9/3 Leo AMPS 361 +2 355 +5 356 PMPS 458 +2 234 +6 121

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Lisa & Leo

Lisa & Leo

Member Since 2012
Good morning and happy Labor Day for all who celebrate!

Yesterday's Condo

Summary
AMPS 80
+1 60 (started steering the curve with HC/MC/LC)
+1.5 54
+2 51
+2.4 61
+3 70
+5.3 101
+9 171
+11 135
PMPS 113
+1 103
+2.5 121
+6 260
AMPS 361

~O) ~O) ~O) Momma needs coffee. We're finding that dates at home now require one or more intermissions for testing and shots. After a couple glasses of wine we BOTH were checking to make sure we had the exact dose. But we took a dose reduction yesterday and started using half-unit syringes, which are crap. We got the Relion 3/10 31 gauge 5/16". The lines are thick and the top of the plunger isn't terrifically flat, so I have little confidence we are giving exactly 1.75. And the plungers are so jerky - they don't move slowly, so I keep shooting past the dose I want and adding more insulin to try again. Anyone have recommendations for smooth/better 1/2 unit syringes? We were thinking about using calipers - I read a thread on that the other day - someone gave a good description of calibrating the calibers with a golden syringe - who was that, Marje?

Mssr Leo is in Herd of Buffalo mode this morning, tearing all around the house and pounding up and down the stairs. He was pretty adamant about breakfast this morning, and as I walked down the stairs, he came down right after me, wrapping both paws around each ankle as I took each step. He wants to play, except during his naps when he looks at us with disdain on any attempts to engage him in play.

The dose decrease from 2u to 1.75u seems to be making itself known immediately. Hopefully he doesn't rise too far - we'll see how the nadir goes today. But at least he should be safer for the non-testing sitter who's coming for 5 cycles.
 
Re: 9/3 Leo AMPS 361

Great WCR (whole cat report)!! Has Leo figured out that grabbing your ankles only slows your progress down the stairs and he has a longer time until he gets his breakfast?

It looks like Leo is bouncing this morning. Be patient. It can take up to 72 hours for the bounce to clear.
 
Re: 9/3 Leo AMPS 361

Here is more ~O) ~O) ~O) Hope Leo likes this dose! Measuring between the marks can be frustrating especiallly if your vision is not sharp for any reason. We had to use magnification and count droplets to have any confidence we were being consistent. Rhiannon recently switched to terumo syringes adn found some surprising differences, you might check with her. Have a great day!
 
Re: 9/3 Leo AMPS 361

Hi Sienne and Carla- thanks! All the ankle grabbing is sort of normal, but this morning he was getting every other ankle with a pretty high success rate - practice makes perfect! Actually, he'd just eaten and I was on my way back down and he was in his terrorizing mood. He gets fed upstairs in "his" room - separated from his sister for "friendship" issues and he's FIV+. But we let them out together when we are around.

I forgot about the bounce, since our other bounces were from unplanned lower dosages! So I won't be bummed about it.

Leslie - thanks for more coffee!!! Yeah the lines are tough but the sticky movement of the plunger is really unacceptable. You count drops? How does that work?
 
Re: 9/3 Leo AMPS 361

Lisa & Leo said:
Leslie - thanks for more coffee!!! Yeah the lines are tough but the sticky movement of the plunger is really unacceptable. You count drops? How does that work?
Click to expand...

I answered my own question. I am able to eyeball 1.75 on a 1u syringe better than using the sticky 1/2u syringes. Then I saw this post with the pictures, and descriptions of counting the droplets. I've been practicing with colored water, and I think I can do 1.75 using this method a lot better than we are doing now - relief! I also saw Steve Rapaport's pictures, but I have trouble seeing the difference in the drop sizes for each dose. I think counting 0.1u drops might be easier for me.

Now I have to figure out what the deal is with the drop or amount left in the syringe when the plunger is at zero. Is that just extra that is a given, that we only have to consider when changing syringe types?

Thanks for sending me out researching!
Lisa
 
Re: 9/3 Leo AMPS 361 +2 355 +5 356 PMPS 458

Bouncy! Bouncy! Bouncy!

AMPS 361
+2 355
+5 356
PMPS 458

Wow. A string of green and blues, and a 0.25 reduction and kaBLAM!

Just shot a 1.75 using the droplet method to measure. I practiced getting 10 drops per half unit, and looking at the syringe after I counted, it looks eyeball on track. I also went back to the 1 unit marking syringes (CVS Pharmacy labeled) and will give away the 1/2 unit marked Relion syringes to whomever wants them.

Come back down LEO!!!!
 
Re: 9/3 Leo AMPS 361 +2 355 +5 356 PMPS 458

the better syringes that marge uses are terumo.
I am using them too.
Word of caution for switching syringes that I found out the hard way and lost a few weeks progress......

It is a good idea to get some calipers to double check your current syringes with any new ones.
I was using monojects before which were terribly inaccurate. 1 unit in the monoject in measurement actually equaled 1.46 units.
There is a extra space in the nose cone that wasn't accounted for.

The terumo's are more accurate , they are higher quality, the plunger slips very nicely, no drag, in fact, some think the action is too quick.

I really like them but I wish Ihad realized sooner that the dose I was shooting with the monojects was higher than the terrumo's when
I made the switch.
I have since compensated for it and I think I'm where I would have been had I not inadvertently reduced the dose prematurely.

1 unit on a terrumo = 2mm on the caliper.

I am now also marking my syringe before drawing insulin because I need to hold the syringe up to the light with magnification. I just
can't see that well.

Here's the link Marje gave me. They were pretty fast in shipping for me.

http://www.americandiabeteswholesal...ro-insulin-syringe_5891.htm?source=SiteSearch
 
Re: 9/3 Leo AMPS 361 +2 355 +5 356 PMPS 458

Hi Rhiannon,

Thanks for the info. I've seen the Terumo mentioned and I will check them out. Unfortunately in New Jersey you need a prescription for syringes so I can't just try them out. But the vet was good when I asked for another prescription to try the 1/2 unit ones. I only used the 1/2 unit Relion ones twice (the first 2 1.75u doses), and inaccuracies and syringe-manufacturer differences may also play a part in Leo's bounce, not just the dose change. I changed the dose and the syringe type at the same time. I went back to the CVS for this shoot - these are the ones we've been using since the beginning. I don't know how accurate they are, but it's easier to be consistent with where the plunger is lined up. I don't know if the CVS syringes are rebranded.

Wow - I can't believe the Monojects are so inaccurate.

As for premarking the syringes ... I'm not sure I could mark that accurately for 1.75u dose! Well, as long as we are consistent - I showed DH the post about using the droplet method and he'll have to practice it too so he and I are consistent with one another. He was also interested in the caliper, so we have some more research and testing to do. I have to hold the syringe to the light too, and rotate it around to make sure I have it correct. I have to take my glasses off and put it right in my face to focus on it, but that makes it easier.

Thanks - and have a good night!
Lisa
 
Re: 9/3 Leo AMPS 361 +2 355 +5 356 PMPS 458 +2 234

Back to CVS syringes. He just dropped 224 points in 2 hours. I know we're bouncing, but he's never dropped this much in so short a time. I really wonder now if the two syringes are significantly different from one another. I'll have to run a test and see.
 
Boing! 458 this AMPS, now 121 PMPS+6. Boing!

Last injection tomorrow morning before the sitter comes. If his nadirs stay in the low blues, that would be great. I shot too early this evening by 15 minutes, so that's a small dose increase. Fingers crossed that's what happens and there's no dipping into greens. Every trip down to Green-ville has required an intervention.
 
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