Got meter in - wasn't too terrible for first try

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BBelshan

BBelshan

Member Since 2019
I got my Contour meter in. Good news / bad news. Good news - I got ten test strips with it (big box of test strips arrive next week). Bad news - My cat is a pacer and always folds his ears when I touch them. He is more wary now that I am poking him all the time. I had to straddle him to keep him still. I did manage to get blood with my first poke with the 30 lancet (which he turned around and hissed at me) however he got loose so I wasn't able to massage to get a bigger drop and alas it just wasn't enough. Still he got some tuna juice and a few bits for his trouble. I was happy to get blood the first go. I will try to test all day tomorrow with what I have left. I will keep his dose to 1 unit until I can get good numbers. I saw a video of a lady wrapping her cat like a burrito to keep him still. Might have to try that depending if he gets bitey.
 
I do all of Teasel's testing and insulin injections sitting on the bath mat in my bathroom with the door closed. I sit him down between my legs facing away from me. I raise my knees and keep them close to him as "side walls" and I cross my lower legs in front of him to block him without using any forceful restraint. He likes to shake his head so I roll a hand towel and wrap it loosely around his neck under his chin like a cervical collar to help keep his head still.
 
Hmmm I might try the bathtub method. It might be difficult as he is a long cat and I have short legs. Worth a shot. The towel around the neck might help too. I might have to wake up earlier. I normally wake up at 5 during the week to get ready and take my kid to before school care. The feeding and shot take up some of that time. I'm sure once we get the hang of it, it won't take as long. Do some cats never get used to the pokes? I am just worried he will get angrier rather than calmer about it. I've also set an alarm now for the weekends. I will just go back to bed after I give him his morning dose. I normally sleep till 7 but I see on here it is best to keep them on the 12 hr schedule.
 
I'm so happy to hear that you are beginning home testing. It's a learning process for both of you, and I think it's a good idea to help Beast know that everything is OK by going through the motions of testing without the actual "poke". Choose a place that you will always use, comfortable for both of you with good lighting. Give him a low carb treat, then rub and stroke his ears or warm with the rice sock, talk to him calmly or sing to him, give him another treat and let him go. Do this as often as you can, and it just becomes a new routine for him.
It takes patience and practice, very few of us were successful at the very beginning. You should have seen us when we first began, and there were TWO of us! If America's Funniest Home Videos had been recording we would be $25,000 richer!
 
The freeze dried chicken should arrive tomorrow, but could be at night so I will keep using the tuna until then. Glad that even the wild ones eventually come around. He is actually responding better than I feared, I just worry that the more I poke the more he will stress out, but I am sure he is probably not unique and will get into the routine eventually. I will do some needleless runs as well to help ease him into it. Thanks you guys!
 
Good job! My cat has always been very difficult to pill, get vaccinations into, etc. I was VERY worried that I wouldn’t be able to successfully get blood out of her and my first attempts were all disasters. She is also a head shaker, which makes things extra difficult. Like the others have said, though, she has really come around. Now, all I do is go into my bathroom (where all shots and blood testing occur) and call her name and she comes running! I am amazed that she is so cooperative!! I never would have guessed that she would be, and I’ve only been testing a few weeks! Hang in there and hopefully, you will be amazed at how much easier it can get.

PS - I have also had to set my alarm for 30 minutes earlier every morning and can no longer sleep in on weekends...which sucks, for sure!
 
The bathroom might be a good place to try next. Kitchen has a lot of space. No place to hide in the bathroom. I think one reason he may have hissed was because I hit a little lower than the ideal sweet spot. Maybe more nerves the closer to the head. He just kept folding his ear back. Glad it does get easier and relatively quickly. Lots of tips to try. Still wish it was my older female cat. Not that I want any cat to have the diagnosis. She's 16, 9 lbs. and as meek/sweet as can be. She would be so easy to treat compared to him haha. At least he is treat motivated.
 
Was looking through the FAQ and some of the links were broken or don't exist anymore. I didn't click them all, but there was one that was supposed to link to a picture of how full the blood should fill a test strip and it didn't work (Terry's Graphic) - the reused needle pic link. http://www.felinediabetes.com/fdmb-faq.htm It might just the site the pictures were hosted on.
 
BBelshan said:
Was looking through the FAQ and some of the links were broken or don't exist anymore. I didn't click them all, but there was one that was supposed to link to a picture of how full the blood should fill a test strip and it didn't work (Terry's Graphic) - the reused needle pic link. http://www.felinediabetes.com/fdmb-faq.htm It might just the site the pictures were hosted on.
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Different meter's test strips work differently. Some sip blood from the flat bottom edge and some (like mine) sip blood into a tiny finger that projects out to the side near the bottom. Your meter should give you a signal on screen and often with a sound that the blood was sipped successfully. If it wasn't you should get some sort of error reading. The instruction book that came with your meter should have info about this in it.

