What if I cant do BG curves?

[Princessk]

My local vet comes to the house $99 per visit to take a BG reading. It is not ideal but I cannot do BG curves I am too scared of hurting my cat and I dont like needles at all they make me vomit. My cat too does NOT like needles and hates having her ear prick it stresses her out. I have had so many different nurses and different vets comes to the house so see who has the best technique. It turns out that my latest vet who uses the leg vein seems to hurt my cat the least. I CAN check my cats URINE glucose which is always 3+ and 4+ which means high glucose. I have no problem with checking urine. I just faint at the sight of blood sorry.

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Hello, and welcome to FDMB,

Long story short: You do whatever you can do.
However, you may find that 'what you can do' is a lot more than you initially think is possible; so I wouldn't draw the line at what you think you can and can't do too soon.

If you actually do literally faint at the sight of blood then testing your cat's blood glucose may not be for you. If you just mean that blood gives you the shivers then you may be able to overcome that.

There are quite a few folks here, me included, who were needle phobic; and who needed to go through some kind of process of desensitization.
(I had a fear of syringes and found it helpful to repeatedly practice drawing up water into the syringe, and then injecting into an orange. It was as though my hands got used to it first, and then my mind followed after...)
Are you coping with the insulin shots yourself? Or are you getting help with those?

Urine glucose testing can be helpful, but it also has it's limitations. It tells you how much glucose is in your kitty's urine since she last peed, but it doesn't tell you the 'highs and lows' of how the cat's blood glucose is throughout the day.

Testing should not hurt the cat at all. There are very few nerve endings in the outer edge of the ear. So I think it unlikely that your cat has disliked the tests because of pain. Some cats dislike being restrained, some cats don't like strangers (or certain people). And it's important to remember too that this is all new to your cat. S/he doesn't know what's going on and is probably feeling a bit jittery. Your own feelings will make a difference too because cats pick up on our moods. The more relaxed you are, the more relaxed s/he is likely to be.

I thought my cat would be impossible to test. But I found that I could crumble a few treats and test him while he's munching on those.

If you wish, I'll post a link to some example videos showing various people testing their own cats. But I won't do that unless you want me to, because the videos will show a tiny blood droplet on the cat's ear.

Best wishes,

Eliz

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Hi,

Forgot to say earlier that it is also advisable to monitor your cat's pee for ketones. Do the urine test strips you're using measure ketones as well as glucose, or just glucose?

Eliz

 

[Mogmom and Goofus]

I know just what you're saying, I went thru the exact same thing. If you check out my earlier posts, at the time I joined, you'll see what I mean. I'd cry, shake, gag, the whole time. You CAN do it, and by learning to do it, you'll cause much less stress for your kitty, because she knows and and loves you. I found paw pad testing MUCH easier than the ear and Goof doesn't even flinch as they don't have much feeling in the pads. Like my vet told me, "take a couple of slow deep breaths, tell yourself that this is necessary, and that you can and will learn to do this" .

 

[BJM]

See my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for other assessments you can make to help monitor the diabetes. The most important ones for your situation are water intake and output, dehydration checks, urine ketone and glucose testing (KetoDiaStix or generic), food intake and output, and weight. You might also pick up the urine test strips for bacterial infections, as high glucose in the urine makes a good environment for bacteria.

 

[Blamethecats and Hannah]

@Princessk , you CAN do this!! I started out just like you, scared to death of needles and terrified of testing Hannah's BG. I'm still very squeamish... I won't lie to you. A large amount of blood is gonna drop me to my knees or even worse, send me to the floor. It's a good thing BG testing only requires just a little drop! But I just decided this was something I had to do, as I'm the only hope Hannah has for feeling better or getting her diabetes under control.

I bought her glucometer and test strips on a Friday morning and it took until the following Monday to finally work up enough nerve to try and test my baby. I was shaking like a leaf. Then, with each subsequent test, it got easier and I quit shaking. It was another month before I worked up enough courage to do her insulin. My husband was a big encouragement, there (long story). In the interim, he did the injections, as I just about passed out at the sight of those insulin syringes. I've come a long way since then... ten months ago. If anyone had ever told me I would be doing this, I would have told them, "No way, not me." But I AM doing it and it's gotten a whole lot easier... it really has. Hannah still isn't regulated after all this time, but I honestly don't think she'd have survived this long if I hadn't gotten a handle on my fear. She's come a long way since then, too. She's feeling better, these days... much better than when we started back in June of 2014. It's very much a team effort between you and your sugar kitty. You need to show your sweetie that momma bean can do this... for the both of you. Hugs and best wishes.