New to this and the hardest part so far is glucose testing... and emotions

Hi everyone, I finally registered today but have been up late nights for over a week reading through the amazing posts and content on this site. I want to start by saying thank you for being such an amazing source of information and support group.

My cat's name is Nikko he's a 10 year old male who's had some urethral obstructions in the past. I noticed him losing weight and drinking/urinating a lot - so happy the urinary tract was all good, but I suspected diabetes and brought him in to the vet. He was diagnosed with a blood and urinary test 1.5 weeks ago, he was at a 24 in vet-friendly glucose terms I guess. He's on 1 unit of lantus twice a day and I'm scheduled to go back in 1 more week for either a glucose curve, or a demo on how to do it myself.

I bought a human monitor today and have been watching the youtube videos, looking at diagrams etc but I just can't get a bead of blood large enough to test. After 5-6 pokes I gave up as I obviously don't know what the heck I'm doing and my cat was bothered. I know I am seeing my vet next week, but I wanted to check up on his glucose levels now . Did anyone else struggle with this a lot in the beginning? More than the shots?

On top of my distress with the glucose testing and giving the needles, I'm just really emotional right now. I'm not in a great place in my life with other things, and this is another thing to worry about. It's my cat, so of course I'm up for the challenge but I'm just so weepy and emotional about the life change for both of us. I hope he's feeling better - but I can't even test him to tell. And of course I'm terrified about him going hypo. Any advice or words are appreciated.... thanks so much.

 

It can be hard, I completely understand. Learning to do the blood tests at home is one of the more difficult things, especially when you can't seem to get it, but once you get it right a few times and know that you can do it, it gets a lot easier. It's good that you're reading the resources on the forum, and you should post on the Lantus subforum once you're all settled in.

There's some good advice here about getting a good blood drop. Making sure the ear is warm is important. You can use warmed up rice in a sock, although I find just massaging the ear for a little bit helps. You can do the inside or the outside of the ear along the edge. The inside has less fur so for me at least it's easy to see the blood drop compared to the outer edge. Higher gauge (thinner) needles will hurt your cat less, but can produce very small blood drops. Do you know what gauge the lancets are for your meter? The ones that came with mine were 28 and they were big enough to get a good sized drop, but I've switched to 33 which are much smaller and sometimes don't produce a good drop unless I'm precise on where I'm poking him.

If you can't get a big enough bead, you can try to poke him a few times right next to each other and let it all come together into one bead.

As for the emotions, they are totally understandable. It's a big change, and probably not one you were expecting, but you'll be surprised how quickly it becomes routine. Give it a few weeks and you'll see. There's still a lot of stress within managing the disease, but the more you know the better you'll be equipped to handle it. You'll get used to knowing which are good days and which are bad, and how to make the bad ones a little easier. It just takes time and support, which you'll find plenty of here.

 

Massaging the ear towards the tip also helps. Sometimes the ears have to learn to bleed. It does get easier.

Also are you using the lancet device or using the lancet freehand? I always found I have more control when I only use the lancet without the device. Another trick is if you do get blood use your fingernail to catch the blood and then apply it to the glucose strip. This is helpful when you have a cat that may not be very cooperative.

 

Welcome to the board - you'll get all the support you could ever need here for treating FD. There is loads of info here on testing and the two posts above sum things up well.

I would add - try to stay calm, think positive and see this as a little "knack" that you will soon master. It's not something that we expect to have to do so it doesn't exactly come naturally, but once you've got a few successful tests under your belt you'll realise that it can be done and you'll feel so much better because you'll be taking a big step towards managing your kitty's FD. Remember also to give a little treat after each test - a couple of freeze-dried chicken treats are good or small chunks of plain baked chicken... this will help the cat associate the experience with a reward, and he will come to "behave"! And treat yourself, too - chocolate, wine etc (depending on the time of day maybe!)

Treating our pets is certainly an emotional experience, and if it's on top of other life changes, it can feel scary at first. It may take a bit of practice. But the more you try and succeed, and acknowledge what a good job you're doing, the better you will feel about things in general.

Best of luck!

