Prozinc advice needed: Another day, a hundred more questions. :)

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Thaiger & Katie said:
I'll be shocked if I see anything lower than 300 in the morning so i'll plan on trying .. Thanks for the plethora of advice. I feel much more helpful to her with this education.
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Well... She made me eat my words. 262 this morning - gave her .8

How often should I be testing her BG? Poor thing's ears are red.
 
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And then I can leave her alone until the PM shot? I feel bad about all the ear pricks - poor thing won't let me touch her ears now, she's getting annoyed. Can you only do the outer edge of the ear or can you also do the inner edge?
 
I still suck at the ear pricks too... Usually takes me two tries on average to draw any blood. And i've hit the vein twice and had gushing blood.. Really hope i'm not causing her any pain or damage. :: guilty parent ::
 
If her number is pretty much the same or rising, I'd say we can most likely leave her alone until PM preshot. Are you warming the ear before the stick? Is she getting treats after? I've never tried the inner edge so I'm not sure about that. I've read that cats don't have a lot of nerves in their ears so it doesn't hurt them. So I think it looks worse that it feels. And I've hit the vein a few times too.
 
I'll test her again in an hour - that would be at +6. I'm trying to warm the ear as best I can but she doesn't want me touching her ears. She has already learned the sound of the microwave door opening and closing warming up the rice sock so she'll hide under the bed. I have to be extra sneaky. :)
 
Bud has been a little feisty with me as of late because I've poked him so much this weekend. I don't do a full out kitty burrito, but I do a barber shop sort of wrap around his neck to keep him from using his front paws as leverage to get away. Lol these poor kitties!
 
That's him in your photo? He's a cutiepie. Does he have problems with his vision? His eyes look similar to Thai's.

Random Q: What does (GA) in some folk's signatures mean? I think I've figured out that it means their pet has passed away?
 
Yup that's my Bud! Thanks! Thaiger Is cute beautiful herself! He doesn't have problems with his eyes that I know of, but I was thinking they don't seem as clear as they once were. I haven't gotten him regulated yet and I hate to think what all these high numbers are doing to him. :( although I think we've made some progress as of late. I just hate doing increases during the week when I'm not around to test much.

Yes the GA means gone ahead :(
 
I might feed a couple teaspoons of low carb right now and re-test in 30 minutes.
 
I leave food out for her all day since she doesn't eat much... Has ALMOST eaten half a can today. Just added some warm water to it to get her interested in it again and she's eating.
 
Have you gotten a test since the 60? Sorry, I was out. I would think she would be fine at this point. Those are some nice numbers!
 
With food out so she can eat, she may be OK. If you can, snag another test in 30 minutes just to confirm she is rising. The 57 and 60 are essentially the same number.
 
Thaiger & Katie said:
Can you only do the outer edge of the ear or can you also do the inner edge?
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You can use any part of the ear that you can poke...blood is blood and it doesn't matter where it comes from in this instance! As you poke, more capillaries will grow into the area you're poking and make it easier and easier

You can also use a small pill bottle filled with warm water or a warm washcloth inside a Ziploc bag to warm the ear (no microwave needed..smart kitty!!...lol)
 
Chris & China said:
You can use any part of the ear that you can poke...blood is blood and it doesn't matter where it comes from in this instance! As you poke, more capillaries will grow into the area you're poking and make it easier and easier

You can also use a small pill bottle filled with warm water or a warm washcloth inside a Ziploc bag to warm the ear (no microwave needed..smart kitty!!...lol)
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Are some areas less sensitive than others? I asked Thaiger which spot hurt the least but she didn't have an answer for me. ;)
 
Neosporin ointment, not cream, with pain relief.
Apply a dab a couple minutes before testing.
Wipe off.
It helps the blood bead up, reduces testing annoyance, and helps the prick heal.
 
sweet spot diagram.jpg


While this shows what we're calling "the sweet spot", you can actually poke further down, further up or on the other "edge" altogether...but as you poke in the SAME general area, more capillaries will form and make that area bleed easier.

Hitting the vein hurts more than the edges do...and the vein gushes (as I think you've seen!)...but it's better than not getting a test when you need one!

Using the Neosporin with pain relief ointment about 10 minutes before poking can help "numb" the area a little too...just don't put so much that you gunk up the strip
 
Yup, no shot. She figured she could get out of one poke tonight. Ha! You might want to drop the dose to 0.6 tomorrow to try and get 2 shootable numbers.
 
@Stacym20 - okay, will try that if her morning number is similar to what today's was. I've managed to convince my boss to allow me to work from home tomorrow so I can get one more day of watching her in.

She seems to be in pretty good spirits! Grooming right now which is an activity that I haven't seen in a few weeks at least!

@BJM & @Chris & China - those tips were super helpful. She didn't try to run from me this time though I did bust a vein AGAIN (uggghhhhh). I moved up to a larger lancet so I think that might be my problem... I wasn't getting much blood with the smaller gauge though.
 
Same here. My heart did joyful somersaults the first time after Dx that I saw Saoirse washing her face and paws after eating. All of a sudden, all the poking and prodding didn't seem quite as bad because I finally had a sign that she was feeling better for it. :)
 
188 for AMPS - this is a no shoot level right? Does this also mean I would hold off until tonight's normal time to give any insulin?
 
Ya, sometimes it helps to wait a bit and retest. Was that a rise with food? Even if so it should be fine with such a low amount of insulin but still best to monitor until you get more data. Also, another idea for warming the ear is a moist warm paper towel. When I needed it quick i'd just turn on the hot water, stick a paper towel under it and (of course make sure its not too hot) and apply to the ear for a second. Have another paper towel handy to dry the ear before testing. The joys of prozinc! I love how you can use a sliding scale.
 
When your pre-shot is too low to shoot, stall 30 minutes without feeding and re-test.
If above your no shot level, go ahead and shoot.
If rising and near your no shot level and you'll be available to monitor, shoot.
If dropping, no shot.
If you cannot monitor and are concerned about your cat going too low, skip. Better too high for a day, than too low for a moment.
 
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