Lancets versus Needles

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Elizabeth A

Elizabeth A

Member Since 2013
I did the first day of home testing with the supplies the vet loaned me. Since it wasn't an epic fail I decided to order the monitor from Walmart, and started looking for lancets too. I don't think that's what I have been using today, I have been using the needles like on the top of syringes, with a cap. They are a 27. I say this because I just saw pictures of lancets, and I've never seen anything that shape at all. Do other people just use needles, if so, since these are different gauge than the insulin ones, which are much finer, where do I get those? Or would a lancet, freestyle, be easier than a needle top? I hope I am explaining this okay and someone can set me straight, I've been calling these lancets but I think they are just syringe tops. @-)
 
Some vets do use needles for the ear prick, but I think that most of us use lancets. I found that they are cheaper and easier to manipulate b/c they are smaller. And I did use a lancet several times but you could not use a needle b/c there would be dried blood in it and you would not want to risk an infection.

And good job on home testing. It is critical to giving your kitty the best care.
 
Thank you, I will look for lancets instead. As for the needles being less easy, I can believe it. My thumb still hurts, that thing was sharp, don't ask! Leia is fine, no CATS were harmed in any way.
 
Welcome to the club of diabetic cat owners who have stuck themsleves with the lancet or the insulin syringe needle or both! (Kind of a long title I know, but it does describe best what most of us have done at one time or another). :shock:

The lancets can be used in one of two ways. Freehand or inserted in the tip of a lancet pen. These lancet pens come with the meter and hold the lancet in the end. Freehanding or pen use is an individual preference. Ask for advice on when you are ready on how to do the two different methods.

The lancets are very inexpensive, <$6 for 200. Look for the ones that are labeled for 'alternate test site' use. These will have a smaller number but a bigger point for pricking. When you start to home test, that can be very helpful to poke the ear with a slightly larger point.
 
Hello and welcome to the board!

Lancets will be much easier.

Want to tell us more about your kitty? What is she eating? Is she on insulin?

Wendy
 
I use a lancet pen. I tried freehanding once and poked all the way through her ear :( I felt so bad.

I've also poked myself with a needle before--ouchie!
 
Wendy&Tiggy said:
Hello and welcome to the board!

Lancets will be much easier.

Want to tell us more about your kitty? What is she eating? Is she on insulin?

Wendy
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Thank you Wendy for the welcome! Yes, Leia has been on insulin almost a year now. She is 13, and has had lots of different health challenges in her life. What impacts her daily is severe IBD, for which she has been on prednisolone for years. We knew it could lead to diabetes, but it was so severe there wasn't really a choice. She is on other supportive meds and OTCs for it, but everytime we tried to sneak down the pred she had problems. I think anyone who came throwing up live worms probably didn't start off with a great stomach, but who knows. We are trying to lower her dose a little now to see if it helps with the insulin fluctuations and if I can get away with it, that will be great

Up until now, I have dropped her at the vet for her insulin curves, but would like to do them more frequently and less expensively. She is actually very comfortable there and simply demands they pet her all day. If she could transport herself and pay for it, that would be that. But my learning this will be better for her and my budget. She was an angel Friday, I was the inexperienced fumbler.

She eats two dry prescription foods, SO and UR. She has other issues that have resulted in these choices. She gets Tuna in water for her wet food, most "normal" wet foods aren't tolerated by her at all. I don't mean she doesn't like them, I mean they are too rich for her system. There is very little chance that at this age we could get her to be able to have less of the "cereal" approach, and the vet specifically said he doesn't want to tax her kidneys with lots of pure protein at this age, even if her digestion would handle it. It's a rock and a hard place sometimes, and I try to keep a positive outlook.
 
It sounds like overall she is doing well considering! You are doing a great job with her!

Its a good idea to do home testing - not just for the cost difference but also to get a better picture of whats going on with her blood glucose and to keep her safe. Hows it going?

What kind of insulin is it?
 
