Accurate insulin measurement

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majandra

majandra

Member Since 2018
I have heard of, and seen myself that syringes aren't all identically marked.

I printed out a dose guide for my syringes. Of course now I can't find the paper online that it went with.
Is that what I would measure against with calipers? Do you measure only from where the barrel is uniform width (not the narrow sloping part)?
 
Each syringe has a 'stop' that stops the plunger at 'zero'. Measure from that 'stop' line that you can see inside the barrel. It's easier if you turn the numbers and marks to the side and look thru the clear part - less confusion for the brain and eyes.
 
Do you mean not identically marked as in sloppy manufacturing or the difference between U40 and U100 etc? I've used Monojects forever, no disintegrating plungers or hard to read lines. It's taken me a long time to say this but I still have almost 300 .5ml 29gauge U40's from Noah. Before I start crying do you want them? They have 1/2 inch needles so I wouldn't do a scruff shot with them. Once you hold a Monoject in your hand you'll wonder why you ever used another syringe.
 
Yes! But why is it so hard convincing anyone a plain old syringe can "feel" different.
Nigel came home with the monster official Caninsulin syringes that looked like they were used on elephants. In some old drug store I found 1/3cc 30 gauge U100's under an inch of dust. My vet's partner was horrified I couldn't do the math but my vet just laughed and said "That's all you Dickson". BD has locked up the hospital and clinic market and I've been told 1/2" needles are being phased out. I haven't had a fur shot in years.
 
majandra said:
I printed out a dose guide for my syringes. Of course now I can't find the paper online that it went with.
Is that what I would measure against with calipers? Do you measure only from where the barrel is uniform width (not the narrow sloping part)?
Click to expand...

I think you are referring to the BD paper dosing ruler and it says use A something or other paper which is not available in Canada. All you need to do is change the setting on your printer to the prescribed paper type and the ruler will print out accurately. You can use our standard 8X11 paper.

As for calipers, there was an interesting conversation about that HERE. It seems everyone finds their own place to measure the syringe from. The important thing is to do your own measure of 1u knowing where you placed the top arm of the caliper and then always measure from that same place when adjusting doses.
 
I just bought 2 boxes of BD U-100 31g 8mm 3/10 syringes with 1/2 unit markings and now, just 10 syringes into the first box, I hate them. They're WAY "stiffer" than the Walgreens brand I was using before and they make it nearly impossible for me to draw up an accurate, consistent 1/4 unit dose. I've accidentally squirted out several units of insulin trying to get the exact 1/4 unit dose. I finally gave up and just raised his dose to the next half unit as most of his injections ended up being closer to that anyway. I'm beyond disappointed in these syringes. Based upon the comments above, I'll buy Monoject next time. But I hate to just waste $40 so I guess I'm stuck using these for the next 3-1/2 months.
 
I found that the BD syringes (sadly the only ones we can get here!) were inconsistent in how "stiff" they were even within one box so hopefully the rest in your box will be a little "looser". Making sure to thoroughly pre-lubricate the syringe by pushing the plunger up and down several times before drawing insulin helps but doesn't always alleviate the difficulty of shooting out that last tiny bit of excess. Very frustrating!
 
Believe me, I push the plunger back and forth about a million times before I draw up the insulin trying to loosen them up. Doesn't seem to help much. And I try "screwing" the plunger up but not a single drop comes out of the needle. So then I end up having to put a tiny bit of pressure on the plunger and then BAM. A couple of units shot straight up into the air. It's incredibly frustrating. And yes, there have been a few of the syringes that have been a bit looser but almost all of them have been horribly stiff. I literally feel like I wasted $40. :(
 
ReaAnn & Big Hoss said:
Believe me, I push the plunger back and forth about a million times before I draw up the insulin trying to loosen them up. Doesn't seem to help much. And I try "screwing" the plunger up but not a single drop comes out of the needle. So then I end up having to put a tiny bit of pressure on the plunger and then BAM. A couple of units shot straight up into the air. It's incredibly frustrating. And yes, there have been a few of the syringes that have been a bit looser but almost all of them have been horribly stiff. I literally feel like I wasted $40. :(
Click to expand...

I use my thumb as a bit of a stopper too, to help avoid overshooting. And the stiff ones I draw up more insulin at first to help avoid pushing out too much. Once I shoot out the initial bit, I fine tune it onto a napkin on counter. I find that angle easier for tiny movements.
The first couple times I drew up syringes, I ended up getting insulin all over everything. Took a few days before the kitchen stopped reeking lol. I've thrown out a couple syringes too that were too stiff. I've lucked out and not had too many horrible ones.
 
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