6 lancets and 4 test strips later!! A newbie's lament

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Nancy and Pasha

Nancy and Pasha

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Our first AlphaTRAK home blood test this morning. Poor Pashie was as patient as any cat could be, I guess, but this was new to both of us.

Despite trying most of the tips offered by several kind people here--rubbing, using the warming sock--I couldn't get ENOUGH blood to come out for a sample until my husband providentially arrived home and was able to hold the kitty to free both my hands to squeeze the paw pad enough to get a big drop.

I did try the ear... NO luck, couldn't see a vein nor any blood at all when I did poke on the edge. My husband had to go back to work, but hopefully my daughter-in-law can come later today to help me complete the glucose curve. I'll give the ear another try, this time with the flashlight when I have four hands (I hope).

One question--do you all poke INSIDE or OUTSIDE the ear on its edge? It's not clear to me which is best--I hear conflicting reports here and from the vet and the AlphaTRAK instructions.

We've been giving 1 unit of Lantus glargine 2x per day, but I'm sure the vet will raise it, as his sugar was 489 this morning before his shot. (Which I ended up giving about 45 minutes late, after taking so long to get the sample!) His original reading when diagnosed was 495.

I am grateful for this board--I need to do a lot of reading to get up to speed, when I can find time between extra hours at work and being out of town visiting my mom, etc.

Nancy T.
 
It's hard at first.... it *will* get easier as you figure out a routine that works for you.

I need both hands for testing too, so I wrap Odie in a towel first. Once all his paws are contained and he can't wiggle too much, then I can put him across my lap, hold him against me with one arm, and still have both hands available for testing his ear.

I prick the back of the ear (where the fur is).

I put a very thin layer of vaseline on his ear (it makes the blood form a little ball/drop rather than spread in his fur). Just put a tiny bit though, otherwise, you end up with vaseline in the opening of the test strip and it doesn't work.

I take a flashlight, lay his ear against it, then prick along the vein that runs around the edge of his ear. Usually pricking further down the side of the ear rather than the tip bleeds more. You can also press a bit on both sides of where you pricked to kind of push some blood out.

It might bruise, but squeeze his ear gently with a tissue afterwards to clot the hole and bruising will be kept to a minimum (and it gets better as you get more experienced). Some people rub a tiny amount of Polysporin on it afterwards to help with healing.

Good luck.
Odiesmom
 
Hi there

one of your best bets to see how each dose is going, is to do random spotchecks thru the cycles, this way you avoid bumping the dose too soon and too fast.
the blood testing takes a little getting use, but it does get easier, offer low carb kitty treats like freeze dried chicken, stay calm and dont let your kitty sense your nerves, trust us, it does get easier!

edit to add: here is a link with home testing tips and videos, if you haven't looked thru, give it a go:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287
 
For one of my cats I did start her out by poking the inside of her ear because her ear would never ever bleed. I was not new to FD and knew how to hometest, but Misty(GA)'s ear was a tough one. Within about a week I found that with her, the sweet spot on her ear was the bottom edge, right above where that triangle flap is. After about a month I no longer needed the rice sock, her ear was 'trained' to give blood.

If you can get enough blood to get it onto your fingernail before you lose the kitty, try that and just sip the blood of your finger nail.

It does get easier in time. I don't paw test, their claws frighten me nailbite_smile

You're doing a great job so far.
 
Some folks will do two quick pricks right next to each other to get enough blood. If the problem is movement, you can scrape the blood onto your fingernail and test from there.

If you're using the lancet pen, that may also contribute to the problem; each cat has a different setting that works best for them, in that it penetrates far enough to draw enough blood, but not so far that it causes extraneous discomfort. So if you're using the lancet pen, you might want to try free-handing the lancet.

I'm also not sure how much blood your AlphaTRAK needs to get an accurate reading; I know that some of the human glucometers most of us use work off samples of .3mL. If your AlphaTRAK needs more blood than that, you might do better trying a human glucometer.


ETA: Where are you located (nearest medium-to-large city)? It's possible someone may live in your area and be willing to help you with home-testing.
 
