely as can be even as I mangle his ears (he can't help it that he's twitchy :rolleyes:).
 
Erin Ethan said:
I experimented on myself this afternoon to get a better sense of what could be going wrong.
Click to expand...
Oh Erin, I am sorry it isn't going so well for you, :bighug:. Most of us (or more likely... all of us!) sure know what it's like.
We also tried different techniques on ourselves, preferring a sore finger over kitty's little ear.:( You will find the best way for Ethan cutie.!
Not sure if this has been suggested but I'll add it. Something I realized I was doing wrong was to press the test strip down on the blood drop (essentially having much of the blood contact the back-side of the strip) which sure wasn't working well. Flipping the meter over was also a bit hit and miss. Tried coming down at straight 90 degree, sometimes worked (when the drop was wide enough to cover the entire strip. I've found a more "scooping" action picked up the most blood, and it would best disperse across the entire test strip area. My hubby prefers a "sweeping" action across the drop.
We also did 2 quick pokes in rapid succession, and that worked better to get a sufficient drop.
And 'milking of course' if it's something he will put up with, (I'm guessing not since you do the nail thing)
 
@Erin Ethan Here's my 2cents FWIW
You are NOT failing him. In my opinion, to fail him would be to not try at all. You have been trying therefore...successful step. You will get there! I PROMISE you will :bighug::bighug::bighug:

I am a fellow freestyle lite meter (FSL) user myself. I chose this meter for the same reasons ...ease of use...smallest drop of blood... price of strips
This may sound silly, but are you bringing the ZipWik tab portion of the strip to the drop of blood? Photo below.
I've found that I (still) will get an error/time out/not enough blood message if I don't have the ZipWik tab at the center of the blood drop. Like @Melinda and Kitkat if the blood goes behind the strip, it will give an error message or just time out. I've also found that I shouldn't press the strip all the way against the ear. Let the ZipWik pull the blood to it instead of it to the poke. This took me A LONG TIME to adjust to. I was so anxious Cleo was going to run away before I got enough blood for the meter and all the other steps that I rushed the process.

fslite-teststrips%403x.jpeg
 
Thanks so much @Melinda and Kitkat for your encouraging words! I might have to try either the scooping or sweeping motions from the ear if my current method of picking it up on my finger/fingernail doesn't work consistently!

Thanks @Angela & Cleo for sharing all the info & your experience re: the Zipwick! I think you have just helped me have a major breakthough (or more accurately, a major "OH...DUH!" moment!) All this time I have been trying to get blood on top of the strip (aiming flat at the black dots)...but that close-up image let me see the tiny protrusions better which led me to Google which led me to...I need to let the protrusions on the side of the strip suck up the blood. I just tried this on myself and it worked with very little blood! Will try this with Ethan at PMPS.

Thank you again everyone...I truly appreciate your time, insights, and kindness. :bighug:
 
Erin Ethan said:
Thanks so much @Melinda and Kitkat for your encouraging words! I might have to try either the scooping or sweeping motions from the ear if my current method of picking it up on my finger/fingernail doesn't work consistently!

Thanks @Angela & Cleo for sharing all the info & your experience re: the Zipwick! I think you have just helped me have a major breakthough (or more accurately, a major "OH...DUH!" moment!) All this time I have been trying to get blood on top of the strip (aiming flat at the black dots)...but that close-up image let me see the tiny protrusions better which led me to Google which led me to...I need to let the protrusions on the side of the strip suck up the blood. I just tried this on myself and it worked with very little blood! Will try this with Ethan at PMPS.

Thank you again everyone...I truly appreciate your time, insights, and kindness. :bighug:
Click to expand...


oh yeah I remember those strips and going through something similar, once you get the hang of using the side of the strip it sucks the blood right up very nicely. I think you got it. Using the little protrusions on either side will suck the droplet up, it's one thing I really liked about that style of strip.
 
Sooo PMPS was a still bit of a process...Ethan jerked his head back which scratched his ear, enough to create a shimmery red line but not enough to get a drop (seriously?!) so we had to poke his other ear...

But...

The little bloodsucker worked like a charm! @Angela & Cleo you are a genius! Even the manual isn't clear about using the bloodsucker...I don't know if we ever would have figured that out without you.

Thank you everyone for turning today around for Ethan and I...you have our heartfelt gratitude <3
 
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