10/14 Update on Bruce

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Nakikki

Nakikki

Member Since 2020
I'm having limited success with BG readings. I think my mistake is not heating his ear enough. It's very distressing for him, so I want to get him used to it before I jump into monitoring it during cycles. Even though I would love to be able to monitor his drops, I'm just aiming for a pre-shot read for now.

He's adjusting to injections nicely. He let me inject him while eating this morning, and then followed me around for a big cuddle after. Relieved that part is at least going ok. I hope he adjusts similarly to BG tests.

Looking to the future, he'd be on 1 unit per shot for a week as of Sunday. If I can't get consistent reads at home, should I go for a BG curve at the vet at some point to see where I'm at with dosing? We can at least get a side by side with his first curve results. I'm sussing this out now because I have to book a week ahead.

Link to previous thread/ update on Bruce: Interpreting vet BG curve results
 
I was just going to say can you please link the previous thread but happy to see you did that at the end, thanks!

if you’re successful with testing at home, no need to do a curve at the vet. The stress alone of being at the vet all day will elevate his bg numbers and you won’t get good info as opposed to at home.

I nuke the sock for 35 seconds. It gets super hot but I’d rather wait a bit than just getting it lukewarm or not warm enough and I adjust how long a press it against her ear by how hot the sock is. It just gives me more time and I don’t feel rushed because the sock is getting cold. She’s also pretty good at letting me know it’s too hot by moving her ear away.

You may have gotten some of this advice already, but:

Are you singing to calm yourself and him down? If you’re calm, he won’t pick up on your anxiety and should be calmer himself.

are you giving him a treat immediately after? Whether it’s food or cuddles, just something to build up the positive association.

what size lancet are you using? You should be working with 28 or 26 gauge nothing smaller like 30 at the beginning.

what’s the most distressing part for him? The actual prick or collecting the blood? I’ve begun to collect the blood on my fingernail because then Minnie is free to move and I can calmly test off of my clean nail.
 
Ah, that sounds closer to the temperature I should be aiming for then. I was a little shy on the heat, and I wouldn't describe the temperature I've been using as ever getting anywhere near "super hot". My microwave must be weak, I've been going 40 seconds and getting 'warm'. I shuffle it around in the sock and feel around to make sure it doesn't superheat in patches, too.

I think he just hates having to sit there for so long, knowing that a prick is coming. He doesn't mind the ear warming, and then he starts to get a bit upset when I stop and he knows the prick is coming, then by the time I go for a sample he's real annoyed and doesn't want to be held any longer. Just the more I touch him the more annoyed he gets. I take it the pain after the prick doesn't help. I'm attempting to calm him all the way through and gentle pets. It doesn't help that it takes so long if his ear isn't heated correctly, that's my bad.

I'm singing him little songs about how lovely his treat will be. I am a bit of an anxious person, but after a couple of successful samples, the nerves are calming so hopefully it gets easier. And also, giving him little treats straight after and lots of praise. Which he laps up.

Using 28 g lancets. Will have an attempt at getting it on my nail, that might help a lot. Thanks for letting me know that trick. I think if I can get it done quicker he might be better off. Thanks!
 
Keep at it, you're doing great! It just takes time for some cats to get used to the process and accepting of it. Plus, and I might have mentioned this before, some cats just have ears that simply do not like to give up blood-- my own kitty had one "good" ear and one "bad" ear. So there can definitely be some factors beyond your control determining how easy or hard it is to get started on this stuff. All you can do is what you're doing, work on things like warming the ears and, frankly, just keep poking. Even if you have a lot of what look like unsuccessful pokes right now, they're still stimulating new capillary growth that will make your job easier later.

Meanwhile, it sounds like Bruce is feeling pretty good :cat:, and that's the real goal here for all of this!!!! You're doing a wonderful job as a caregiver for your little dude :)!
 
Good to hear news of Bruce. It sounds like you are making progress. I don’t think I would take Bruce to the vet for a couple of reasons for a curve.
He is going to be stressed and the readings will not be true readings but most likely higher than at home. Then your vet will say the dose needs to be increased when in fact it may not need to be increased.
Is he still getting lethargic or sleepy like he was on the 4 units?
Is he peeing or drinking more than normal?
i would keep trying to get as many tests in as possible.

When you are getting tests in during the cycle, you don’t need him to have not eaten for 2 hours. That is only for the Preshot number.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
I don’t think I would take Bruce to the vet for a couple of reasons for a curve.
He is going to be stressed and the readings will not be true readings but most likely higher than at home. Then your vet will say the dose needs to be increased when in fact it may not need to be increased.
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I, too, wouldn't take him in for a curve. Not only does Lola get super stressed at the vet's, but instead of getting her insulin a 6a she received it at 9a, surely resulting in an inflated BG level. And yes, the vet increased her dose based on those readings. And Lola suffered for it (she's back on her initial dose and doing super.) Realizing that those BG numbers were more likely than not truly reflective of her actual status is what confirmed for me that I needed to be testing at home.

