need help/testing issues with pictures

[Lauren & Red]

I ordered a new testing device on Amazon Prime last night. It was supposed to be delivered by tomorrow morning. About an hour ago, I received a notice from the vendor that my order is delayed 5 business days. So I canceled it.

Before I buy another one, I thought I would try again with my current device, show you what I’m doing and make sure I’m not messing up.

here’s what I do:
I push the strip in halfway until I’m ready with the blood drop.
Then I push the strip in and wait until the screen looks like this:

Then, I touch the end to the blood drop and let it get sucked up. Here are some failed strips I just tried on Red:

Note: I realize the one in the middle probably didn’t have enough blood. But the other 2 should’ve been fine, right?

I get this error every time:

What’s wrong?

If the problem is my device, can someone please recommend a new one? Preferably that doesn’t time out in 5 seconds after the strip is fully inserted. Because there is always a struggle and I’ve wasted so many strips that way.

My cat is now running whenever I get the test stuff out. It’s getting harder and harder to get a blood sample and when I finally do the photo above happens.

Most of the time my cat gets away before I can get blood and I have no nails to put the drop on. I hate the lancing device because it’s hard to aim. I know a lot of people freehand with the lancet. I honestly don’t feel comfortable with that. Maybe eventually but for now, it’s not an option.
Can someone recommend a device that lets you aim well, doesn’t get jammed and is easy to use?

 

[Lauren & Red]

It’s really discouraging having so many problems with testing.

My vet prescribed 2u, but I’m doing the SLGS and starting at 0.5u.

I did dose 0.5 blind yesterday in the AM (without asking anyone) and then didn’t shoot in the PM as everyone advised since I had no readings.
I did the same thing this morning. So at least he’s getting something—just a very small amount once a day.

I want to do this the right way with blood tests and 2 shots 12 hours apart but I can’t figure out what the problem is with my tests. On top of that, he’s getting harder to test each time.
Any tips, advice, idea on what I’m doing wrong would be greatly appreciated?

please recommend a lancet device (not freehand). I’m going to check the store after I get to +8. I understand 6-8 hours after insulin would be the low point and when he’s most at risk for hypo. Since I didn’t get numbers before shooting, I’ve been monitoring him.

 

[Sarah&Soph]

It looks to me like the blood in two of those strips was applied properly, so I’m not sure why you’re getting an error.

The most commonly used and recommended meter here is the Relion Prime from Walmart. The meter itself as well as the strips are both cheap and easy to get since you can pop into any Walmart, and the strips work the same way, where you let it suck up the blood

 

[smorgasbord]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-PRIME-Blood-Glucose-Monitoring-System-Red/20752267 $9
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Prime-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-100-Count/38423728 $17.88
Get another 50 pack and you'll hit the $35 required for free shipping.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Prime-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-50-Count/20752265 $9

 

[smorgasbord]

Ordering from Walmart.com might seem weird, but man, it's just like Amazon. My order got to me the next afternoon.

Oh! and for lancet device, what lancets do you have? That way we can recommend a lancing device that will fit them.
Or just take your box of lancets with you to the store and ask them what will work.

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Lauren

Since My Gracie has passed, I am not up on the best meters to use but I had two ReliOn Micros (sadly, not made anymore) and loved them. Hundreds of members here have used ReliOn meters. There are also some good ones on American Diabetes Wholesale but you need one today, not in a few days.

My biggest concern here is that you said

I understand 6-8 hours after insulin would be the low point and when he’s most at risk for hypo.

This is not true for every cat, every cycle. It’s most likely consistently true with a tightly regulated, flat cat but for most cats, especially ones that bounce, all bets are off as to when they might be the lowest. I know you need to go out but don’t make unsafe assumptions.

And those of us who are helping you are still concerned that you are shooting without testing. His BG has not been that high and I’d have fathered you skipped this morning and gone to Walmart to get supplies then to shoot blindly and have no testing supplies so that if he did start to act oddly, you’d have no way to test him.

