Advice for very nervous tester

[Eevee n’ Me]

Hello! I'm new to the forums and trying my best to accurately absorb the wealth of information here, so my apologies if I've not properly set up my signature or if I've missed another thread that already addresses my specific concern. Please feel free to give me any suggestions or links that may help and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. - Also, I'm sorry for the likely unnecessary length of my post.

I've been injecting my little lady Eevee with Vetsulin (recommended by vet, though I'm reading now that I should request 'gentler' alternatives. TY for that info) for 10 weeks now and have only been able to get a successful BG home test done 8 times in this entire process. When I have succeeded in a test her BG has consistently been very high (390-400) making it even more important that I get her stabilized ASAP. Eevee is (mostly) an angel during the test, the problem at this point is my own physical/emotional response to the sensations of testing and it's only gotten worse with each failed test. My hands shake uncontrollably and I will either poke her too hard (puncture sound & feeling- basically piercing her ear) or I don't pierce her skin at all. When there's a lot of blood, especially in the couple cases where she shook her head mid-poke causing a tiny tear instead, I feel physically sick to the point of complete overwhelm. I'll often also start quietly tearing up uncontrollably which tends to make Eevee want to get up and leave before we've finished, understandably. I'm still attempting tests every day, multiple times a day since her back legs began to lose strength about two weeks ago, but after another 3 failed tests (too soft/no blood) today I feel very defeated. I feel terrible that my poor cat has only me to rely on and that I can't remain calm enough to give her the care she needs.

I would use the automatic feature on the lancet device if her ears were not far, far too small to safely do so. I read somewhere in the forums that singing or humming to yourself can help calm your body through the process but it's not worked for me, and if anything the sound is distressing to Eevee- haha. I would also like to take her to the vet to get tested regularly and get her stabilized but she completely shuts down with stress/overwhelm whenever I've taken her (hides in my jacket, heavy breathing, basically frozen the entire time)- which I'm seeing isn't exactly helpful when seeking accurate readings. The Freestyle Libre (?) seems like it could be an option, but if they can be ripped off and/or need to be installed by a vet, I can't imagine Eevee will take it well at all.

Any advice is welcome, please, but I will also appreciate any patience you can have with me in responding. I'm quite overwhelmed by all of this right now (shocking, I know! haha) and have been since her diagnosis.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

I would use the automatic feature on the lancet device if her ears were not far, far too small to safely do so.

I do not understand what you mean by too small. I have always used a lancing pen for all my (>20) cats. I evenused the lancing pem on my Scottish Fold and they have very small ears.

 

[CORKY]

Hello! I'm new to the forums and trying my best to accurately absorb the wealth of information here, so my apologies if I've not properly set up my signature or if I've missed another thread that already addresses my specific concern. Please feel free to give me any suggestions or links that may help and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. - Also, I'm sorry for the likely unnecessary length of my post.

I've been injecting my little lady Eevee with Vetsulin (recommended by vet, though I'm reading now that I should request 'gentler' alternatives. TY for that info) for 10 weeks now and have only been able to get a successful BG home test done 8 times in this entire process. When I have succeeded in a test her BG has consistently been very high (390-400) making it even more important that I get her stabilized ASAP. Eevee is (mostly) an angel during the test, the problem at this point is my own physical/emotional response to the sensations of testing and it's only gotten worse with each failed test. My hands shake uncontrollably and I will either poke her too hard (puncture sound & feeling- basically piercing her ear) or I don't pierce her skin at all. When there's a lot of blood, especially in the couple cases where she shook her head mid-poke causing a tiny tear instead, I feel physically sick to the point of complete overwhelm. I'll often also start quietly tearing up uncontrollably which tends to make Eevee want to get up and leave before we've finished, understandably. I'm still attempting tests every day, multiple times a day since her back legs began to lose strength about two weeks ago, but after another 3 failed tests (too soft/no blood) today I feel very defeated. I feel terrible that my poor cat has only me to rely on and that I can't remain calm enough to give her the care she needs.