 

Looks like you need help with your SS (spread Sheet) It says US at the top but the test results are not US. The few results are from November?
Are you doing home testing now? You will need to enter the results every time you test. Every day. The people that will help you will need that information.

Since you're using Lantus Insulin it would be a good idea to come over to the Lantus forum. You'll get lots of great advice there from people that are experts with Lantus.

Best of Luck to you! It will get easier a tiny bit each day. Baby steps!

 

If you are using the lancets that came with it they are probably 30+ gauge. Pick up a box of 26 or 28 gauge lancets as they are thicker. You will have a lot of failed attempts the first week until the new capillaries grow. I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.

 

Thank you, yes I messed my spreadsheet up need to restart it. However, I've only had 1 successful test so far!

 

Thank you all, so much! I'm feeling a bit better today... I've accepted there will be a learning curve. I actually JUST got a bead of blood and he's 3.5 hours post evening shot and he's down to a 6.9 which is a little shocking to me. I know that's not dangerous just can't believe how much the insulin can drop the blood sugar.

 

Insulin is a powerful Hormone made by the pancreas. It allows the body to use & store sugar for energy.That's why you need to be careful using it.

Yay! Good for you. With a bit more practice you & Nikko will be "experts"
Think of the spreadsheet (SS) like a puzzle. Little by little you want to fill in the empty spaces.
When you test at different times it will show you what the insulin is doing at that time of day or night.
GREAT! You got your spreadsheet corrected!
(Yes, stay away from the dry food. I've seen some kitties go into remission just by eliminating all dry cat food!)
When you get a chance read Dr, Piersons' Yellow sticky note on Why not to feed dry food!

Try to stay calm (remember the deep breaths) You CAN do this!!

When you come on the Lantus forum you can check out some of the other kitties Spreadsheets (SS ) & read the comments on the condos. You'll get a lot of good advice & learn a lot!

The more you read & understand how the insulin works,the easier it will be.

Have a GREAT DAY!

 

@Wendy&Neko
@Bobbie And Bubba
Amanda stopped Dry food & has a LOW reading. Needs advice on dose.

 

Good job getting that test!

 

Hi there and Welcome! We can all relate to the emotions that are felt after our kitties were diagnosed with feline diabetes. It all seems so daunting, but it does get easier. And with having other things on your plate, it compounds the stress for sure. Once their ears "learn" to bleed" the testing becomes easier. Have you tried putting some rice in a small sock and tying a knot in it then microwaving it for about 30 seconds. Place the warm (not hot) sock on his ear which helps it to bleed faster. I see others have given some good suggestions also.

With a few hours till shoot time, that 124 (6.9) could come up quite a bit as the insulin starts to wane. If you could get a test in at +11.5 and then post the results if he is lower than 200 . Change the title thread to "Dosing Advice Needed ASAP" so peeps can help guide you. Changing to an all low carb diet without high carb dry food can make a big difference in his BGs.

Keep posting, and keep asking questions as that is how we all learned. If you could post over in the Lantus group, peeps there can help you with more Lantus specific questions. That link is Here

 

Amanda,you need to test Nikko every time before you give him insulin. He had a Blue # last night. He might have even gone lower.
To keep him safe you need to know his # before you Shoot (give insulin.)
It's possible he might be too low.

Do you work during the day? Is Nikko home alone ? You want to keep him safe. If you come on the Lantus forum you'll get good advice on how to do that.Please be careful.

 

Hello and welcome from me and my angel Neko. Similar pronunciation, but a girl. I can totally relate to the emotions. I used to faint at the sight of blood, friends were amazed when I told them I was blood testing. You too can do it. It is what will keep Nikko safe and hopefully happy and healthy again soon. It might help to sing while testing, calms you which calms kitty and makes it easier to test.

What brand of meter are you using? Some brands need smaller blood drops than others, which makes it easier to get enough blood to test. I also put a fine coat of Vaseline on the poke spot, so the blood welled up making it easier to see on black ears.

Where are you located? As a Canadian I recognize the 6.9, but the Americans in the crowd are more used to numbers in mg/dl. Since the forum software is hosted in the US, and a large number of the members are American, we use their numbering system. Just multiply by 18 or use the spreadsheet which does the conversion for you.