[My first days of home testing (well, really, attempting to home test) were extremely frustrating - not made any easier because of the stress of having a now ailing cat. However, practice makes perfect and I no longer weep with frustration -- it may take two attempts, but I CAN get the job done. I stopped trying to get blood from her paws. I stopped trying to use the lancing devices and now free-hand. I also have her in the sink for the tests. The sink is in its own little alcove so the only way out is through me. I can block her attempts to escape with my body, leaning over her if necessary to further restrict her movement. I think her not being able to see an avenue for escape reduces her attempts to do so. And there's a convenient ledge right there to rest the meter and lancet so everything is right a hand.]

Enid
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Is he still getting lethargic or sleepy like he was on the 4 units?
Is he peeing or drinking more than normal?
Click to expand...
He's doing really great now. The weather is getting hot here so it's changing his behavior a bit. But otherwise he's been much more alert, engaged, and cheery the past day or two. Significantly better than when he was on 4 units, but also better than before he was put on insulin. So I assume the 1 unit is helping. He's drinking and peeing pretty normally, also I get 2 urine samples per day on the same routine, no ketones (his litter is permanently set up for samples).

Sidenote: I learnt a bit about how glucose urine tests work so I understand more about the readings I get on those now. Super inaccurate. But on the plus side, I can use those readings to tell that in general, his glucose levels have dropped the past few days, looking like it might be getting towards a stable consistent reading.

Pookie said:
[I also have her in the sink for the tests. The sink is in its own little alcove so the only way out is through me. I can block her attempts to escape with my body, leaning over her if necessary to further restrict her movement. I think her not being able to see an avenue for escape reduces her attempts to do so. And there's a convenient ledge right there to rest the meter and lancet so everything is right a hand.]
Click to expand...

The sink! You're a genius! I haven't had a table to work on so I've been trying on the floor. He gets his worst when I have to move around and shift positions. Bruce is too large for a regular sink, but I wonder if I can make the laundry sink comfortable for him. It might take some experimenting.

Thanks for all the help ^^
 
The sink! You're a genius!
Click to expand...

I can't take credit for the genius. It's one of Lola's favorite places to hang out (see avatar). We had our bathroom refitted to "age in place" standards, so the sink is a bit taller and bigger than its predecessor and it's working out well. I had worried about creating a negative association for one of her favorite haunts, but then I remembered all the times I've had to brush my teeth at the kitchen sink because there was a cat in the bathroom sink and I decided a negative association, if it developed, might not be a such bad thing.
 
Today's gone well. (Also, sorry, idk if I need to make a new thread per day or what. I don't want to fill the place with threads and it's just a quick update so I'm sticking it here. Feel free to correct me there. I'm not great with forum posting.)

Haven't gotten a test today because I borked it pretty hard last night. I was anxious and tired from a long day. Despite my best efforts to be reassuring, by the time we got to the prick things went south, I got hissed at. I should've taken a pause but I persisted and didn't get anything out anyway. Poor guy. I'm beginning to suspect he does actually have one juicy ear and one dry one, so that gives me some hope if I aim for that one.

I'll try to take it slow, put him in the sink for a test today, see if he takes to it and see how far I can get through the process of testing while keeping things nice and calm. I'm less worried about missing it because it seems he's adjusted to the dose, which will help with my anxiety around it (hopefully). Trying to persist without freaking him out and making it worse. I might be able to bring in my support worker to help if it becomes a pressing issue.

Can confirm his urine glucose levels are consistent every time now. Reading at about 5 (which means his bg would be averaging 15+, apparently). All that really does is confirm he's leveled out, but it's something.

Thanks for checking in.
 
No you don’t need to start a new thread each day on the main health forum. If it gets long... more than 50 posts then it’s a good idea to start a new thread.

You are making progress even if it doesn’t feel like you are. Just keep on keeping on! And a quick daily update would be great if you can manage it so we can all keep in touch.

Give Bruce a big pat from me.
 
He's done well. I put him in the sink. Looks like it'll be more convenient to do things there, though I can't hold my body against his for more control due to it being a massive laundry sink, lol. Maybe I can use the washing machine as a table for him.

I didn't even try to get a BG because he was super stressed. I just tried to get him to adjust to an ear warm/rub and that was enough for him. Luckily, when we were done, he pulled his "I'm pleasantly surprised with that" face, so fingers crossed it gets easier next time.

We had a set back with the injection, too. We're back to him pulling away when I try to get a shot while he's eating, and having to grab him and shoot in the bathroom. After last night's fuss I'm not surprised he doesn't trust me. But, lessons learnt.

Other than that, he's still doing well. Had a few cuddles and a play. Got lots of pats. Thanks!
 
Morning Nick and Bruce!
You are getting this Nick! Good for you. So many tricky things go along with this disease but there are also tricky things to combat that. I love the sink idea another member told you about ..haha another "trick",
Hers hoping you both have a lovely day!
j
 
Are you shooting on the scruff? Here are a few more options for you
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Aleluia Grugru & Minnie said:
Are you shooting on the scruff? Here are a few more options for you
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Yes. I've been wondering how long I can get away with that for, given they want to change sites often. The vet shaved a patch so I could easily inject. I've tried touching his skin on the side of his chest while petting and he hates it even more than that, lol. I'm going to have to train him to accept a different injection place.
 
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