Curve Next Wednesday

Hi Everybody, I have started a new as the other one was getting pretty long.
I am very ashamed about what I am about to ask as I know it will be frowned upon by the members here....but here goes. I am supposed to do a curve for Pepper next Wednesday and I honestly just cannot fathom in my wildest dreams any kind of miracle that could happen between now & then that would enable me to do this.
This is only day 2 of Pepper's insulin & testing but the worry over it all has become all consuming and the few tests & shots that have been done, despite the wonderful support here and the amazing help from my B/F have all been a terrible & horrific ordeal. I had a full blown panic attack last night when I tried to test...I was trembling & practically hyperventilating so Ron had to test & give the shot! Being this impaired with anxiety, I just can't
conceivably imagine being able to test her every 1hr or 2 hrs (the vet didn't even say) on a day that Ron is at work. I love Pepper more that anyone could possibly love anybody or anything, but how bad would it be if I have to do the curve at the Vet? I know it will be a big expense and the results will not be as good because her stress in that environment, but I am seriously doubting my ability to do it. Every one drop of blood that I have barely managed to get from her ear has been an absolutely horrendous experience, feels like a fluke and it takes hours to calm down afterwards & not long before I am dreading the next one.
Has anyone done the curve at the vet? And how bad of a cat Mum am I if I have to opt for this?

 

You have to decide what is best for you and your baby. There is nothing wrong with having the curve done by a vet, if you really feel that you cannot do it. As you already mentioned, the numbers may be higher due to the stress of her being there, but if you cannot do it, and it needs to be done, go for it. No one has the right to judge you (and I have not found people here to be judgmental anyway).

The first curve I did was very stressful. It was only 4 days after I started home testing. It was a rough day for us all. So, if you just started testing, and you are having a bad time of it, and you have anxiety issues that are being triggered by this, you are probably wise to consider handing the job over to the vet for this time. I did another curve a couple of weeks later, and there was a world of difference. So, maybe after you get a little more used to testing, you will be able to do your own curves.

You are not a bad mum either way. The fact that you are seeing that your baby gets taken care of makes you a great mum!

 

I wouldn't worry about it. Anytime I am helping Leo, testing or dosing, I know that I am part of his health equation. Sometimes it is easier to just dive in. It was pretty scary for me when I first started. But you get over it pretty quick.

JanetNJ has a nice video about getting blood samples.

 

Where do you live? I know BC, Canada, but where? Maybe we can find someone near you that can help you out.

In the meantime, I don't know if I've posted this before for you, so here it is:

Here's something I wrote up for others that needed help with testing...maybe it'll help you too!

It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you. Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!

You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!

It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well.

When you're first starting, it's also important to use a lower gauge lancet, like 25-28 gauge. Most of the "lancet devices" come with 33 gauge lancets and they are just too tiny to start with. The bigger lancets (that are lower numbers) make a bigger "hole". As you poke more and more, the ears will grow new capillaries and will be easier and easier to get blood from...we call it "learning to bleed"

Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!

 

Thanks so much for your response & so many helpful ideas. Yes, there absolutely needs to be a regular place with a set routine! I start out with a happy voice & everything laid out but Pepper somehow senses my anxiety so when she sees the supplies she now hides under the bed! When we finally get her out it is a two person job that we struggle & bumble through...it would almost be funny if it were not so tragic to me. After her shot she went back under the bed & still hasn't come out. I keep checking on her & she's not even sleeping - just hiding.

I live in Victoria, BC. Somebody should start a mobile sugar cat business for diabetic kitties! How wonderful it would be to have help.

 

Thanks for your comments, Jeff.. it all helps. I know it is only the second day.
I will find Janet's video.

 

I so appreciate your comments! I would do anything to get better at this & will never stop trying. I have done a lot of reading on this forum, and I feel strongly that the home curve is better, but fear that especially with Pepper now hiding from me (which breaks my heart) I just kinda need to know that if it becomes absolutely necessary I can do it at the vet. Thanks so much.