You could post on this forum asking specifically for advice about the Contour Next One meter you use.
 
My meter sips from the end and did give me an error message and it has an app that also told me there was not enough blood. It is a second chance meter, but I just couldn't get enough that day. I was just looking at the FAQ for more tips and was curious to see the photos only to find they didn't work. I think I have seen an up close picture of used needles before as well. I didn't really need to see the photos. Just figured you guys might want to relink when you get the chance. I know you guys are busy though.

Second day testing has not gone any better so far. AMPS I could not get any blood and got a warning bite for my trouble. Tried again 2 hours later and I got blood but he moved and the blood went on the cotton. At least the strips weren't wasted but I don't think I will get a curve today. I will be lucky to get one reading hah. I was just hoping to get a curve before the vet calls wanting to do one there. A curve on a stressed or unconscious cat doesn't seem reliable. Luckily, although he seems uncomfortable with the pokes, his reaction seems to be more from being held down. Hope testing the rest of the day goes better!
 
BBelshan said:
Hooray! I got a number! 4 hours after his shot he is at 141. I ended up going through his ear and poking myself (using cotton at this point was making it harder) but he bled enough.
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Good Job!!!! I have been testing my cat for almost a week and It's still hit or miss getting the blood from Stewie's ear. Sometimes (like this am) I have to poke him 3 or four times to get him to bleed sometimes I get it on the first try. We'll all get there at some point. Congratulations on that successful poke, it is a great feeling! :bighug:
 
Thanks, it really is. I also got his freeze dried chicken in. He wasn't interested in it dry so I added a bit of water. He ate one piece but not the others. I hope he shows more interest in them, if not I will have to look at other low carb treats. Tuna will do in a pinch, but not sure about the mercury content long term. Glad all you guys are here and so helpful. The vet said I could call any time, but they always seem so busy there and I feel they may not be familiar with feline diabetes based off the initial dose I was given. Rather than giving me info during diagnosis, I was left having to figure out what I needed to ask. Luckily this place is full of info and has kept me calm.
 
Hooray! You’re doing it! Glad Beast didn’t put up too much of a stink!

My cat isn’t very interested in the freeze dried treats, either (good thing my old dog likes them so they won’t go to waste!). She does however, LOVE bonito flakes. They look and smell a bit like fish food, but contain only smoked, dried, shaved fish. You can buy them online (Amazon) or any Asian/Japanese market. I have also been poaching fresh salmon for her, but use it only as the treat with injections, not BG tests. I tried poaching fresh chicken, but she didn’t like it (again, the dog helped us out so it didn’t go to waste, either!).

I was super overwhelmed when Reece was diagnosed. It’s so much to take in! The vet wanted me to bring her in after a week of injections (without testing at home...) to do a curve. My cousin reminded me that it’s ok to tell the vet “no.” Simply put, you don’t have to take Beast there for a curve. As others have said, testing on a stressed cat makes for very inaccurate numbers. I’m no expert, but you can probably wait until you are able to get a curve at home, rather than stress Beast out any more than necessary.

I’ve only been home testing for a few weeks, but Reece is bleeding MUCH easier already. I usually only have to poke once each test now. I wanted everything to be easy from the get-go and it just wasn’t. Luckily, it really hasn’t taken that much time for the both of us to get the hang of things! I hope the same goes for you and Beast!
 
Sorry just saw the new response. He got feistier as the day went on and lost his patience with me by the end. He bit more frequently and hissed at me several times. Luckily the bites did not break the skin. I had a self fulfilling prophecy when I said I might just get one reading. That was my only success. Once I got blood, but either didn't have the strip in all the way when I got the blood or just got the blood too fast after sticking it in. It told me E3 which meant the strip was already used. The other times I didn't get blood.

I am glad your cat likes the bonito flakes. I saw it listed on the low carb thread so I just ordered some! I hope my kitty likes them too. He seems to be a fan of fish more than chicken. I think I will tell the vet no at least the upcoming week. I do need to go to the 2 week follow up to see if his UTI cleared. Hopefully by then I can do one good curve and maybe get him calm during test. Then I will feel a bit more confident telling him I will do the curves at home. Right now I am still worried giving him insulin without getting numbers. He doesn't seem to be eating as much. It might be the antibiotics making him queasy. He did graze a bit throughout the day, but I know based on his size he isn't getting all the calories he needs. Might be missing his hard food. He always seemed to love wet food as a treat, but now that he gets it all day every day he's like "meh".

Thanks for the encouragement. Everyone is super helpful here.
 
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