How's it going, um. Well, I got four readings Friday and they were all so high that was plenty. We increased her dose and I'll do a (hopefully) complete curve on Friday. She seems to be calmer today and I think the increase is starting to help. I really hope what I ordered comes by Friday, I only have four of the strips left right now. And I want to test my new meter against the borrowed one and see how close they are. My new meter is the one from Wal mart, the people kind. I will feel freer to test more between full curves when I have some supplies on hand. Okay, and when I'm better at it. As it is now torturing her once a week seems sufficient.

She is on Lantis, which has worked well until the last month. The vet has had good luck with that one with cats, and we are hoping once we get her back on track it will still be a good choice. All those years of them telling me she was heavy, thank God she was, because weight loss has been an issue with this... I read some people prefer other insulins, if we have to change her what else do people recommend here?

I was already part of the stick yourself club before this, having managed to stick myself in the foot with the insulin syringe. Not lying. I sort of wondered what happens if you do get insulin into yourself by accident, having also stuck my hand on occasion. I don't think I've had much if any insulin yet. I have managed to get pretty good at that part now, yay.
 
What was the dose increased from and what is it now?

All those years of them telling me she was heavy, thank God she was, because weight loss has been an issue with this...
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Obesity is one of the major contributing factors to insulin resistance and thought to be the reason we are seeing such an increase in the number of diabetic cats. 60% of dogs and cats in the US are overweight.

She is on Lantis, which has worked well until the last month....... I read some people prefer other insulins, if we have to change her what else do people recommend here?
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Lantus, Levimir, PZI, Prozinc

I will feel freer to test more between full curves when I have some supplies on hand. Okay, and when I'm better at it. As it is now torturing her once a week seems sufficient.
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We are strong advocates of testing before every insulin shot. This is so that you know the BG (blood glucose) is high enough to give the insulin. If the number is too low and you give the insulin, your cat can drop too low, into hypoglycemia. Also, you need to do some tests mid-cycle with Lantus since dosing changes are based on the nadir or low at mid-cycle, not the pre-shot BG numbers.

Please print out and read this document: hypos Make sure you have the supplies on hand to deal with a hypo. Post for help on this board and we can walk you through it.
 
Thats great on the testing. The Walmart Relion brand of human meter is great for cats. Some need more blood than others depending which one you got. And its not torture, their ears gave less nerve endings than your finger and you wouldnt think twice about poking your child to test them to keep them safe.

Now that you are tetsing you might want to set up a spreadsheet to track her readings. We base dose changes on the nadir ( lowest point) of the day so as well as doing preshot tests every time, you might want to take a mid cycle during the day a few times a week and a before bed as well. Then you dont need to do a once a week curve http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

What dose of Lantus is it? Lantus is a great choice.

You got it in your foot?? i dont even want to know how that happened! lol
It depends on how much insulin you actually inject - pricking yourself with a needle wont get any in, you would have to press the plunger - and even then I am not sure how much would have to get in to cause an impact..1 unit probably would be minimal.
If you did inject though, I would treat it the same way as for a cat hypo - lots of tests, if you drop low (below 50) then take some sugar syrup or a mini chocolate bar or something to deal with the immediate drop plus eat a small high carb snack to keep the blood more constant.. especially if you have hypo symptoms - low blood sugar would make you feel shaky, moody, tired, malaise, maybe a headache to start. If 30 mins after a mini mars bar or two you were still dropping I would consider ER.

Wendy
 
Nothing to worry about with insulin if you stick yourself - you are much larger than the cat, so that small of an amount, if actually injected, is unlikely to do much to you.

Sticks with a used needle or lancet, however, are a puncture wounds which should be encouraged to bleed (flushes out any bacteria), then washed with warm water and mild cleanser.
 
I just tried the safety lancet on myself. I got it wrong which end the needle comes out and pricked right in the middle of my index finger. I will try it again, but so far my report on those is they do hurt and I'll stick with the needles and am giving the safety lancets to my friend. She can use them if she runs out of her normal supplies. But hey, my glucose reading is good, I thought I may as well see.
 
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