 

Here is Janet's video as well as another member's

 

The video they are talking about is in my signature. Hope it helps. Why not wait to do the curve on a day you're husband is home? Also cc was much less resistant to tests once she associated them with treats. . Even people without anxiety can find testing stressful and difficult at first. Let me assure you it does get easier, and that there are very few nerve endings on the edges of the ear (designed that way in nature because when cats fight they often bite each other's ears). Maybe some relaxing music while you prepare could help.

 

I am a newbie too. I was a little alarmed at having to do this and in fact put it off. I got my meter last Thursday and called the vet's office about when I could bring Franklin in so they could show me how to use it. They never called back. Probably overlooked my message on a busy day. So I waited through the weekend but on Monday I knew I needed to get started on this. It was hot outside and I didn't want to drag Franklin to the vet again, although he is pretty chill about those trips. So after watching Janet's video above a few times and one on the Alphatrak 2 web site, I decided I would try it. It was a new experience for us all and I stumbled but I finally got a sample. Franklin wanted to eat the cotton ball I was using. (He has a fondness for paper products such as toilet paper or tissue.)

I've done this eight times now. The third time I quit after two test strips. Yesterday I was frustrated because I did it right the first time and got the blood on the strip but for some reason, the meter just ran and never acknowledged an error code or a result. It took me two more times to get it right. By the way, as a newbie, you might want to go ahead and order some new strips to have on hand. My kit came with 25 and although my failure rate is decreasing, those go pretty quick. I have some due to arrive today or tomorrow.

Franklin seems to have adjusted to it pretty well. He knows after we do this, he is getting his meal. He was getting a treat but sounds like the wrong kind so no more treats until I get the right kind. I think the click of the lancing device might have bothered him at first but it doesn't now. And this morning, I finally did it with just the lancet. So if I continue to be successful with that, no more lancing device.

We have our spot for doing this in the kitchen with good light. He doesn't try to run or anything. He sits patiently. I think the cats know we are trying to help them. I have been rubbing his ear to warm it up, which he is getting used to. I tried the warm washcloth in a plastic bag trick and he wasn't going for that. I might try the rice in the sock trick.

One thing that has helped me is this photo of the cat's ear and the "Sweet Spot" that was posted to another thread: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/need-an-advice.181944/#post-2016727

I think it is completely fine if you want to take him to the vet for the curve. When you try it on your own for the daily tests, maybe there is something you can do to help you relax--maybe there is some music you could put on or something like that. Hang in there for the daily tests. You'll get used to it.

 

Glad it's going on for you. It gets easier.

I always used deli meat for a treat.

 

My cat hid from me too after the first few times of testing and I completely understand how heartbreaking it is! I'm also prone to anxiety and definitely very sensitive about my cats, other people close to me really didn't understand why I was having such a hard time with it. I feel what you're going through and trust me we've all felt it, you aren't alone! I've been at this for over 2 months and like everyone else has said it really does get easier, even though right now you might not be able to imagine it. If you can get through these beginning days and find your rountine you'll find that as Pepper starts to feel better she'll realize that you're just trying to help her. And trust me, the bond you have with her now will grow very strong. I can't explain it but I feel such a special connection with my diabetic because I've never had a sick kitty before and taking care of her has made a different kind of bond between us. Im sure this is the last thing you want to hear, but it just takes time. In the meantime breathe and take it one day at a time. Don't let the first few times that didn't go so well get to you, because tomorrow is a new day. You really are doing a great job! If you absolutely know you aren't ready to do the curve yourself, then don't. Nothing wrong with that.

 

Thank-you so much for sharing your experience. Good for you for your perseverence...I hate that the vet didn't call you back! Franklin is such a cutie. I am still trying to decide what to do about the curve but going one day at a time for now!

 

Your kind words mean the world to me & help more than you know. I am having SUCH a hard time with all of this that I don't want to alienate people around me as I'm afraid they will tire of hearing about it. I would give anything to just be able to chill out & take it in stride. Everyone here is so nice & understanding. I watch the instructional videos from members again & again & take notes on things that I read here. Thanks again for the encouragement. Hugs.