I would use the automatic feature on the lancet device if her ears were not far, far too small to safely do so. I read somewhere in the forums that singing or humming to yourself can help calm your body through the process but it's not worked for me, and if anything the sound is distressing to Eevee- haha. I would also like to take her to the vet to get tested regularly and get her stabilized but she completely shuts down with stress/overwhelm whenever I've taken her (hides in my jacket, heavy breathing, basically frozen the entire time)- which I'm seeing isn't exactly helpful when seeking accurate readings. The Freestyle Libre (?) seems like it could be an option, but if they can be ripped off and/or need to be installed by a vet, I can't imagine Eevee will take it well at all.

Any advice is welcome, please, but I will also appreciate any patience you can have with me in responding. I'm quite overwhelmed by all of this right now (shocking, I know! haha) and have been since her diagnosis.

Hi, for me as well was very overwhelming to test, thru the process I have learned that I caress my Corky for a bit, place her by my thigh, although I use the ReliOn monitor, with the strips and lancets, there is no noise, easy to use very accurate and just a tiny little pinch on the tip of the ear, and is done. I have a small flashlight, to see the vein first, then I have a small sock with rice in it, knotted, place it within the ear and pinch, sweet process. I still get restless when I miss, and especially when his BG goes to low. but it is very important to test, at least for me, regularly, II am obsessed I test every 2 hours or so Corky's BG tends to lower around the APMS and PMPs.
it's really more intense for us then them, I talk to my Corky sweetly and caress him before the shot I place everything in a baggie take it out in front of him, he sees what's going on, and entertains himself, it will be ok, stick with this Forum, they will guide you on testing raising and reducing doses, a spreadsheet which they can help better than a Vet, if you click on Corky's spreadsheet link , you will see how's done, you'll never step foot in a Vets office about the diabetes again, trust me, and this Forum it's God sent for diabetic cats. Wishing you the best

 

[CORKY]

Hello! I'm new to the forums and trying my best to accurately absorb the wealth of information here, so my apologies if I've not properly set up my signature or if I've missed another thread that already addresses my specific concern. Please feel free to give me any suggestions or links that may help and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. - Also, I'm sorry for the likely unnecessary length of my post.

I've been injecting my little lady Eevee with Vetsulin (recommended by vet, though I'm reading now that I should request 'gentler' alternatives. TY for that info) for 10 weeks now and have only been able to get a successful BG home test done 8 times in this entire process. When I have succeeded in a test her BG has consistently been very high (390-400) making it even more important that I get her stabilized ASAP. Eevee is (mostly) an angel during the test, the problem at this point is my own physical/emotional response to the sensations of testing and it's only gotten worse with each failed test. My hands shake uncontrollably and I will either poke her too hard (puncture sound & feeling- basically piercing her ear) or I don't pierce her skin at all. When there's a lot of blood, especially in the couple cases where she shook her head mid-poke causing a tiny tear instead, I feel physically sick to the point of complete overwhelm. I'll often also start quietly tearing up uncontrollably which tends to make Eevee want to get up and leave before we've finished, understandably. I'm still attempting tests every day, multiple times a day since her back legs began to lose strength about two weeks ago, but after another 3 failed tests (too soft/no blood) today I feel very defeated. I feel terrible that my poor cat has only me to rely on and that I can't remain calm enough to give her the care she needs.

I would use the automatic feature on the lancet device if her ears were not far, far too small to safely do so. I read somewhere in the forums that singing or humming to yourself can help calm your body through the process but it's not worked for me, and if anything the sound is distressing to Eevee- haha. I would also like to take her to the vet to get tested regularly and get her stabilized but she completely shuts down with stress/overwhelm whenever I've taken her (hides in my jacket, heavy breathing, basically frozen the entire time)- which I'm seeing isn't exactly helpful when seeking accurate readings. The Freestyle Libre (?) seems like it could be an option, but if they can be ripped off and/or need to be installed by a vet, I can't imagine Eevee will take it well at all.

Any advice is welcome, please, but I will also appreciate any patience you can have with me in responding. I'm quite overwhelmed by all of this right now (shocking, I know! haha) and have been since her diagnosis.

