Newbie question about home glucose testing

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jillyc

jillyc

Member Since 2011
We tried to do the home glucose test just a little bit ago - to no avail! We could not get any blood to come out. We are following the directions of the youtube video of Buddy. What are we doing wrong??? We poked on the outside of the ear (after warming it by rubbing his ear). He squirmed a lot. Does the lancet need to go all the way through the outer edge of the ear? Any help would be great.
 
Hello! Revson and I are new to this too, but I just posted a similar answer for someone else. If you stick around for a bit tonight more people will be here (or check again in the morning), who are much more experienced than me. Hang in there, it gets easier and everyone here has been very helpful to me!

I've been testing since the beginning. We paw test instead of ears. I couldn't get the hang of poking his ear and he tolerates the paw stick.

I used the burrito method at first, but now all I have to do is turn him upside down in my lap and (freehand) poke. The back feet are easier for me.
I poke, get the glucometer ready, then squeeze for the drop and test. Almost always good on the first try. As soon as Revson hears the beep he squirms to get down and gets a treat. Someone suggested freeze-dried chicken (buy the dog bag and break into pieces - it's cheaper). Rev will let me do most anything for a chicken or shrimp!

Hope this helps.
Amy
 
You might try the process on yourself first so you are confident.

We needed to really heat the ear, not just rub it. The rice sack or a pill bottle filled with hot water works well.

Put something behind his ear to poke against - a folded paper towel, a cotton ball or the pill bottle.

Keep trying. You will get it. And remember, a treat every time whether successful or not.
 
Lets see a couple of tricks that helped me in the beginning were....Firmly backing the ear with something, personally I use the my rice sock. Have you tried a rice sock for warming rather than just rubbing? Musette wouldn't sit still enough for rubbing, but loved having a nice warm sock on her ear.

Trying both ears, Musette I can use either ear, but with Maxwell only his right ear bleeds, his left one might as well be a turnip :lol:

Also with Maxwell I found poking low on the ear right above that little double flap of skin worked the best, Musette I can usually get blood from anywhere along the edge so you might need to experiment a little to find the best spot.

Are you free handing or using a lancet device? In the very beginning I found I had the best luck with using the lancet device but without the cap so I could see where I was aiming but could use the spring action to do the poking. I never have gotten the hang of free-handing but I have heard that sometimes it works better when free-handing to poke at a upward 45 degree angle.

and lastly, sometimes you can 'milk' the poked spot a little bit to get the blood to rise, just put some firm pressure below where you poked and push up slightly.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Thanks for the responses.
I'm also wondering if a larger gauge needle would help. We are using a 33 gauge.
 
Yes, definitely use a larger gauge lancet, something 25-27 gauge. I could not get a lick of blood with anything above a 29g when I started testing Bandit.
 
Yes, I am using a lancet. Thanks - I will try a larger gauge. I'll let you know how we make out!
 
Thanks to everyone for the help! We have been testing for the last few days! His numbers are quite good...for example, this morning he was at 85! Fortunately, we have listened to all the helpful posts and have reduced the amount of insulin down from the 3 units that the vet told us to give - otherwise we might have had a hypo on our hands! We have him down to two units currently, still using the dry food. After we meet with the vet this upcoming Friday we plan to switch him over to wet food...we are hopeful that we can get him OTJ eventually. Our vet sounds like he is willing to work with us, so we will keep him on the dry food, per his request, until then. It will be nice to walk in to his office and present him with all the readings. I'm certain once he sees the numbers and listens to our concerns he will be more likely to cooperate. Either way, though, we plan to continue testing at home and switch him to wet food; we just would prefer him to be understanding and cooperative. We want what is best for Fenner, not for the vet. Again, A big THANK YOU to everyone for their help! :-D
 
Did you give 2 units at 85 this morning? We urge new diabetics not to give insulin under 200. Even with dry food today, you may have some dangerously low numbers. Please get another test 20 minutes or so from the shot.
 
omg, please stay online and keep testing....that is a very low number to shoot 2 units....lets watch his numbers and the responses from here PLEASE!
 
I just pm'd her so maybe she'll see in her mailbox that we need her to come back.
 
I can see she is on line....Help Us Jill, You need assistance. If you shot.
 
Got your message. We are actually not home right now, but will be shortly. Fenner was doing fine.
 
Jill this is urgent. 2u is NOT to go into a preshot number that low. be prepared to administer high carb or syrup. do you know the hypo routine.
 
How much insulin did you give him? Please check him as soon as you get home. Was he at 85 when you gave him 2 units?

Terri
 
Lori

If she gave 2 units at 85. I would say a trip to the ER might be in order. What do you think? he will keep dropping as time goes on today.

Terri
 
Hi, Jill.

I'm very glad you reduced your cat's insulin. 3.0u is a large initial dose of insulin. Most cats are started on 1.0 to 2.0u of Lantus. If your pre-shot test was 85, please plan on closely monitoring your cat this morning. Do you have plenty of strips and either high carb food or Karo syrup, honey, maple syrup, etc. in the house in case you should need it? We're not trying to alarm you but if you shot that low of a number, we want to be prepared to lend you a hand and help you to make good decisions about what to do.

This post on handling low numbers may be helpful.
 
O.K. Just tested him and he was at 50. Gave him a little Karo, and he is eating his lunch (dry food) as I type this. He is not acting abnormally at all.
 