 

Thanks. Franklin worked his way in my heart when he was a kitten in a cage the shelter I volunteered at. He would race around the large cage and look up at me as if to say, pick me, pick me, pick me! And he played with his sister well there so it made it an easy decision on which two kittens to pick. I came home this afternoon to find her bathing him. She's been good through all this and is so very, very happy to be off the dry food too. She gets so excited at meal time that she gets him worked up. She knows she is going to eat in the bathroom in privacy. (Franklin eat's faster than she does and will eat hers.) When I carry her bowl, she goes racing in there bouncing from the toilet to the sink, even though I am setting the bowl on the floor.

Well, I don't blame the vet. It's a low-cost clinic so they are pretty busy. In fact, I sent the vet a text tonight. Franklin's BG was 207, the lowest it's been. So I wasn't sure about his insulin. She was nice enough to respond to my text messages on a Friday night. It took me three strips again tonight. Gotta get better at this because I can't afford three strips a test. After nailing it quickly this morning, tonight I was having trouble poking him. I probably tried 10 times with just the lancet. I wondered if for some reason the lancet was defective and not sharp enough or something. After just using the lancet didn't work, I went for the lancing device. I tried that a few times. Out of frustration I put a different lancet in the device and that worked. It was messy but that seems to happen sometimes if you hit the right spot. And Franklin didn't seem to care. He just knew it was finally dinner time!

 

Is it taking multiple strips because the sample is too small? Or is it because she's squirming? You can try to get a drop them flick it onto the back of your nail and test from there. Make sure you are touching the tiny little point sticking off of just one of the black dots on one of the sides to the drop. It sticks out and sucks up the sample like a straw. You aren't trying to scoop the drop onto the shot, just touch the tiny protruding point INTO the drop.

 

No squirming involved, well, except if I try his left ear he tends to roll over because he thinks I'm going to pet him. I hate to keep poking his right ear but he keeps rolling over and makes it impossible for me to get a good angle on the left ear. He is usually purring the whole time. I could sit on him to try for a better angle on his left ear but then that might make him tense. Sometimes I poke, have a small drop, turn around to put the strip in the meter, turn back around and now it is all smeared in the fur and I can't get a good sample for the strip. A couple of times I've had the meter just run in circles and not give me a reading or an error code and there was blood on the strip. Those are the most frustrating ones. Sometimes maybe too much blood...if it gets on both dots? I am trying to just hold the strip up next to the blood but I guess if I have a real bleeder poke and he moves, then it gets all over the strip. I'm trying to get it on just one dot. I only did this about an hour ago but I think I did it with a lancet again this morning. It was a one strip morning so yeah! Thanks.

 

Have you tried inserting the strip part way into the meter but not so far as to trigger it? That way, once you have a blood drop all you have to do is hold the meter in one hand and push the flat bottom end of the strip onto a firm surface to start it and then move it quickly to the blood drop. Works well for me.

 

Insert

part way so when the drop starts you can push it the rest of the way with one hand.

If uou are getting that much blood you are accidentally hitting the vein. Aim closer to the edge.


Scoop the drop on your fingernail so you can do it slower.

Neosporin ointment with pain relief will help his ear health.

 

I am inserting the strip part-way and don't insert it completely until I think I have blood. I have the meter on the counter with Franklin on the floor. Maybe I'll try putting the meter on the floor, out of his reach. I am trying to hit the sweet spot part of the ear. I will focus on poking closer to the edge. And someone posted they use a plastic spoon so I might try that too. I have Neosporin but not sure it is with pain relief so it is on my shopping list for the weekend. Think with more experience I will be getting there. Thanks everyone!

 

I put Leo on a towel (that is already on the ground). I put the test equipment there too. A treat is nearby - and he knows it. The whole test process after that takes 10-30 seconds. The efficiency reduces the stress - since there is no time for him to get ramped up. The treat occurs as soon as the tester beeps, indicating that it has a sample.