Also I personally used the FreeStyle2 Libre , I thought I was going to have a heart attack, not only the sensors would fall off, expensive they are $over $70 each every 14 days, that's the use of the sensor, but most of the time they would stop working by 4-5 days, sure they guarantee the sensors, but between the time I received a new on or not able to buy on that days Corky would stay without testing for about 2-3 days and it was the beginning of his diagnose., and then it did not read correctly, always lower than reality and since it has an alarm when, high or low BG, in the middle of the night it would go off telling me he's BG was under 50, when in reality it was in 100+
I found this out when I got the ReliOn and he had his last sensor on, I would test with both trying to learn how to use the strips and needle. I would stick to the ReliON monitor and the strips at Walmart are only $17.00 for 100 strips and the monitor is $14.99
And it has been 6 months for me taking care of his diabetes I knew nothing about, I still panic at least once a week, don't worry there are many members here, that are patient, kind and very, very helpful, the know they're stuff, I trust them blindly with every suggestion, have not failed yet. at any time of the day and night they are there for us

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 10 or 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with
Here is a video one of our members made testing her kitty
She's using a pet meter that has to be coded ,with a human meter you don't have to code it.
So ignore that
I have always used a human meter
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

I know it can be stressful and overwhelming and cats do pick up your emotions so it helps to try to stay calm. Have you tried testing yourself? It helps you know what it feels like and also gauge how much pressure to apply with the lancet.

 

[tiffmaxee]

If you get a lot of blood get it on your finger and suck it up onto the strip and the test will work. You can do this! I was afraid at first too and was going to the vet twice a week for a nadir test. Way too stressful for both of us. I brought my Relion meter I bought for emergency to the vet and he handed me the needle to test. A testaholic I became!

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

If you get a lot of blood get it on your finger and suck it up onto the strip and the test will work. You can do this! I was afraid at first too and was going to the vet twice a week for a nadir test. Way too stressful for both of us. I brought my Relion meter I bought for emergency to the vet and he handed me the needle to test. A testaholic I became!

I would say nail. When I’ve had in my actual finger, it gets absorbed by my skin and dries up super fast.

 

[Eevee n’ Me]

I do not understand what you mean by too small. I have always used a lancing pen for all my (>20) cats. I evenused the lancing pem on my Scottish Fold and they have very small ears.

Hi Larry! Thank you for responding. I just mean that I’ve had no success with aiming the opening of the lancet pen over the small edge of her ear. I’ve either missed her ear or pierced too far in, too close to the big vein. The sound is also alarming to her. Perhaps I’m just not practicing or aiming well enough? Is there anything you’d recommend to make using the automated poker on the lancet device a bit easier?

 

[Eevee n’ Me]

Hi, for me as well was very overwhelming to test, thru the process I have learned that I caress my Corky for a bit, place her by my thigh, although I use the ReliOn monitor, with the strips and lancets, there is no noise, easy to use very accurate and just a tiny little pinch on the tip of the ear, and is done. I have a small flashlight, to see the vein first, then I have a small sock with rice in it, knotted, place it within the ear and pinch, sweet process. I still get restless when I miss, and especially when his BG goes to low. but it is very important to test, at least for me, regularly, II am obsessed I test every 2 hours or so Corky's BG tends to lower around the APMS and PMPs.
it's really more intense for us then them, I talk to my Corky sweetly and caress him before the shot I place everything in a baggie take it out in front of him, he sees what's going on, and entertains himself, it will be ok, stick with this Forum, they will guide you on testing raising and reducing doses, a spreadsheet which they can help better than a Vet, if you click on Corky's spreadsheet link , you will see how's done, you'll never step foot in a Vets office about the diabetes again, trust me, and this Forum it's God sent for diabetic cats. Wishing you the best

Thank you so much for your reply! I will try to do better at warming her ear first, perhaps you’re right that this is why I may sometimes not be getting enough blood. I will also continue reading the forums and learning as much as I can. Thank you!!!

