arkway meter info--new to this

i am to the point of doing the control solution test. this is brand new to me. i didnt know there was such a thing? r most of u familiar with doing this first?
next i think the first stick i will try with the click bc i am not sure how much pressure to use (provided larry is ok with the sound)
then my biggest concern is not hitting that big vein. that looks like it would be bad and/or painful?
i am very close to beginning. any suggestions?
reading instructions to learn things is very difficult for me. i learn by seeing/being shown, or being told, and then doing. i am very hands on.
thanks!

 

mistake corrected.

 

Go back to that post and click "Edit", then uncheck the candle icon at the top of the post.
We use that to mean a cat has passed or gone ahead (GA)

Practice on an apple - the resistance to the prick is similar.
Practice on yourself.
Use the clear cap on the lancet pen, or free hand it and prick manually.
Aim for between the vein and the outer edge of the ear on your cat.
Cats have fewer nerve endings in the ear, so it is more of an annoyance, then a pain.

If you absolutely, positively, must get blood (you think glucose may be too low) you can prick the vein ... but be prepared for a gusher. And the cat often shakes its head, resulting in blood droplets everywhere.

 

thank u. did u do the control solution test? is that required to calibrate or check the machine?

 

I use the same meter - I do the control test when I get a new meter or if I start getting wierd readings that I think may be false. Other than that, I don't bother but I've been testing for close to 3 years - if it makes you feel more comfortable, then check each new container for a while.

It will take a bit - maybe even a couple of weeks - for Larry's ear to 'learn' to bleed (actually, grow more capillaries). Be sure to hold something firm behind the ear or the skin will just indent instead of piercing. I use those round cosmetic pads over my finger behind the ear. When test is done, I just fold it over the ear, put light pressure on it for a few seconds then use the pad to remove the strip and throw both away.

Test yourself on your finger - that will show you exactly how it all works. The poke will hurt you more than it will kitty as our fingers have a lot more nerve endings...

BIG HUGS! This dance isn't hard, it's just different!

 

wow, well, i think that took about 20 minutes, but finally!
how on earth do u get them to be still? he moved his head and ear constantly. he hated having the pill cap behind it, too. i cant see well, but i found the vein and all. restarted the meter about 4 times bc hes so squirmy it kept stopping. i finally did it freestyle, against my better judgement. hope it wasnt hard and didnt hurt. once again i stabbed myself, which does hurt.
so, after all that, the reading is 239, and his shot isnt due until 10 pm.

 

Since his shot is so far away, and you are using the humulin N which usually only lasts for 6-8 hours in a cat, you should test again closer to your shot time.

With the humulin N, you want to test, feed, wait at least 30 minutes and then give the insulin. That is because the Humulin N is very fast acting, and you want to have food on board to counter the effects of the insulin shot and make sure Larry does not drop too low.

 

just saw this sue. i have been doing it all wrong for 2 wks then. i always let him eat while i give him the shot. makes it peaceful. ill have to rethink how to do all this. thanks!

 

Maybe keep back a tablespoon or so of food (a tiny meal), so you can feed him while you give the shot?

It's ok to feed a bit more food after you test. It's just that with the very fast onset of the Humulin, and the steep dives with that insulin, you want to make sure your kitty has eaten first before you give the shot for that particular insulin.


So test, feed the main part of the meal, wait 30 minutes, feed a tiny meal and shoot at the same time.

Would that work for you do you think?

 

i think so. thanks. i feel sad i have done it wrong for 2 wks. hope it hasnt harmed him in any way.

 

No reason to feel sad about this. I doubt if any harm was done.

This is just a slightly different way of doing things, to help keep your kitty Larry safer.

We all know how picky cats can get about eating sometimes. With the Humulin or Novolin insulins, it's important to get the food in your cat and make sure he is going to keep it down before you give this type of insulin. That way, the food will be able to balance out the quick action of this insulin.

Think of it this way. Food raises the numbers and insulin drops the numbers. Because of the quick onset of the Humulin, and the steep drops, you want the food to have some time to raise the numbers so that when the insulin takes effect, it doesn't drop the numbers too low too quickly.

 

does this still apply since i leave his food out? we r still transitioning to only wet food. he has dry food still out until shot time then he gets the canned food. thats how i have been doing it since he is not totally weaned off the dry, and bc i just started testing i am afraid to make the full switch to wet until i can see his numbers.
does he still need to eat the wet food 30 mins b4 the shot? instead of during like i have been? for the time being, until he is only eating wet?

 

Another term for "leaving the food out" is free feeding. Sounds like you are free feeding the dry food right now. Yes, getting him to eat before the shot of insulin still applies. It will still apply even after you get him completely on the wet food diet.

As long as you are using the Novolin, your kitty Larry should be eating at least 30 minutes before you give the shot. Even longer 45 - 60 minutes would be good, especially since you are feeding mostly dry food right now.

Dry takes longer to be digested than the wet food. Since this insulin starts to work very quickly, the dry food can take too long to be digested and help to raise the BG levels and counteract the insulin, so Larry does not drop too low. Yes, I think you still need to feed some wet food at least 30 minutes before you give the insulin.

With Novolin N, you still need to feed at least 30 minutes before you shoot the insulin. Even after Larry is eating only wet food, he needs to eat 30-60 minutes before he gets insulin. It's the type of insulin that starts to work really quickly. You want the food to already have started to digest before you shoot this type of insulin.

There are some good basics here in this Humulin N Primer. Humulin N and Novolin N are the same insulin, just made by different manufacturers. You might want to print out a copy of this primer, to refer to.

 

thank u! i think he is dropping too low about an hr. or 2 after eating. he acts very strange. i bet this is why. ok, i will start feeding extra an hr. or so b4. hopefully that will correct this. when i can get my reading after 2 hrs. of his shot, we will find out for sure.

 

Hi Pam!

You sent me a PM because you were worried you hurt your kitty last night, maybe hitting the ear vein. I wanted to reassure you that Larry is ok.Even the most experienced of us occasionally hit the ear vein. It might hurt a bit more, but if you ever really,really need to get blood, aim for tha vein in the ear instead of the capillary rich "sweet spot".

Just be sure to hold the ear firmly, to stop your kitty from shaking his head and splattering the blood all over the place. Get the blood on the strip and get your test done. Larry will be ok and you have not harmed him by hitting that vein. Give him a hug and let him know you love him and give him a low carb treat. He'll remember that treat, not the ear poke you just did.

You asked me in a PM about what to do if you don't test exactly on the hour. How do you record that on your ss you asked. Mostof us put it in the same hour slot as the whole hour. For example, a test at 3.5 hour goes in the +3 column on the SS. Most of us also type in the test hour, such as +3.5 and then type in the BG reading under that. You may need to manually color code the cell, to get it to be red or yellow or blue or green to match the number range. Don't worry about the color coding for now. We can fix that later.

We talk alot here about the BG numbers, but there is more to treating diabetes than the numbers. How your cat is feeling and how their appetite is a good clues for us. We call this the WCR or Whole Cat Report and include the 5 P's (peeing,pooping,purring, preening, playing) and the appetite.

Larry is probably already giving you little clues that he is feeling better.