 

I also sit on the floor with all the tools right beside me - no reaching for anything.

 

I have a mat for Franklin and really he is not stressing out about the whole thing. I put the meter on the floor one time and he grabbed it to play with it, which is why I put it back on the counter. But I will try placing it on the floor out of his sight/reach but near me. The process is becoming routine for me and I'm not stressed per se but more frustrated when things go well one time and not so well the next. I may pick him up some deli meat today for treats. His sister will be in even more heaven. First canned food. Now deli treats. She's probably so happy he was diagnosed with diabetes!

Let's not get started on the strips that I bought off Ebay that were due to arrive today. It's just hilarious to look at the tracking on this package as they have crisscrossed Tampa Bay twice now and will one more time when they finally get it right. I'm sure they were sent to one nearby city in error and passed my post office on their way back to Tampa this morning to be redistributed to the correct post office. It's okay. I believe I have enough testing strips to get me through until Monday, as long as I don't use three strips per test. LOL.

 

Tonight's report:
Left ear.
Lancet poke.
One strip!

I also used the trick of putting some rice in a sock and heating it up in the microwave. This intrigued both Franklin and his sister. They both had to smell it first. I warmed his sister's ears up too.

 

Hi, Kim. I was just wondering how things are going with you and pepper.

 

Hi, thanks for thinking of us! Pepper is doing okay. Unfortunately, my own chronic health issues have flared up and I haven't been well...my boyfriend has been taking good care of Pepper & giving her shots. She has been on 1 unit of Lantus for 17 days now and quite honestly we have not yet noticed any major difference in her drinking (lots) peeing (lots) or energy level. She is slightly better but no worse.

I did end up having the glucose curve done at the vet and what a useless, expensive and traumatic experience that was! They wanted her there from 8:30am until 7:30pm. I had to ask several times for them to send me the results and when they finally did it said they only took four blood tests in eleven hours and charged over $212. I could tell poor Pepper was absolutely stressed out & hadn't slept or eaten the whole day! Their notes said: "used left & right femoral veins for blood collection, growling cat, cone on"
Pepper had irritation from the blood draw or the alcohol or from God knows whatever else they did to her and was pulling and tugging fur from her legs & belly & now has several bald patches. I sent the pics to the vet and of course they said bring her back in. No way. The fur tugging seemed to lessen after the first week - I think it just stressed her out so much...what a regrettable experience. I mean 4 measly readings- I could have found a way to manage that. She gets her shots at 7:45am & 7:45pm. The following is their report:
8:30am 15.8
11:46am 15.4
4:06pm 18.6
7:15pm 20.1
So, basically it was a waste of money as who knows what that even means with only those four tests on a very stressed cat. I feel terrible for putting her through that.

The vet said to keep her dose at 1 unit twice a day and wants $44 to order glucose/ketone strips for me to test her urine as I am still not comfortable/able to do a curve myself but am desperately trying to find somebody in my area who could possibly assist me with this. I KNOW it is the only way to know what is truly going on inside my precious cat.

Thanks so much for asking about us and for caring. It means a great deal.

Kim

 

You can get ketone strips without going thru the vet. That is absolutely idiotic that they charged that much, and they didn't pull simple samples from Pepper's ear - which are far less traumatic.

 

I know, right! I was literally sick about it. Let this be a cautionary tale...never again!

 

I was at Walgreen's last night pricing Ketone strips. They are actually on the shelf there--no prescription necessary. These are the strips that test only the urine. There are also strips that test urine and glucose but in researching Ketone strips in previous discussions on the forum here, if you are home-testing you don't need the strips that test urine and glucose. The urine strips are all that you need. It was around $10 or $11 for 50 strips at Walgreen's. I checked Amazon and found these, $10.95 for 100 strips.

 

I am so sorry you and Pepper had to go through that. You should NOT have to pay for that curve. Every definition of a curve I have found says it should include a test every one or two hours for 12 to 24 hours, NOT four tests in an entire 11 hour day. Ridiculous!

So sorry.