Starting home testing this morning

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Likameow

Likameow

Member Since 2014
I picked up a Relion meter today at Walmart in anticipation of starting home testing in the morning. How deep do I set the lancing device? There are several settings. I want to get enough blood but not go through his ear. *eek* And he has a big bruise already from where the vet got him yesterday.

Thanks for the help.
 
Hello Lisa and Ben, and welcome to FDMB!
(Ben looks an absolute sweetheart... Aw.... :oops: )

Likameow said:
I picked up a Relion meter today at Walmart in anticipation of starting home testing in the morning. How deep do I set the lancing device? There are several settings. I want to get enough blood but not go through his ear. *eek* And he has a big bruise already from where the vet got him yesterday.
Click to expand...
Well done, Lisa, for wanting to hometest. :smile:

You could try a medium setting and work up (or indeed down) from there. But some folks try a higher setting initially to increase their chances of getting blood the first few times. (I don't use the same meter as you so don't know the exact settings).
Ideally, you don't want to go through the kitty's ear, but it does happen sometimes. It's no big deal in the scheme of things though. I've been testing my cat for years and his ears are just fine.

It does help to put a little gentle pressure on the underside of the ear (opposite to where you're pricking), as the lancet needs something to resist. Some folks use a little cotton wool or folded tissue. Some folks just use a finger tip (but if, like me, you do the latter then you may risk occasionally pricking your own finger! :lol: )

Pressing/squeezing the test site gently for a few seconds after the test can help to minimise bruising.
Bruising seems most likely to happen in the early days of testing. For some reason the kitty's ears seem to toughen up and get used to the process. And they will bleed more easily over time too (they grow more blood vessels).

The warmer the kitty's ears are the easier it will be for you to get a blood sample. And you can increase blood flow to the ears by gently massaging them, or by holding the ear briefly against something warm (ie a pill bottle filled with warm water, or a 'rice sock' (a thin sock containing rice/grain that has been warmed in the microwave).
You may well find that one ear bleeds better than the other (strange but true!)

A teesny smear of vaseline on the edge of the ear can help the blood droplet to 'bead up' and prevents it from disappearing into the fur.
And massaging just below the test site immediatley after pricking can 'milk' more blood out of the ear.

Testing should not hurt Ben, but because this is something new to him it may well take a few goes to get used to the idea. Most of us reward our kitties for tests (including unsuccessful tests) by giving low carb treats or a wee cuddle. And cats learn very quickly to associate testing with treats/cuddles.

You may well be lucky and get a successful test first time. But if that doesn't happen don't be discouraged. It takes most folks a few goes to get the hang of things.
Please ask any questions you want to. We're here to help.

Here's a link to a page of pics and basic info about hometesting:
http://www.sugarpet.net/bloodtst.html

Eliz
 
Hi again, Lisa.

(Am writing this separate to the hometesting info above as my post was quite long and I didn't want the following info to get lost in it.)

Top job on getting your signature info and spreadsheet set up already! Wow! :smile:

I see that you're using Prozinc and that the vet has suggested 2 units BID as a starting dose.
And I see from the note on your SS that Ben currently has a UTI and has just started antibiotics...

Okey dokey...
Although Ben's blood glucose reading was high it is very probable that some of that was due to his having a UTI. (The stress of being at the vet's can also raise blood glucose levels).
Therefore, as the infection resolves his blood glucose levels may drop.
So, an insulin dosage calculated on a blood glucose level while the kitty has an infection might be too much once the infection has cleared.
And in fact, we generally recommend a much lower initial starting dose (ie, maybe .5 to 1 unit). And the dose can then be increased if necessary.
We often see kitties here whose vets have recommended a starting dose that is too high and needs to be reduced.
You may wish to have a read though of our PZI protocol (written by experienced FDMB member, Sue (Sue and Oliver)):
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=109077

What is Ben eating at the moment, Lisa?

Eliz
 
When he was diagnosed on Saturday she started him on one unit b.i.d. And his sugars at that time were 300. So when they were almost 500 yesterday that is when she doubled his dose. And right now he's eating mostly Friskies turkey and giblets. I'm going to try some fancy feast this morning. He's only eating maybe a quarter cup a day. He's only gotten two doses of the two unit so I'll see you what his sugars are this morning and add it to hos spreadsheet.
 
I updated his spreadsheet to reflect the doses we started with on Saturday. And I checked his sugar this morning and it was 392 so I went ahead and gave him the two units. BTW, That was my first time check and I'm still feeling kind of proud of it.
 
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