Bruised Earsies

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Misterbeesmom

Misterbeesmom

Member Since 2016
still new to lancing, and i'm noticing bruising, red spots under the skin of mr b's ears. I lance as gently as possible and apply gentle pressure right after the meter registers. Is this typical? I feel like i'm hurting him. Does this go away eventually or might i be doing something wrong? Or maybe he bruises easily? His b12 is deficient if that makes a diff.

Thanks!
 
It is pretty common to have some bruising, particularly if you've had to take a couple stabs at it (so to speak!).

If you've gotten fairly proficient at it, you might switch to a thinner gauge - from 26 to 28, or from 28 to 30 for example. This will make the puncture smaller, so it will clot faster and bruise less.
 
Misterbeesmom said:
I feel like i'm hurting him.
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I know that feeling of being a real fink. :bighug:

While Saoirse's ears were getting used to being poked I used to assuage my guilt a little by regularly reminding myself what could potentially happen if I didn't test her. Being honest, nearly 2 years down the diabetes road I still feel like a bit of a fink for having to poke her ears and give her daily injections but I would not change a thing; it has kept my girl alive, healthier, and safe thus far - and long may that continue!


Mogs
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When I first started home testing my kitty sometimes had small bruises, too. Now, after 10 months of testing, he seems to bruise less often. Don't know whether that's because his ears have adapted to being poked or if I've just gotten more proficient in the poking, lol!

I put a very thin coat (too much will skew the test result) of Neosporin w/ pain relief on SquallieBear's ears before I poke him. This help the blood drop "bead up" rather than disperse through the hair and I figure maybe the pain relief up front may make the poke less painful.
 
scoobydoox said:
you can put neosporin on them after your poke. also i take the lance cap off and gently poke the sweet spot
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can you elaborate on 'gently poke' the sweet spot? i know the sweet spot location, but the gentle poke? are we talking the speed of which the lancet hits the skin? like, the device is fast, and when i was trying freehand i poked fast, and too hard i think :(

i'd really like to do this the best way possible.
 
Misterbeesmom said:
any special approach to lancing the paws? i'm not sure if that might be better. maybe i'll try sometime.
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I find it much easier and Carter bleeds really well from there but ECID. I used 30 gauge Relion lancets and 9/10 I get it on the first prick.

I just sit on the bed with my legs crossed, put him in my lap so he's laying on his back kind of sucked into the area between my legs, I put my left arm kind of under his front legs like I'm almost strapping him in like on a carnival ride, I use my left hand to hold his foot in place and then I just take his back paw and use the lancing device with my right hand. Takes no time. He purrs and sometimes even falls asleep. With his ear it took me longer to get a grip, freehanded or with the lancet, which raised the stress for him and gave him more time to fidget.
 
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Erica & Carter said:
I find it much easier and Carter bleeds really well from there but ECID. I used 30 gauge Relion lancets and 9/10 I get it on the first prick.

I just sit on the bed with my legs crossed, put him in my lap so he's laying on his back kind of sucked into the area between my legs, I put my left arm kind of under his front legs like I'm almost strapping him in like on a carnival ride, I use my left hand to cold his foot in place and then I just take his back paw and use the lancing device with my right hand. Takes no time. He purrs and sometimes even falls asleep. With his ear it took me longer to get a grip, freehanded or with the lancet, which raised the stress for him and gave him more time to fidget.
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ok good to know. i'll keep that on the backburner. thank you.
 
Misterbeesmom said:
ok good to know. i'll keep that on the backburner. thank you.
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I use a cold paper towel or cloth after each ear test to squeeze gently in the spot to stop the bleeding and minimize bleeding. I read about the cold compress in a thread on here somewhere, maybe in something Jill and Alex posted. It works well for me.
I also switch ears daily, staying with one ear for an entire day then moving to the other ear the following day. Shoes has one ear that always tests higher by at least 20 points so don't be surprised if you get that too.
I do test the pads from time to time for a few days at a time to give the ears a break. What works for this for me is to burrito wrap Shoes in a Bath Sheet and cuddle him than lay him on his back in my lap. He seems to like this. I clean the large pad before applying the heated sock to warm up the pad. I don't get as much blood from his pad but it does give the ear a break. I have to use the lancing device when testing the pad because it is tougher to penetrate. I also use a 26 gauge lancet for this. You can buy these lancets at good ole' Walmart. They will say for alternative testing on them. It helps to warm the pads a lot for me.
It's not difficult to do but does take longer for me.
 
Shoeskitty said:
I use a cold paper towel or cloth after each ear test to squeeze gently in the spot to stop the bleeding and minimize bleeding. I read about the cold compress in a thread on here somewhere, maybe in something Jill and Alex posted. It works well for me.
I also switch ears daily, staying with one ear for an entire day then moving to the other ear the following day. Shoes has one ear that always tests higher by at least 20 points so don't be surprised if you get that too.
I do test the pads from time to time for a few days at a time to give the ears a break. What works for this for me is to burrito wrap Shoes in a Bath Sheet and cuddle him than lay him on his back in my lap. He seems to like this. I clean the large pad before applying the heated sock to warm up the pad. I don't get as much blood from his pad but it does give the ear a break. I have to use the lancing device when testing the pad because it is tougher to penetrate. I also use a 26 gauge lancet for this. You can buy these lancets at good ole' Walmart. They will say for alternative testing on them. It helps to warm the pads a lot for me.
It's not difficult to do but does take longer for me.
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i've been alternating ears am/pm, but so far my success rate is better on his right ear. i like the cold compress idea.
 
In addition to rotating ears, rotate sites used as well. I also apply pressure for about 30 seconds, after which I apply a small amount of Vaseline to the outer ear and massage. It seems to keep her ears soft, supple and non tender. Give it a try and see what happens. Good luck from Jane and Stewey
 
jane and stewey said:
In addition to rotating ears, rotate sites used as well. I also apply pressure for about 30 seconds, after which I apply a small amount of Vaseline to the outer ear and massage. It seems to keep her ears soft, supple and non tender. Give it a try and see what happens. Good luck from Jane and Stewey
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i try different spots within the 'sweet spot'. do you mean try other areas of the ear?
 
Misterbeesmom said:
can you elaborate on 'gently poke' the sweet spot? i know the sweet spot location, but the gentle poke? are we talking the speed of which the lancet hits the skin? like, the device is fast, and when i was trying freehand i poked fast, and too hard i think :(

i'd really like to do this the best way possible.
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Don't use the actual lancing device. You can actually just poke with the lancet itself. My grip isn't the best so i use the bottom half of the lancing device with just the lancet in it no cap and i just gently poke the sweet spot and blood comes pretty easy.
 

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