 

[Lauren & Red]

Lauren

Since My Gracie has passed, I am not up on the best meters to use but I had two ReliOn Micros (sadly, not made anymore) and loved them. Hundreds of members here have used ReliOn meters. There are also some good ones on American Diabetes Wholesale but you need one today, not in a few days.

My biggest concern here is that you said

This is not true for every cat, every cycle. It’s most likely consistently true with a tightly regulated, flat cat but for most cats, especially ones that bounce, all bets are off as to when they might be the lowest. I know you need to go out but don’t make unsafe assumptions.

And those of us who are helping you are still concerned that you are shooting without testing. His BG has not been that high and I’d have fathered you skipped this morning and gone to Walmart to get supplies then to shoot blindly and have no testing supplies so that if he did start to act oddly, you’d have no way to test him.

That makes sense. I guess I’m still missing the big picture. I assumed there were other ways to tell if he needed insulin and the BG is mostly for monitoring how he’s responding to the insulin so we can adjust the dose . I do understand testing before is important and plan to when I get this figured out. But my vet keeps telling me he needs insulin and should not be missing/delaying doses. He was very angry when I told him. Made me feel like I was a bad person for not following his instructions.
Although this is the same guy that told me I didn’t need to test ever and prescribed two units right off the bat. Made no mention of diet change or literally anything. So I don’t know why I keep hearing his words in my head about the medicine. Even though it’s clear there are much more knowledgeable people on here than actual veterinarians… It’s hard to completely ignore someone that’s supposed to be an expert. Since that’s what I’ve been told all my life. If that makes sense? But I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to do more and be better than what I’ve been told.

The last thing my vet said after our recent conversation was medicine was the most important thing. Since my cat is still strongly exhibiting all of the symptoms of diabetes, it’s reckless to not be treating. He said testing for curves is great, but the rest is unnecessary and being paranoid. I know he’s wrong but telling me it’s reckless to not be treating really stuck with me. I’m sorry if that’s hard for anyone to relate to.

Red is drinking and peeing a ton. His urine it’s so sticky.

Not sure if this matters, but I’ve been testing daily for ketones, so while I’m doing that I use these “checkup glucose urine test strips”. Everyone says I can’t use them to test because they aren’t an indicator of current levels, and I get that. I use them mostly out of curiosity but they are always scary high. Not sure if they are even accurate but it’s still an alarming result. Is there even a point to recording the results for those? Should I just toss them?

On top of everything, Red is not going #2 which is starting to concern me. He’s eating plenty. Seems to have a very strong appetite still. Not sure if his bathroom issue is from the insulin or diet change or a combination of both but I’m getting very worried. It’s been days. I’m afraid to call the vet again because I don’t like to lie and don’t want to get yelled at again.

Red hates and fights me until I’m in tears getting blood samples every single time. But I am not going to stop because of that. It’s not like I haven’t been trying… I really have. I’ve watched countless videos and my cat doesn’t behave like any of them. And he can’t be bribed by anything. At least not that I’ve found to work so far.

This may sound weird, but unlike the ear test my cat acts strangely when it’s time for an insulin shot. Even though it hasn’t been many times and I realize I might be imagining this and just totally nuts … but it’s almost like he’s asking for the shot. Like he’s already associated it with feeling better… is that just completely insane? Probably.

So when do you think I can safely leave him alone for 30-45 min while I drive into town and get a new device? Or should I not leave him at all, get the device in the morning prior to testing.

you think the problem is the device and not me, right?

 

[Lauren & Red]

Ordering from Walmart.com might seem weird, but man, it's just like Amazon. My order got to me the next afternoon.

Oh! and for lancet device, what lancets do you have? That way we can recommend a lancing device that will fit them.
Or just take your box of lancets with you to the store and ask them what will work.

I order from Walmart all the time. So that’s not weird at all. I appreciate the links. Thank you! I’m trying to find a new lancet device because I’m extremely uncomfortable with freehand and I hate the one that came with my broken device.