I poke the thicker edge of the ear, about 1/3 of the way up from the base and just in from the edge. I never use a flashlight or anything, just aim and poke using a lancet device. I have a warmed up sock in his ear that I use to warm and then as support for the lancet. In the beginning I found vaseline was very helpful to get the blood bead up and not difuse into the fur.
 
Most people do it the way that works best for them. You will figure out what that is for you.

I poke the back of his ear, the fur side, because it's not as awkward for us that way and he is an orinch boy so it is easy to see.

I never got the hang of the lancet pen either so I free hand it. Keep trying different things to see what works for you.

Keep asking questions, good luck.

Robin
 
Nancy T said:
Despite trying most of the tips offered by several kind people here--rubbing, using the warming sock--I couldn't get ENOUGH blood to come out for a sample....
I did try the ear... NO luck, couldn't see a vein nor any blood at all when I did poke on the edge
Click to expand...

What do you have inside your rice sock? Uncooked regular cooking type rice? Uncooked oatmeal? Dried peans/beans? How much "stuff" do you have inside the sock? What is the sock material? Cotton? Fleece? Wool?

Try a small cotton sock (like baby sized or cut an old sock down to size) with your choice of "stuff". Use enough "stuff" to make a ball that will comfortably fit in your hand.

Try different microwave times. You want to heat the sock up so that it's really really warm but not so hot that it will burn your cat's ear. If you can comfortably hold the heated sock in your hand for a couple minutes, then it's warm enough.

Apply the warm rice sock to your cat's ear. Try a minute (might need treats to hold cat still) and then hold the sock under the ear while you use the lancet device to prick the ear. The sock will have the floppy ear some support so you can get a good prick.

Just aim for near the very edge of the ear. See this picture: http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m267 ... etspot.jpg If you can't see the vein, try the inside of the ear where there is less fur. You may also hold a flashlight under the ear so you can see the vein. There's an ad up at the top of the board for a device that helps you see the vein by illuminating it: http://www.illumavein.com/

Try a different lancet device. Some work better than others. Any Human pharmacy sells them. A lot of people here like the Accu-Chek SoftClick. Others like the OneTouch lancet devices. Do not get the CVS brand one bcecause it is impossible to use.

Nancy T said:
One question--do you all poke INSIDE or OUTSIDE the ear on its edge? It's not clear to me which is best--I hear conflicting reports here and from the vet and the AlphaTRAK instructions.
Click to expand...

Either. Most people use the furry side of the ear, others use the inside. It doesn't matter as long as you can get a drop of blood.
 
For what it's worth...my Mom didn't have luck with the AlphaTrack. She spent a ton of money on it but she could never get enough blood to make it register. She went out and got a ReliOn meter and strips from WalMart and (very cheap) and she had luck right away. I've never used an Alpha Track but according to Mom it doesn't suck the blood onto the strip like human meters do.
 
I am having the same trouble, I tried home testing for the first time earlier today and I got blood 3 times-bless Blue's heart but he was very patient with me and just sat there- and every time it said E2. I looked up what that meant in the manual and it means not enough blood was collected. I was trying the inside on the ear. I even tried both ears, I felt bad trying to poke one so much. Tonight before his shot I am going to try the outside and maybe with some Vaseline. I am using the Bayer Contour, and I tried free handing it and using the device. I even used the device once on my finger and it doesn't come out enough so I am going to try free handing it.

Have you had any success yet?
 
Alexia,

Have you tried squeezing or "milking" after you prick? kind of push the sides of the vein towards where you pricked, to make more blood come out?

Some people also prick twice very close together so that enough comes out between the two to make one drop

Or try pricking lower on the ear rather than towards the tip

Or try heating the ear with a rice sock (take a thin sock, put 1/2 cup of dry rice in it, knot the sock, microwave it for a bit until it's quite warm (but not burning), and hold it to the ear for like 30 seconds before trying to prick.

Perhaps you've already tried these... but just in case there's a trick there that you hadn't tried.

Odiesmom
 
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