 

Thank you I am really, really trying. I'm still having issues getting a test I've gone through about 50 strips already I just keep messing it up going to my vet for a demo on how to do a home test on tuesday... do you think i should stop giving him insulin until then? I'll head over to the lantus board.

And thank you for all your help I know I probably seem so clueless here!

I do work, I live alone - I do rush home to make sure I'm not gone too often. I actually quit my 2nd job (evening) to try and manage this for now

 

I love the sock with rice trick! It's getting a bit easier but the poor guy is stressed out with sitting on my lap restricted for a good 10 mins for a (usually unsuccessful) test. We're both exhausted. I wasn't worried about the blue # because it was in the evening and 4 hours post-shot so I figured thats when the insulin was really kicking in... but now I realize maybe I should have worried! I was thinking green numbers were scary not blue.

Now he's thrown up after his evening shot and meal tonight but i tested him before shot and 1 hour post-shot and I think it's just the change of food/eating too fast. I won't panic quite yet but I'll set my alarm to wake up and test him again in 2 hours. I gave him the smallest bit of dry kibble so he has something in his stomach, he can't seem to handle more wet food. Acting normal - was ELATED at kibble - I'll really monitor him tonight. and the soonest day I can do a FULL curve is Sunday. Oh, he's going to hate me that day.

 

The vaseline helped me sooo much, thank you! Ok testing before every shot now cause I'm getting worried! I'm using the one touch (delica for the lancets, which I now realize was a mistake - I'll get thicker gauges tomorrow).

I am in Toronto, I keep "saving" on the non-US sheet honestly forgetting people here are so helpful and looking out for me and my kitty. Don't want to scare anyone with very low #'s, so I'll try to keep that in mind. I've made a note to test before each shot - I read here somewhere that if it's lower than 11 (or 200) don't inject as that's dangerous... is that true?

 

NOt at all! We were all new at this at one time. I was so scared, just like you. The main thing that helped me,(besides the kind ,knowledgeable people on Lantus forum) was reading everything I could find about Diabetes & Insulin. Really! The more you understand how it works the easier it becomes!
We want you to keep Nikko SAFE! The only way to do that is to check his blood . Definitely before every shot & whenever you can . It will show you how he is responding to the insulin, People on the Lantus forum will first look at his SS (spreadsheet) before they can advise you to increase or decrease the insulin.

Nikko's body needs time to adjust to the insulin & you need time to get used this entire journey! You're doing great! We all had problems in the beginning testing & getting up at night to test. But after a while it will get easier!

The people that can advise you about the insulin dose have been doing this for many years. They are really MORE knowledgeable than most veterinarians. They are donating their time to help us. Please trust in their advice!

Just a small spoon of wet food is all he needs. The Kibble is not good for his diabetes.There are Yellow Sticky notes by Dr Pierson explaining why dry food is bad for cats. It would be good to read them .She also has a list of a lot of canned food & the carb% That's important.https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

There's a lot to learn but just take a few deep breaths & you CAN do this! Nikko will get used to having his ear pinched. My cat Ravan comes to his "Chair" where I test him when I shake the test strip container. He may not like it ,but now that I'm calmer he must know I'm helping him .

You said you were alone. I'm 72 yrs old,my 2 boys have moved away. I've been alone for a long time. My 3 cats are my companions. I really do love them. They give me "Unconditional LOVE" not something you find very often!

Just be patient with Nikko & with YOURSELF! It will be OK Ask a lot of Questions. The people here love to help you!

Hope you come to the Lantus forum soon!

 

The Onetouch used to need more blood than some of the other meters, not sure if that is still true. Might be worth doing a comparison. Save the Delica lancets for later, once Nikko’s ears have learned to bleed.

 

you'll be so proud of me I've gotten a few tests in since my last post now that I have some readings i'll head over to the lantus board right now to have my SS looked at.

thank you everyone sooo much for your help. what seemed impossible sunday is getting there now!

 

YAY! Such Great NEWS!