First Home Testing- Lots of Blood (did I do it right?)

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Asrael

Asrael

Member Since 2015
Hi everyone
This may seem like a silly question but I am new to the forum and started home testing today. I got a accua accu-check meter (I live in Canada) and just did a test. It came out quite high (19.1). He had his insulin at 8 am, it was his 2nd 1.0 U dose of Lantus.

Anyways- I pricked his ear and so much blood came out (and of course I messed up the first test strip). He wasn't very happy, but I did his other ear, and even more blood came out. I got the reading and he shook his head and blood went everywhere!!! Did I poke the needle too much? or does this happen sometimes?

I did look at the videos/sheets and didn't see anything about this- most people have a problem getting blood it seems?

Thanks in advance- :)
Asrael
 
Hi Asrael,
Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good info here. You may have hit the vein. I think you're supposed to poke between the vein and the edge of the ear. Sometimes when I poke Marshmallow and I don't get enough blood, I poke again closer to the vein. Every now and then I hit the vein itself and get quite a bit of blood.

Congrats on home testing. It will make managing Trouble's diabetes easier --the more you understand his numbers, the better you'll be able to treat him. :cat:

Shane
 
Welcome Asrael, thank you for doing home testing for your kitty, it's the best way to keep him safe! It sounds like you might have nicked kitty's blood vein directly, hence the flow of blood. I bet we've all done this at one time or another, be sure to tamp down on it with cotton or gauze, then apply polysporin with pain relief. It heals pretty quickly.
 
I think when we were first learning to home test we teetered for a while between only getting blood from the human fingers, not getting enough blood from the cat or in some cases not even one drop, to getting a lot.
:) It happens and you'll get better at it with practice. We always give a super yummy treat to the patient patient and he always comes back for more.
 
You probably hit the vein but not to worry. Congratulations on home testing! What you want to do is aim for the "sweet spot" between the vein and the edge of the ear. Check out the photo in the thread here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/cant-find-the-sweet-spot.16321/

What size gauge are you using? If you aim for the sweet spot and too much blood is still coming out, you may want to try a higher number, thinner gauge.
 
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Great job on a successful first test! An easy way to prevent bruising is to fold a tissue or cotton pad over the ear after the test and keep gentle pressure on it for several seconds to make sure it stops bleeding. I think the first test is the hardest - they'll all get easier from here.
best,
Joan
 
Thank you all for all your replies- I definitely hit the vein I think on both ears- Oh I feel bad:)
But now I will be more careful, and get some neo sporin handy:) @Cat Ma, I have 30 g needles, so they are pretty thin I think:) But will see how it goes next time:)
I so appreciate all the help everyone:) Thank You:)
 
Congratulations!!!

Welcome to the Vampire Club!!
vampire smiley.jpg
 
One of these nights, get kitty nice and relaxed. Turn the lights down low. Then grab a flashlight and place it behind the ear. Then observe the ear from the other side. It will illuminate the vasculature so you can identify the location of the vein and the sweet spot between it and the outer edge of the ear. That definitely helped to make me more comfortable with what areas were safest to poke.
 
It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you. Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!

You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!

It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well

Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!
 
Just so you know....the blood from the vein will read slightly higher than blood from the capillaries we are aiming for. So if you hit the vein and the reading seems a little high, don't sweat it. It happens!
 
Thanks again everyone- for all the help! I definitely got a little nervous yesterday trying not to go for the vein and poked him a few times- and didn't get anything- and he got stressed so I let it be. My husband has it down, but I am the one who has a home office- so will be doing it more especially during the curves... I will remind myself to be relaxed and not tense, and will go get some raw treaties tonight.

And good to know about the blood from the vein being testing a bit higher too:)

Appreciate you all so much @MrWorfMen's Mom , @Chris & China , @AZJenks
 
Hi @Asrael i have a kitty named trouble as well! He's my big black cat that we totally got his name wrong when he was born, he's anything but trouble!

Good job on the home testing, u was freaked out the first few times I checked vegetables blood sugar but it does get easier & all the suggestions you have heard are awesome, I know I've tried most of them.
 
I get blood thrown off Luna's ear typically right into my eyeball every other day. I hope that's not a bad thing.
 
Vegetable said:
Hi @Asrael i have a kitty named trouble as well! He's my big black cat that we totally got his name wrong when he was born, he's anything but trouble!

Good job on the home testing, u was freaked out the first few times I checked vegetables blood sugar but it does get easier & all the suggestions you have heard are awesome, I know I've tried most of them.
Click to expand...

Vegetable... lol great name.
 
@pevsfreedom - AHHHH! the dreaded headshake. Don't ya just love it! I remember deciding to take a QUICK reading just for peace of mind before heading out one day. Ended up having to change clothes and put a blouse in the laundry to soak blood stains out. Maybe we need to include eye protection and old clothes as part of the equipment required!
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
@pevsfreedom - AHHHH! the dreaded headshake. Don't ya just love it! I remember deciding to take a QUICK reading just for peace of mind before heading out one day. Ended up having to change clothes and put a blouse in the laundry to soak blood stains out. Maybe we need to include eye protection and old clothes as part of the equipment required!
Click to expand...

Gives "seeing red" a whole new meaning doesn't it? Gonna start wearing welding goggles and a lab suit. What's kind of weird is that I typically come very close to blacking out when I get MY blood taken, but don't mind poking Luna too much lol.
 
Vegetable said:
Hi @Asrael i have a kitty named trouble as well! He's my big black cat that we totally got his name wrong when he was born, he's anything but trouble!

Good job on the home testing, u was freaked out the first few times I checked vegetables blood sugar but it does get easier & all the suggestions you have heard are awesome, I know I've tried most of them.
Click to expand...

Hi @Vegetable - It is so nice to know there are other Troubles out there:) Although ours lives up to his name (he has mellowed ALOT, I thought we could change his name to Cuddles- maybe it would help his health issues:))). Even when he is being Trouble- he is still full of love! I agree that all the tips here have been amazing and SO helpful!!
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
@pevsfreedom - AHHHH! the dreaded headshake. Don't ya just love it! I remember deciding to take a QUICK reading just for peace of mind before heading out one day. Ended up having to change clothes and put a blouse in the laundry to soak blood stains out. Maybe we need to include eye protection and old clothes as part of the equipment required!
Click to expand...

I know- it was all over- my husband has been doing it mostly- and he has got it down- but I will always make sure I do it in a safe space with no fabric around:)
 
Very possibly you struck a vein. Unfortunate but it happens. If swelling remained after compression there is probably a small hematoma at the stick site. It will take a bit of time for his little body to absorb and break down. Most of what we do for our babies with diabetes is trial and error. We try, we learn and we move on. It qorks out most of the time. Good luck from Jane and Stewey
 
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