First homebased glucose test-Piper

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jwierzbo

Member Since 2014
I finally was able to get my hands on a meter, strips, and needle piece. My first attempt didn't go well, so I gave Piper a few hours to relax. She is showing signs she is stressed while I do this... Will this get easier or does it vary with cats? Piper is not on insulin yet, but has been getting food at 5% carbs of less and her test results came in at 199. is this good or bad? At the vet in April she was 172 and then in June she was 370. Any suggestions or advice would be welcome.

Piper also recently started a new med, benadryl. Her asthma began to act up and of course pred is out and the vet was also uneasy about an inhaler cause of the steroids in them. And since her asthma is only seasonal I talked him into an allergy med which seems to be working. He had her on a really strong antibiotic, but it didn't help and the cherry additive made me nervous.

Jessica and Piper
 
Hi Jessica and welcome to the vampire club. :mrgreen:

Testing does get easier. As you begin to become more comfortable with testing you will also see Piper relax. She probably sensed your nervousness and reacted to it. Just remember, even if you are not successful, reward her with lots of praise and a low carb treat.

It is hard to determine if 199 is a good reading since it is a single measurement. There are many things that will affect the reading including stress (your's and Piper's) and when it was taken. If the sample was taken after a meal, the BG is usually higher because of food. When you test, you want to do it before you feed Piper. This is also called your preshot reading. I know you said she is not on insulin. However, if you do start insulin, remember you want to test, feed then shoot.

You are doing a great job. :thumbup
 
Congrats on your first home test!

I am fairly new myself and I swore up and down I would never ever be able to home test Skooter.....if you take a look at his spreadsheet, you will see I do it all the time, sometimes probably more than I need to :)

It will definitely get easier as you do it, but Lisa is right, Piper will sense your stress and think there is a reason to be stressed. When I started home testing I was advised by the awesome people here that it is just like baseball, three strikes and you are out. If after three tries you can't get a good sample....stop....relax, wait a bit and then try again after you both have had some time away....

Congrats again and happy testing!!!!
 
Congrats on getting that first test. Yay!
And, in my view, that 199 is not a bad result at all (even taking into account that we don't know how it was or wasn't affected by food or stress).

Testing does soon get easier. And most folks take at least a few goes at it before beginning to get the hang of it.

As Lisa says, be sure to reward your kitty even for unsuccessful tests attempts.
I think most people give a treat after the test. But I actually use treats to keep my cat occupied while I do the test. (I set up my test kit, crumble a few treats for my kitty, and then quickly test him while he's busy munching.)

Although testing can seem a bit challenging at first, many of us have found that the process (especially if treats or cuddles are involved!) strengthens the bond between us and our kitties. Strange but true! cat_pet_icon

Here's a link to a page of pics and info about hometesting. There may be some things here that you find useful. But do continue to ask any and all questions that you want to.
http://www.sugarpet.net/bloodtst.html

Eliz
 
I snuggle Gracie under my arm while she settles on a shelf at my chest height. She gets pets and scritches and enjoys that, so she's pretty good for the testing.
 
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