I’ve already spent so much money. None of this stuff is returnable. So I don’t want to keep buying one after another until I find one. I was just looking for advice on one that is easy to use… But most importantly allows me to aim and get the exact spot I want (the way freehand would). Again I am not comfortable doing freehand yet. I’m hoping that’ll change over time, but for now it’s not something I’m willing to do. I hate needles and get sick watching a needle pierce skin. Especially by me. Not happening on top of the insulin shots. It’s just too much

 

[smorgasbord]

Real quick, tell us how many hours it has been since you gave him his shot, and then we can address the rest of your post.

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

To confirm what Marje said about not being able to assume when Red will hit his low point - I recently had a hypo scare with one of my sugar babies (I have 2 diabetics), where Marley went from 308 at AM preshot to 68 in 3 hours. Granted, the circumstances were unusual because he vomited after I gave him insulin, but had I not been able to keep an eye on his BG and test him, it could have been a sad ending. Testing is the only way to really know for sure.
I use Relion Prime meter, and it's great. I freehand with the lancet.

 

[Lauren & Red]

Lauren

Since My Gracie has passed, I am not up on the best meters to use but I had two ReliOn Micros (sadly, not made anymore) and loved them. Hundreds of members here have used ReliOn meters. There are also some good ones on American Diabetes Wholesale but you need one today, not in a few days.

My biggest concern here is that you said

This is not true for every cat, every cycle. It’s most likely consistently true with a tightly regulated, flat cat but for most cats, especially ones that bounce, all bets are off as to when they might be the lowest. I know you need to go out but don’t make unsafe assumptions.

And those of us who are helping you are still concerned that you are shooting without testing. His BG has not been that high and I’d have fathered you skipped this morning and gone to Walmart to get supplies then to shoot blindly and have no testing supplies so that if he did start to act oddly, you’d have no way to test him.

Thanks for correcting me about the cycle. I didn’t know and appreciate the information. I didn’t go to the store this morning because last time I was there, the device I’m using was the only one they had. And it’s already broken so I didn’t want to buy the same one again. I can drive to other Walmarts and stores but I will just be gone a lot longer and I was nervous about that. I bought one with Amazon prime (next day). Until I was told the product was going to be delayed. Because I literally cannot seem to catch a break

 

[smorgasbord]

Get this kit: B08L5L2544

 

[Lauren & Red]

Real quick, tell us how many hours it has been since you gave him his shot, and then we can address the rest of your post.

I just hit the +8 mark. He’s sleeping. He sleeps a lot. But he’s also at least 10-12 years old and that’s what cats do. It’s not anything different than how he was before insulin/before being diagnosed. He got up about 30 min ago to eat and then went back to bed. So business as usual.

 

[Lauren & Red]

Get this kit: B08L5L2544

That’s actually the one I have. LOL. It’s horrible. The spring trigger gets jammed constantly. But the real problem is it never goes where I think it’s going in his ear.

There is a clear piece that you can use instead of the one with the adjustable strength. But I wasn’t sure that was OK to use. But at least I’d be able to see so I think that would help

 

[Lauren & Red]

Get this kit: B08L5L2544

It came with my device. The one that’s broken. So maybe there’s something wrong with all of it. And another one would be different

 

[Sarah&Soph]

I use this lancing device, except branded by Freestyle (this one is much cheaper). Tbh it’s hard to see where you’re poking, but I’ve been using it for a while now so I kind of have a feel for where to aim

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B002NPCC1A/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20

I have not used this one before so I cannot personally speak to how well it works, but it has a clear tip which may be more what you’re looking for

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07582777F/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20

Most lancing devices are universal in regards to which lancets you can use with them. They will usually list the brands they are compatible with

 

[Lauren & Red]

To confirm what Marje said about not being able to assume when Red will hit his low point - I recently had a hypo scare with one of my sugar babies (I have 2 diabetics), where Marley went from 308 at AM preshot to 68 in 3 hours. Granted, the circumstances were unusual because he vomited after I gave him insulin, but had I not been able to keep an eye on his BG and test him, it could have been a sad ending. Testing is the only way to really know for sure.
I use Relion Prime meter, and it's great. I freehand with the lancet.