 

[Eevee n’ Me]

O

Also I personally used the FreeStyle2 Libre , I thought I was going to have a heart attack, not only the sensors would fall off, expensive they are $over $70 each every 14 days, that's the use of the sensor, but most of the time they would stop working by 4-5 days, sure they guarantee the sensors, but between the time I received a new on or not able to buy on that days Corky would stay without testing for about 2-3 days and it was the beginning of his diagnose., and then it did not read correctly, always lower than reality and since it has an alarm when, high or low BG, in the middle of the night it would go off telling me he's BG was under 50, when in reality it was in 100+
I found this out when I got the ReliOn and he had his last sensor on, I would test with both trying to learn how to use the strips and needle. I would stick to the ReliON monitor and the strips at Walmart are only $17.00 for 100 strips and the monitor is $14.99
And it has been 6 months for me taking care of his diabetes I knew nothing about, I still panic at least once a week, don't worry there are many members here, that are patient, kind and very, very helpful, the know they're stuff, I trust them blindly with every suggestion, have not failed yet. at any time of the day and night they are there for us

Oh Wow okay, this is all very good information, thank you!

 

[Eevee n’ Me]

I know it can be stressful and overwhelming and cats do pick up your emotions so it helps to try to stay calm. Have you tried testing yourself? It helps you know what it feels like and also gauge how much pressure to apply with the lancet.

Thank you for your reply! I have tested myself, though I believe now I should try it a few more times for practice. Perhaps I’ll get better at aiming the device and sensing how much pressure to use. Thank you for the tip!!!

 

[Eevee n’ Me]

If you get a lot of blood get it on your finger and suck it up onto the strip and the test will work. You can do this! I was afraid at first too and was going to the vet twice a week for a nadir test. Way too stressful for both of us. I brought my Relion meter I bought for emergency to the vet and he handed me the needle to test. A testaholic I became!

Thank you for your reply, that’s a really great tip I’ll have to try out! Plenty of the failed tests have been because she’s shaken off the drop of blood before I could test but now I can try scooping it onto my finger nail quickly instead. Thank you very much!

 

[CORKY]

Thank you for your reply, that’s a really great tip I’ll have to try out! Plenty of the failed tests have been because she’s shaken off the drop of blood before I could test but now I can try scooping it onto my finger nail quickly instead. Thank you very much!

I make sure to press softly at Corky's head right between the ears so she can't shake it off

 

[Snickers and Chrissy]

I second what others have said about testing on yourself for practice, and also getting the drop of blood on your fingernail before you hold the strip to it.

I'd say don't be too stressed about hitting the exact right point in the ear. I've struck Snickers' vein many times and she just gives me a look. It doesn't bother her nearly as much as it bothers me, lol. As long as you draw blood and get the test, you're good.

I read through the posts but don't remember if anyone mentioned using coconut oil on your cat's ear after you poke it. Just a littlle bit. It acts kinda like an ointment to help their ear heal.

Also, are you putting a cotton ball or folded over paper towel behind the ear when you poke? Sometimes the needle goes all the way through and you can poke yourself if there's nothing behind it. And then after you poke, you can take the cotton or paper towel and press it over the puncture for a few seconds to help prevent bruising. I read this tip from someone a while back and find it helps me a lot. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

To help avoid the cat shaking the blood drop just do not let go of the ear after you prick the ear. That way they can't shake it off.
Some lancet pens are better than other with regard to noise and the puncture point being centered nthe opening. To help with getting the prick in the right place look at the opening for the lancet n the pen cap and aim the lancet pen where the lancet tip is positioned in the cap. Frequently the lancet is not centered n the cap.
The Libre 3 is better since it is a lot smaller in diameter than ghe Lbre 3 and in the USA the the Libre 2 still has to be manually scanned to retrieve data from the sensor. The Libre 3 everywhere it is available, and Libre 2 in at least Canada and UK automatically transmite BG data to a phone when with in range (~33 ft for Libre 3 and 20 feet for Libre 2).

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Or scoop up the blood onto your mail and then it doesn’t matter what the cat does since you’ve got the blood to test from your nail

 

[Chrispooky12]

I just want to add after warming kitty's ear put a dab of Vaseline where your going to poke & that helps the blood to bead up. Also your doing great & getting great advice!