Please help - got readings using the marginal ear vein

[sprinkesthecat]

Did a curve today & used the marginal ear vein for all of the pokes. (it was not easy getting the readings - this is my first rodeo). The vein was the only place i could get an adequate amount of blood! I feel so horrible My girls ears are so bruised.

Has anyone mistakingly done this before? - did everything heal appropriately? you all are the pros! i commend each and everyone of you on this form!

i’m worried about a aural hematoma forming (i worry about everything lol)

 

[Chrispooky12]

Did a curve today & used the marginal ear vein for all of the pokes. (it was not easy getting the readings - this is my first rodeo). The vein was the only place i could get an adequate amount of blood! I feel so horrible My girls ears are so bruised.

Has anyone mistakingly done this before? - did everything heal appropriately? you all are the pros! i commend each and everyone of you on this form!

i’m worried about a aural hematoma forming (i worry about everything lol)

Hi & welcome Sprinkles & momma to the FDMB. It's great that you are already home testing. I will tag @Diane Tyler's Mom to give you some links to help you get set up so the wonderful people here can help you with Sprinkles.

 

[sprinkesthecat]

thank you so much! you are so awesome (as everyone else)!

here is a photo of my girls one ear. she was wiggly and the needle jabbed right into the vein. looks so painful

https://postimg.cc/0znYG139

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

It is best to prick between the edge of the ear and the vein. When you prick, hold a cotton ball behind the ear and then after it’s done hold the cotton ball over the prick for 1 minute and that will stop the bruising. It will become easier I promise.

HOMETESTING HINTS AND LINKS……..look at this link.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help
This link will also explain how to set up your spreadsheet and how to use the spreadsheet, it's not hard at all
If you do have trouble setting your spreadsheet up just ask we have a wonderful member who will set it up for you
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with

A video one of our members posted, she is using a pet meter ,strips too expensive plus you have to code it
A human meter is just fine, most of us use human meters ,that's what our numbers are based on


VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

If her ears are a little sore or beat up
I have read that many members use pure coconut oil, I have copied this from one of the members posts
just make sure the only ingredient is coconut oil (mine is solid at room temp and I would take an itty bitty dab and rub on his ears)
It seemed to help with the healing
You might be able to get it at a health food store or just Google pure coconut oil

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I suspect that even a person experienced with home testing has inadvertently hit the vein on occasion. Bruised ears heal. It can also take a couple of weeks for the capillary bed along the edge of your cat's ear to develop. Once that happens, it will be easier to draw blood when you poke.

If you're not using a wider gauge lancet (e.g., 28 gauge or so) that may also help. Once it's easier to get blood, you can switch over to a thinner lancet (e.g., 30 gauge).