What did you do when that happened? I’m trying to understand so I can be prepared if something like that happens to me. Waiting for responses on here, although usually quick, might not be quick enough at the time. So I should know how to handle it now

 

[smorgasbord]

I just hit the +8 mark. He’s sleeping. He sleeps a lot. But he’s also at least 10-12 years old and that’s what cats do. It’s not anything different than how he was before insulin/before being diagnosed. He got up about 30 min ago to eat and then went back to bed. So business as usual.

I'd say it's been long enough to run to town to get a new meter. Make sure and leave food for him just in case.

 

[smorgasbord]

That’s actually the one I have. LOL. It’s horrible. The spring trigger gets jammed constantly. But the real problem is it never goes where I think it’s going in his ear.

There is a clear piece that you can use instead of the one with the adjustable strength. But I wasn’t sure that was OK to use. But at least I’d be able to see so I think that would help

Great haha. Maybe you got a broken one. I'd say any lancet device you find at Walmart or wherever you're going would be good.
I'm sure the clear piece would be fine to use, but if the spring is wonky, just get a new lancing device.

 

[smorgasbord]

That makes sense. I guess I’m still missing the big picture. I assumed there were other ways to tell if he needed insulin and the BG is mostly for monitoring how he’s responding to the insulin so we can adjust the dose .

We can sit and stare at him for hours, but cats be cats and it's hard to tell if he's just sleepy, or if his blood sugar is dangerously low. OR, if it is dropping fast and we need to give him some higher carb food to prevent a fast drop. Testing his BG is the only way to know for sure, as difficult as it is right now.

But my vet keeps telling me he needs insulin and should not be missing/delaying doses. He was very angry when I told him. Made me feel like I was a bad person for not following his instructions.
Although this is the same guy that told me I didn’t need to test ever and prescribed two units right off the bat. Made no mention of diet change or literally anything. So I don’t know why I keep hearing his words in my head about the medicine. Even though it’s clear there are much more knowledgeable people on here than actual veterinarians… It’s hard to completely ignore someone that’s supposed to be an expert. Since that’s what I’ve been told all my life. If that makes sense? But I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to do more and be better than what I’ve been told.

That makes complete sense. It's not going to be easy going against what you've known your whole life to be 100% right. But he's flat out wrong and I'm sure everyone here would agree with my statement that you could have a dead cat if you had followed his instructions and given that dose without testing. Sorry to be blunt. It really sucks that he can't see the danger of what he's insisting, but keep in mind, most people in your situation wouldn't care enough to do the home testings. That's why the vets are like, "just give the damn shot". Their experience has been the majority of patients give the shot, don't research beyond that, and the cat either lives or dies. And guess what, if the cat dies, the owner and the vet doesn't know for certain if was because of hypoglycemia because they WEREN'T testing.

The last thing my vet said after our recent conversation was medicine was the most important thing. Since my cat is still strongly exhibiting all of the symptoms of diabetes, it’s reckless to not be treating. He said testing for curves is great, but the rest is unnecessary and being paranoid. I know he’s wrong but telling me it’s reckless to not be treating really stuck with me. I’m sorry if that’s hard for anyone to relate to.

Guess what, he was diabetic before he was diagnosed, being too high isn't going to kill him as fast as giving 2 units without prior BG testing...
Not testing at home is what is more reckless.

you think the problem is the device and not me, right?

Definitely not you. It will get easier, let's just get a working device for now

 

[Lauren & Red]

We can sit and stare at him for hours, but cats be cats and it's hard to tell if he's just sleepy, or if his blood sugar is dangerously low. OR, if it is dropping fast and we need to give him some higher carb food to prevent a fast drop. Testing his BG is the only way to know for sure, as difficult as it is right now.