You are less than 3 hours in right.
Go slow on the feeding. no karo for now.
got any high carb gravy in the house.
this could go on for some time ok....likely hours.
 
lantus is a long acting insulin with a low spot around 6 or 7 hours in.
 
Glad he is not any lower. But Lantus lasts in the body a long time and you are early into the cyle (How long since the shot?), so keep testing every 20 minutes or so. The Karo and dry food should bring him up for a while, but it won't last the whole cycle. You do not want him to go down into the 40s or below.
 
I would suggest feeding slowly too. dont want him to get too full to fast....
Could you get a phone number from someone on here that can call you???
my Bean girl was 27!!!! the first successful test I got and she was acting sleepy and that was only +2 hours after her shot....we fed some honey on bread...very very little, and some hi carb treats only a few and tested alot...you can look at my spreadsheet at the bottom in my signature....
keep us posted please
 
karo will give him an immediate boost but not last. don't want you thinking it is all over when you see that boost number.
 
I just read a post on another thread that says to add 30 points because we are using a human glucometer. Is this true?
 
i'm going to work today...in about a half hour. someone should stay with you. or several folks taking turns. can anyone of you arrange that?
are the lantus folks aware of this thread?
you just don't want to treat this alone for the first time jill. you cat will likely go up and down again.
and this will likely go on all day.
 
I would not pay attention to that shifty notion today. that would complicate matters.
 
Bummer Lori,
wish you were home to help :o
you were such a HUGH HELP TO ME THAT NITE!
Could someone possibly call her????
 
Shelly, don't sell yourself short. You can do this. You know how..you know what to do.
 
I will be around this am but I don't use Lantus. It would be nice to have a Lantus user advise.

Yes, I posted in Lantus with a link. Sienne came over and posted.
 
Late to the oarty but i'll be on for a while.
Carl

A 911 would help...
 
I'm back.

Do not add 30 points. I know it's confusing but that information is for for people using an animal meter (e.g., AlphaTrack) and the numbers we use are based on the human meters. (The AlphaTrack runs 30 points higher.)

The idea at this point is to get enough tests that you are not risking your cat dropping into low numbers that you can't control with food. You'll want to test in 30 min. from your last test. It sounded like you fed dry food and Karo? What is the dry food you are giving? (I want to check on the carb content.) I would suggest giving a teaspoon (or even less) of wet food with a drop or two of Karo if numbers are still below about 70. You're going to repeat this process of testing an feeding until the numbers stablize in a safe range.

You will not see an immediate response to dry food. It takes a while for it to get into the cat's system and it will take even longer for it to be metabolized and numbers to come down. Karo will provide an almost immediate rise in numbers.

I don't think a 911 is necessary.
 
Sienne,
Her earlier posts say Hills M/D (13 or 14%) wet and dry.
Carl
 
Agree on the karo immediate rise...but let's add that this rise will not last. it is a sugar fix. not the finale. high carb gravey food is a nice enhancement to a more lasting 'fix'. but feed little bits. she may have a lot of eating to do and we don't want to satisfy her hunger to quickly.
 
This is Jill's husband Bruce typing. The food is Science Diet MD, 15% carbs. Fenner seems to be doing just fine...no symptoms of hypo. He didn't even want all of his dry food yet. The vet had us shooting 3 units, in the blind. Thanks to all the responses we received before we reduced the insulin and have begun testing recently. When we were initially following the vet's order, Fenner would be ravenous; he seems to know when he isn't feeling right (levels too low) that eating makes him feel better. We will test again soon just to make sure all is well, and that the numbers aren't falling.
 
Yes, Lori, I know. I'm not sure if she has high carb food in the house. In any event, even HC, gravy-based food wears off relatively quickly. It's helpful so it doesn't linger and it's why repeated testing is important.

Any updates on Fenner's numbers?
 
Thanks, Bruce.

The goal here (obviously) is to avoid a symptomatic hypo. The concern is that until you have more data, we don't encourage shooting as low a number as an 85.

Given the bump with the Karo, it's helpful to test every 30 min. If the Karo wears off, you will catch the drop. Also, don't be surprised if you see a big rise in numbers by your evening shot time. It's called a bounce and it's how the liver responds to low numbers. It's normal.

How much does Fenner weigh and is his current weight a good weight for him? Lantus dosing is initially based on weight. As everyone has been suggesting, the 3u was a lot. Your current dose, if you are planning on transitioning to a lower carb food than the Hills may also be a bit high.
 
Hi Bruce,
You might thing we are all overreacting to this shot. It would be unusual at best and dangerous at worst to shoot that amount of insulin...some would say any insulin...into that number.
And please don't think behavior of the kitty will be the marker she is going into danger.
You may NOT go into danger....but the possibility is more likely than not.
Let's say, that a person will that number on their amps would not likely shoot insulin.
Unless extremely well versed in what their body does with it after many many months of notes.

So....we are not really really overreacting. Just want you to be aware of this mistake that apparently the vet saw no reason to make you aware of.

We have seen too many...one is too many, bad hypo's.
Even ones that were not forewarned by symptoms before danger hit.

Don't even want to mention our most recent post of greif of a hypo kitty.....is enuf.
 
66 is good.
He was 50 an hour ago.
Those are actually virtually the same number given the built in error margin on the meter, but it doesn't look like he's dropped.

For a while, he's going to get the benefit of any food he's taken in the past hour, but his numbers still need to be closely monitored. You may have to feed him a spoonful at a time. Hold off on the honey or karo.
Do you have any canned food handy? Besides the Hill's, I mean?
Carl
 
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