06/24 J.D. PMPS 174

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Dyana

Dyana

Member Since 2009
Yesterday's Condo

Last Night:
364 PMPS
209 +6.25
192 +8.25
J.D. often has a yellow cycle before going into his bounce, so I held off on the dose reduction until tonight, I guess.
Frankly, I don't really know how to measure a skinny 0.50 and will have to practice. I bought a magnifying glass, but I did not practice last night, and will try to do so, today. I really think I need to buy some of those calipers, to be consistant, with these variable zero lines on these syringes.

Anyway, J.D. seemed happy this morning (he's now down in the basement, but I think he's okay). I warmed up some leftover LC FF and added some water to make a nice warm gravy for 1st Breffis, and J.D. lapped up the gravy, and left the food. Ginger refused to even try it :roll: , and made a huge fuss about how she had to go outside NOW!, so she's outside tied to the porch railing.

I am going to go btb, this morning, I hope.
 
Re: 06/24 J.D. AMPS 392

I hope JD comes down nice and slowly for you today and good luck with the reducie tonight. I find the magnifying glass really helps me to measure out doses. I even use it when Ella is at a .5 or full unit line:)
 
Re: 06/24 J.D. AMPS 392, +5.5 232

I can not believe I slept in so late :o .
I did take the cats on two walks this morning before going btb, and on the second one, the cats ate lots of treats.
When they came back inside from their second walk they ate the rest of their 1st Breffis, and were fed a 2nd Breffis as it was then +2.5, and that was cleaned up while I was sleeping. I just offered J.D. a 3rd Breffis and he wasn't hungry. He was sleeping with me (or across my head) my entire nap, and is now dozing on the couch.

~O) at noon :lol:
 
Re: 06/24 J.D. AMPS 392, +5.5 232

Hey, Dyana -

I know what you mean about measuring those doses, even with half-unit syringes. Someone suggested calipers, so I mentioned them to my husband (like I'd ever heard of them before?). He was like - oh, yeah, I have a set (not digital). I actually wanted digital when I got these, but the digital ones were too expensive (He's apparently had his for years.). Found some for less than $20, picked them up Friday (along with a table magnifier), but haven't had a chance to play around with them. Hershey has very kindly been on the .5u dose, but may be asking for more. ;-)

Glad you were able to get a long nap in today. Sometimes long naps just feel good!

I hope y'all have a wonderful day -

Libby (& Hershey, too!)
 
Re: 06/24 J.D. AMPS 392, +5.5 232

Glad you were able to go btb. I did the same thing. Good luck on the reduction tonight. I was about to remove the skinny from Willows dose at tonights cycle, but he's in the 40's now so I guess I'll hold off.
 
Re: 06/24 J.D. AMPS 392, +5.5 232, +7.75 100

You going to make a rainbow, today, J.D.?
 
Re: 06/24 J.D. AMPS 392, +5.5 232, +7.75 100, +8.5 86

I just had to get this last test, so he could complete his rainbow :mrgreen:
He did finally eat his 3rd Breffis at about +7.25.

I guess I'm off to try to find calipers..
 
Re: 06/24 J.D. AMPS 392, +5.5 232, +7.75 100, +8.5 86

These are the calipers Marje uses and suggested to us, from Harbor Freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-dig ... 47256.html

We ordered online and the first package came empty. The post office had a note on the package that it arrived in our local office empty. I wrote to Harbor Freight and they sent us another right away, without requiring me to return to opened packaging.

We are practicing but haven't started using them yet. Good luck with calipers with JD!
 
Re: 06/24 J.D. AMPS 392, +9 72, +10 80 - How to use calipers

First I went to Home Depot and they sold me an expensive big ole clunky digital calipers, then I went to Lowes and I bought a smaller version (still digital) that will be better and easier to use.

So, I have 1 1/2 hours to practice. I am used to holding the syringe straight up in the air, to the light, and I am guessing I'll have to lay the syringe down on a flat surface to use this tool. Also, there is no bright lighting in my house. Since my counter tops are kind of beigeish brown and wood grain looking, should I put a piece of white paper down? And do I just select what I think is a skinny 0.50 and then measure it with the calipers?

Wish me luck.. Just turned the AC on, since it was 78 in my house when I got home from shopping. I may go to the pool to cool down, before I attempt this endeavor.
 
Re: 06/24 J.D. AMPS 392, +9 72, +10 80 - How to use calipers

Like I said, I haven't played around with mine, yet, so I'm no help at all. Was hoping you had a Harbor Freight near you. :sad: We have one ~20 miles from us, which is about as close as any big stores get to us. We live in a growing city with lots of houses, but not lots of stores.