That makes complete sense. It's not going to be easy going against what you've known your whole life to be 100% right. But he's flat out wrong and I'm sure everyone here would agree with my statement that you could have a dead cat if you had followed his instructions and given that dose without testing. Sorry to be blunt. It really sucks that he can't see the danger of what he's insisting, but keep in mind, most people in your situation wouldn't care enough to do the home testings. That's why the vets are like, "just give the damn shot". Their experience has been the majority of patients give the shot, don't research beyond that, and the cat either lives or dies. And guess what, if the cat dies, the owner and the vet doesn't know for certain if was because of hypoglycemia because they WEREN'T testing.


Guess what, he was diabetic before he was diagnosed, being too high isn't going to kill him as fast as giving 2 units without prior BG testing...
Not testing at home is what is more reckless.




Definitely not you. It will get easier, let's just get a working device for now

Thank you! I’m going to the store soon. I appreciate all of your help and understanding!

A couple of my questions weren’t answered, but I’m sure that’s my fault because they were off topic. I just didn’t want to make too many threads and drive people insane. But I probably should, huh?

The one question was about the urine glucose test strips. I know they don’t give current numbers, so they could never replace blood glucose tests… but do they have any relevancy or accuracy for earlier times in the day? Again, not to replace BG.
Do urine and blood numbers provide insight into different things? I’m only asking because when I use the urine test strips I’m getting VERY high readings. Im testing for ketones which is the only reason I know about the urine glucose too. I’m hoping they are not accurate or reliable for what his levels were earlier in the day. Because then I would be extremely concerned because of the high numbers.

The other questions was about him going to the bathroom. He pees all the time, but even though he has been eating (strong appetite), he has not went #2 in days. Wondering if it could be the insulin? Or change in diet? Or maybe both? When do I need to worry?

 

[Sarah&Soph]

Urine glucose strips are not really all that helpful. They don’t hurt to do, but all they really tell you is that at some point in the past day he was over renal threshold and excreting glucose in his urine. For most cats, renal threshold is around 200 but it depends on your cat. Testing his blood glucose will give you a much more accurate and current picture of what his BG is doing, and you’ll be able to tell if he’s over renal threshold.

When I switched Sophie to all wet food, it made her constipated. A lot of wet foods really do not have a whole lot of fiber, whereas many dry foods are full of it, mostly in the form of things cats don’t need. There are many things you can try, more water in his food, canned pumpkin, theres a few kinds of powdered fiber as well. The only thing that works for Sophie is a small dose of daily Miralax.

 

[Marje and Gracie]

The other questions was about him going to the bathroom. He pees all the time, but even though he has been eating (strong appetite), he has not went #2 in days. Wondering if it could be the insulin? Or change in diet? Or maybe both? When do I need to worry?

I agree the diet change can constipate him. I prefer to use more natural remedies like just a tiny bit (1/8 tsp to start) of raw egg yolk.

 

[Lauren & Red]

Urine glucose strips are not really all that helpful. They don’t hurt to do, but all they really tell you is that at some point in the past day he was over renal threshold and excreting glucose in his urine. For most cats, renal threshold is around 200 but it depends on your cat. Testing his blood glucose will give you a much more accurate and current picture of what his BG is doing, and you’ll be able to tell if he’s over renal threshold.

When I switched Sophie to all wet food, it made her constipated. A lot of wet foods really do not have a whole lot of fiber, whereas many dry foods are full of it, mostly in the form of things cats don’t need. There are many things you can try, more water in his food, canned pumpkin, theres a few kinds of powdered fiber as well. The only thing that works for Sophie is a small dose of daily Miralax.

So even though the urine test strips aren’t very helpful for much. Should I still be worried about the readings?
There’s no explanations or any detail on what the numbers mean. It’s just a thing of strips with a color chart to match.

The possible results are negative, 100, 250(+), 500 (++) , 1,000 (+++) and 2,000 (++++).

The strip yesterday read 1,000 (+++).

