Helping ear to bleed better?

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lovey11

Member Since 2013
Hello. the last past few days Lovey's ears have not been bleeding as easy. I get a little blood and have to keep poking. Is the sweet spot only located on one side of the year? Any other spots on the cartilage that bleed? I have been warming ear with rice sock.

I wanted to do a +5 last night but fell asleep. It seems like when Lovey has a lower preshot numbers th midcyle are higher often or maybe she is going lower and I am getting a bounce. what do you think? I am looking for the nadir to evaluate this dose, but I keep falling asleep. :o

PMPS 199

+ 3 213

+ 7 254

Amps 437 (Lovey upset with ear pokes, stress could have been a factor)
 
I think it's time for a dosecrease when this bounce clears.

I set alarms, but I am notorius for sleeping through them :roll: so I set more than one.

I switch ears after about a week or so. I put some neosporin on the ear that I have been using for testing, and switch over to the other ear. The other ear sometimes takes awhile to "get into" bleeding again. I sometimes have to poke up to 10 times to get some blood and I use the 28 gauge lancets. Just be patient. Hopefully, you don't have to poke 10 times.

I test J.D. on the insides of his ears as the outside are black and hairy and the insides are white and with way less hair.
 
Thanks Dyana. I don't have to poke 10 times maybe 4 or 5 sometimes. I will try to alternate ears that may help. Is a dosecrease an increase?

Thank you and have a great day.
 
I switch spots and ears all the time with Trix, and I use both the outside and inside edge. I do find her ears bleed much better in the warmer months, and sometimes in the winter, I will gently rub her ear just a little to warm it up before poking.
 
There are times when I have trouble getting Furball's ear to bleed. I try rubbing her ear first and rotating the spot on her ear so scar tissue doesn't build up. One thing I learned is if I start getting stressed because I can't get her ear to bleed, Furball picks up on it and starts getting antsy. I praise her even if I'm having trouble getting blood and try to stay calm so she'll be calm. I hope you can get Lovey's ear to bleed.
 
Thank you Carla, Amy, and Sienne for the pointers. I notice that when the ear looks red and bruised it is harder to bleed.
Do you also think a dose increase is in order for me or test more? Dyana thought it might be time. I just wished I found the nadir more. I might increase on Friday night when I will be home for 5 cycles?
 
Sometimes two quick pokes in the same area get the blood flowing.

Have you seen this pic?
ear_web1_zps0bf45a17.jpg


I have better luck going just a bit higher than the sweet spots and as close to the edge as I can.
And we have black ears so I either hold a flashlight in my mouth ( or you can get a head light). If I don't get it all lit up, I miss that there is blood.
I also shaved some of the hair off the ear to help me see better. The blood droplet would often just get soaked up in the hair.
 
Hi guys,
I stick with the ear that bleeds better and try to move around on the edge. Do you use the lancet device? Many beans prefer to use the lancet freehand, but I think that the lancet device delivers a much quicker ear prick and that this is less painful. You'll have to experiment to see which setting to use. I use the setting that gives the least penetration.
Some cats don't like the feel of the rice sock. Perhaps try heating a damp baby washcloth for about 10 seconds in the microwave and then putting it into a plastic baggie. It is smoother and easier to wrap around the ear than the rice sock. Rusty hates the rice sock, but doesn't mind the washcloth at all. Try holding it on your own ear to judge if it is the right temperature. Too hot is not good!
Put a little vasaline on the ear before you do the ear prick. This helps the blood drop to bead up.
I hold a thin gauze pad on the opposite side of the ear as I do the ear prick. After getting the blood drop into the meter, I fold the gauze pad around the ear and apply pressure. This keeps the ear from bruising. Then a little Neosporin Creme with Pain Relief will soothe the ear (I think that the creme is better absorbed and less messy than the ointment, but there is a difference of opinion here!)

Good luck!

Ella & Rusty
 
we always tested mocha on the same ear (her right) We always rub her ear to get the blood flowing and on colder mornings we would nuke a rice sock on the microwave for a few seconds and then hold that to her ear .. It always seemed to work for us .. plus, after every spot check we'd use neo on her ears ...
 
Thanks for all the ear tips. I have many strategies that I can try to help. Thank you! I bought vetercyn but maybe the neosporin has the pain reliever so I could give that a try. I poke from inside because Lovey has black furry ears.

I have not tried a lancet device. I bought one but never tried it except on me for practice. Right now I am using a 28 gauge lancet.

Rhiannon I have seen that picture, but I poke from inside so I wasn't sure if there is a sweet spot on both sides or just one. Not too good with diagrams.

Thanks Peter and Ella. Maybe if I move away from the parts that look a little bruised to a new area would help. Thanks!
 
Hi Catherine,
It might be less painful if you poked from the outside? Try using one of those push-on lights under the ear so you can see better.
http://www.amazon.com/Fulcrum-30010...lver/dp/B000R7PM36/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20
I remember some FDMB members even using one of these lights as a surface to poke on. In any event, you can easily see the vein, so you can avoid a direct hit on the vein.

Ella

p.s. the higher the lancet gauge number, the smaller (and less painful) the point of the lancet is (I use 30 gauge). But whatever gauge lancet you use, try to get the bevel side on top when you do the ear prick. It will be less painful for your kitty. (A good rule for giving insulin shots, also: bevel on top!)
 
I only started wearing a headlamp this week, and can't believe how much it helps (and is a startling fashion statement).
 
Hey, whatever helps! ;-) I keep thinking I need glasses trying to do small dose and looking for small blood drops.
 
You can get a magnifier. I use one of those too ;-)
At first when people would suggest this to me - magnifiers, headlamp, backlighting, I thought it was overkill, but now I'm doing it, and it helps tremendously.
Every time I put on the headlamp, I sing, "I'm proud to be a coal miner's daughter".
 
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