I KNEW my maturing eyes needed more light, so we also picked up http://www.harborfreight.com/deskto...od at it in case I have questions! ;-) :-D
 
Re: 06/24 J.D. AMPS 392, +9 72, +10 80 - How to use calipers

Hi Dyana,
I am using the digital calipers that Ann sent you the link for (Harbor Freight). They are small and very precise and easy to adjust. Find a syringe that you know has the marks in the right places (! incredible that we have to do this; you would think that medical equipment would be precise!). Then measure to the half-unit line with the calipers. (With the digital calipers you first have to push the reset button so that the reading is 0 before you start the measurement.) I hold the syringe with one hand and put the calipers on the zero line and on the .5 line. You can lay the syringe down, or hold it up either vertically or horizontally. See what the read-out is. Can you lock your calipers? The one from Harbor Freight has a locking knob, so once you get the exact reading for 0.5 unit, you can lock it and keep it locked. This way you only have to do the fiddling once (unless the dose changes, of course). Now you are all set regardless of where the lines on the syringes are. Draw up some insulin. Look at the syringe to see where the insulin "begins" in the barrel (the zero line, if you're lucky, but it really doesn't matter: wherever it begins will be the zero line as far as the calipers are concerned). Put the "top" caliper on that "line" of insulin and look to see where on the barrel the "bottom" caliper is. That is your 0.5 unit dose. Can you eyeball it in relation to the marks on the syringe? If so, you can set down the calipers and simply twist the plunger until the stopper arrives at that place. If it is not easy to eyeball, it is tricky because you have to keep the calipers in your hand along with the syringe, and try to twist to the correct dose with the other hand.

Marje may have a simpler way to do this, but this is what I have been doing as I am learning how to use the calipers. Do send for the smaller calipers and when they arrive, take the others back to the stores. The small calipers would be easier to manage than big, clunky ones.

Good luck. J.D. looks good!

Ella & Rusty
 
Re: 06/24 J.D. AMPS 392, +9 72, +10 80 - How to use calipers

Dyana

The way Ella explained is pretty much the way I do it. I have the same calipers she has and I have a 3X LED magnifying glass I got at Harbor Freight. I've experimented alot with how to get a consistent dose and the way I measure is to draw my dose, put the syringe on a white paper towel, zero out my calipers and then dial in the mm that equates with my current dose and lock it in. Your dose is measured between the bottom of the top arm and the top of the bottom arm of the calipers. So I line the top arm up with where the zero line "should" be and the bottom arm with where my dose is. It takes practice and I always double and triple check the arms to make sure it is lined up perfectly.

How do I find my dose? I did like Ella said...I found as close to a perfect syringe as possible. I dialed in 1u. I measured it with the calipers and wrote down the reading (I read in mm not inches). Then I took off one of my standard drops, measured, wrote it down, etc. I get seven small drops to .5u and that turned out to be .07mm for me. So each time I decrease her, I dial it down .07 mm.

Here is a picture that "might" help. I need to do a better one and I will but I need Mike to set up the camera for me so I can get in close. It might show you how I line up the calipers. When I am measuring, I actually put the calipers on top of the syringe and I measure in different places to make sure it's consistent. Sometimes the plungers are crooked....I toss those syringes out. I hope this helps (btw...this is a monoject syringe).

27Apr2012042.jpg
 
Re: 06/24 J.D. AMPS 392, +9 72, +10 80 - How to use calipers

My syringes have a ridge or lip all around where the zero line should be at the top of the syringe. I've been playing a little with it. Got to go test and then play some more, I guess. Thanks for the info ladies.

MJ you wrote in the linked post:
MJ+Donovan said:
if you want 0.75U, it would be 7.5 uL or 1.5 mm on the calipers.
Click to expand...
I used my calulator, and if .75U is 1.5mm, then .50U will be 1.0mm,
then a skinny .50U would be something like 0.9mm?
 
I am shooting a chubby .75u right now and that equates to 1.23mm on my caliper. It depends on how many drops YOU get in .5u. Yes, MJ is correct that there are 10 microliters to a unit and 5 to .5u. But if your drops/.5u is different than MJs, then your drops per mm will be different.
 
3_10.JPG

My syringes look like this with the lip around the top, so I measured from the bottom of the lip to the insulin.

First, I tried to eyeball a perfect 0.50 using the markings on the syringe, and it was about 1.50mm, I think.
Then I pushed out a drop about the size of a pin head, and am calling that s0.50 and it measured 1.40mm.

J.D. ate his 1st Dinner with a little coaxing with some chicken dust.
 
Marjorie and Gracie said:
I am shooting a chubby .75u right now and that equates to 1.23mm on my caliper. It depends on how many drops YOU get in .5u. Yes, MJ is correct that there are 10 microliters to a unit and 5 to .5u. But if your drops/.5u is different than MJs, then your drops per mm will be different.
Click to expand...
Marje, what if I didn't get into measuring or counting drops (which I never have), wouldn't measuring the same mm on the calipers (like 1.40mm today) everyday be consistant enough, until I have to change doses?
Can you send me a link to the 3X LED magnifying glass you got at Harbor Freight? I may as well get that too.
I'm hoping Lowes will take this other calipers back, even though I used them.
 
I think everyone is assuming that even if the outside markings are questionable, the inner diameter of the syringe barrel is relatively precise. So yes, the volume represented by the distance measured with calipers should be consistent, unless the syringe is deformed in some other way. Apparently there have been issues with the needle hub area as well.

MJ
 
Hi Dyana and J.D.! We're doing a No Bounce dance over here for you! We want to thank you again for helping us out on Saturday. We know it was a busy day for you too. Hope your all resting and Mr. J.D. is surfing nicely tonight!
 
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