I just got home from purchasing another blood glucose device. Unfortunately it’s the same one I was using and stopped working after only a few days. But I knew I had to buy something. Since Red’s shot is supposed to be in about 30 minutes… I’m just going to wait for the PMPS —so very soon.

 

[Sarah&Soph]

I believe that’s just the concentration of glucose in the urine. Ideally you want that to be low or negative, but until his BG comes down, he’s going to have glucose in his urine, there’s not really anything you can do about it.

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

What did you do when that happened? I’m trying to understand so I can be prepared if something like that happens to me. Waiting for responses on here, although usually quick, might not be quick enough at the time. So I should know how to handle it now

I have higher carb canned food (Fancy Feast Beef in Gravy), Nuttri-Cal (liquid gel cat vitamins that have corn syrup as 1st ingredient), honey, and extra of all things that I need to test - an extra unopened container of stripes, plenty of lancets, cotton rounds, and I even have an extra glucometer (but I need to get fresh batteries). I also want to add temptation treats and/or high carb dry food. Also, it's wise to have a little bulb (which I need to add to my things) that is generally used on a baby's nose to clear mucus. That bulb can be used to add honey, rectally, when nothing else is bringing up the BG. It usually doesn't get to that point (but you should be prepared just in case).
Here are some links. They're VERY important to read over and become familiar with. The first one -- How To Treat Hypos -- is a good one to print out and keep a copy with your hypo kit.

How to treat hypos: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/
Hypo Tool Box/Kit: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/jojo-and-bunnys-hypo-tool-box.2354/

 

[Katsallday]

So even though the urine test strips aren’t very helpful for much. Should I still be worried about the readings?
There’s no explanations or any detail on what the numbers mean. It’s just a thing of strips with a color chart to match.

The possible results are negative, 100, 250(+), 500 (++) , 1,000 (+++) and 2,000 (++++).

The strip yesterday read 1,000 (+++).

I just got home from purchasing another blood glucose device. Unfortunately it’s the same one I was using and stopped working after only a few days. But I knew I had to buy something. Since Red’s shot is supposed to be in about 30 minutes… I’m just going to wait for the PMPS —so very soon.

I'm so curious on what his PMPS is! Please let me know if you got everything working

 

[smorgasbord]

Thank you! I’m going to the store soon. I appreciate all of your help and understanding!

A couple of my questions weren’t answered, but I’m sure that’s my fault because they were off topic. I just didn’t want to make too many threads and drive people insane. But I probably should, huh?

The one question was about the urine glucose test strips. I know they don’t give current numbers, so they could never replace blood glucose tests… but do they have any relevancy or accuracy for earlier times in the day? Again, not to replace BG.
Do urine and blood numbers provide insight into different things? I’m only asking because when I use the urine test strips I’m getting VERY high readings. Im testing for ketones which is the only reason I know about the urine glucose too. I’m hoping they are not accurate or reliable for what his levels were earlier in the day. Because then I would be extremely concerned because of the high numbers.

The other questions was about him going to the bathroom. He pees all the time, but even though he has been eating (strong appetite), he has not went #2 in days. Wondering if it could be the insulin? Or change in diet? Or maybe both? When do I need to worry?

You could create a new thread each day for your new questions. Yeah, a bunch of threads will drive people insane and make it harder to follow along. Especially if we need information fast.
But if they don’t get answered, please ask your questions again. Things slip through the cracks and we might be focused on getting something more time sensitive answered.

What do you mean by "relevancy or accuracy for earlier times in the day"?
The strips for glucose are not super important, and I don't believe they give you different insight, but they do at least tell you that when he was uh, making that pee, his BG was under or over the renal threshold. I find it handy to see, but yes, not near as accurate as an actual BG test.
I wouldn't be that concerned about seeing "very high readings", at least not more concerned than you already are. You already know his BG is high, the strip will tell you the same thing. Does that help?

I’ve never heard of insulin causing constipation. Gotta be the change in diet. Not sure when to worry. Has he tried to go #2 unsuccessfully? Maybe less fiber intake with the wet food?