u/kris99101

bless you all! I want to pay it forward and actually I have a second thing that put the kerasol over the top- found out I was slightly deficient (clinically, out of range low on a blood test) in ZINC and started taking Thorne basic nutrients (has a good normal amt of zinc) and zinc carnosine (less zinc but very good for gut healing?). anyway the kerasol had already been helping bc what set me off was ANY shred or hard part - I HAD to get it even if it meant bleeding and tearing up like half my finger. I ended up on antibiotics for an infection in my cuticle and STILL struggled for a few months but that (after a lifetime of picking) is when I came here and learned about kerasol (the 40% kind for feet- the 20% hand lotion was NOT strong enough). I’ve basically had a bloody thumb cuticle for 4 years if not more. anyway I’m not saying this will stay perfect forever. I’m too compulsive around picking any little shred. but I found at least my key to get things in shape.

my cuticles are not perfect but they’re soooo much better than what they were- no longer puffy, painful, or bloody/shredded. I do have to use the kerasol at least 3-4x a week still or I get hard edges or new cuticle growth that I want to pick and shred. I had talked to my doctor and he said oil but that never did the trick. Foot strength kerasol and making sure I was ok on zinc- those two things have helped a ton.

hello… my senior majesty was diagnosed last week and we have started 1 unit of generic lantus 2x/day. I am not squeamish about the shots. I do get nervous about doing it right (scared to go too deep but messed up and didn’t get the insulin in tonight). she’s a long haired beauty. tonight (day 3) I somehow completely whiffed. I parted the hair and idk if I plunged too early or late or if the needle went through the pinch of skin… but I saw the drops and smelled it. i know not to do another dose lest any got into her. but how do i get better at these shots fast? I don’t really understand this idea of a “tent“. she doesn’t have a ton of loose skin to grab and also her fur is super dense and long and I don’t have enough hands to part, pinch, and plunge. Anyway, I know I’ll figure it out and be a pro (ive read a bunch of posts on this) but if anyone has any favorite videos on how to or advice for long haired cats, that would be appreciated. Thank you!

editing to add: this is all so helpful thank you all!!!! The diagram of where to inject from diabetic cats international particularly helped push me towards moving towards the side of her rib area. She really didn’t mind but also didn’t love being pinched around the scruff and then her skin would twitch after the shot. She has bad arthritis in her hips so flank wasn’t an option. But around the side more towards her ribs was great. She had no problem with me messing around with little bits of skin and parting the hair until I had a little portion (almost like a half size Lego log- more round but about that size ) that I could slide the needle into parallel with her body. If it was a tent it was a looooong skinny tent ( the tent analogy confuses me some and makes me overthink. I think a lot of other cats have more skin to pull around!) Anyway, I was slower this morning and was careful to plunge only once it was all the way in and wait a couple seconds. It definitely helped to be in an area of her body she just didn’t mind at all. Not like she was super bothered by her scruff but just a bit less patient. I am also going to look into the smaller finer needles. Thanks for that tip! Idk why I’m still slightly freaked out at the idea of getting it into the bloodstream but seems like if you’re paying this much attention and sliding the needle parallel under the skin into the literal subQ cavity it’s not possible

Thank you to all the people who came on and rec’d kerasol

New diagnosis and objectively bad at giving insulin shots