Bubbles in Syringe

[Lana & Yoyo]

I have been plagued by "bad shots." I look at those inverted curves and I know something has gone wrong with the shot. I wasn't shooting fur shots -- no dampness after the shot. But I had definitely lost my ability to give a good insulin injection. I re-read all the stickies. I watched youtube. And then . . . I found the problem. I acquired a lamp to put on the cabinet. I am using it behind the syringe when I draw insulin. Air bubbles. What I did not see with a computer screen as background, I did see with a lamp. So, I have obviously been shooting varying quantities of insulin, depending on the number and size on the bubbles. After I saw the bubble tonight, I had a hell of a time getting rid of it and drawing a dose without bubbles.

Why are the bubbles happening? Am I doing something wrong? Are the cheapo Walmart Relion syringes the problem? Help!

Lana

 

[Vicky & Gandalf (GA) & Murrlin]

Bubbles are always a pain in the ass (pun sort of intended, although we don't shoot there!).

I have bubbles, I use GNP syringes from Hocks. Several members here have good luck with Monoject brand and you can get them from online diabetic suppliers and the 3/10cc can be found in half unit markings.

I don't know that you can do much about bubbles. Sheila recommends sliding the plunger up & down several times before drawing. You might then try to push the plunger up as hard as you can as you put it in the pen. That might keep some of them out, but there is always going to be some air left in the needle.

The important thing to me is if the bubble gets in the little "well" around the bottom of the needle or not. Some syringes might have a better well there than others.

The important thing is to draw the same every time, so that even if you have a bubble it will be about the same size each time. Does that make sense?

And yes, light is important to see "through" a syringe. I like natural light best, but that's hard to get in the winter time unless you shoot like 4PM!

 

[Lana & Yoyo]

Monojet says,
"No "dead space" for more accurate dosage and minimal insulin waste.
Flat plunger-tip lines up clearly and precisely with scale markings for fast and accurate readings.
Precisely printed graduations and large bold numbers that are clearer and easier to read."

Supposedly dead space occurs with removable needles and the problem seems to be more with waste rather than accuracy. I can't pull the needle off the Relion syringes so aren't removable. However, there is still some insulin in the syringe after injection. If I really push on the plunger super hard another drop comes out -- but I guess the "important thing is to draw the same every time" and that will compensate for not squeezing all the insulin out of the syringe. Relion syringes do have large, easy to read numbers, but the plunger tip is convex which I find exceedingly frustrating --- so ---- I ordered the Monoject syringes. At least I hope I ordered them. I hope they are not going to come back and demand a prescription.

Lana

 

[pamela and tigger]

They may want a prescription. Not sure if that is required in Texas, but it is now required in Illinois. For a long time no one asked for a prescription at Hocks, but when they changed ownership they wanted one. Same with AmericanDiabetesWholsale.com. But it was easy. They just faxed a request to my vet and they faxed them back an RX.

Lana, you might try doing a Search on the Health forum for additional info on bubbles and types of syringes. I put in "bubbles syringes" and got lots of good info. One person said they got different results in different syringes depending on whether she was using Lantus or Levemir, which I found interesting.

Anyway, I used to use the GNP but switched to the BD Ultra-Fine. I am thinking about giving the Monojets a try next. Let us know how you like them.

 

[Lana & Yoyo]

Lana, you might try doing a Search on the Health forum for additional info on bubbles and types of syringes. I put in "bubbles syringes" and got lots of good info. One person said they got different results in different syringes depending on whether she was using Lantus or Levemir, which I found interesting.

Thanks for mentioning the Health Forum search. You are right. There is a lot of information there.

The odd results from using different syringes for Lantus/Levemir is puzzling. Lantus and Levemir are not equivalent, dose-wise. One unit of Levemir does not equal one unit of Lantus -- probably more like 1.5 unit of Lantus = 1.25 units Levemir. Maybe that was part of the problem.

The important thing to me is if the bubble gets in the little "well" around the bottom of the needle or not. Some syringes might have a better well there than others. The important thing is to draw the same every time, so that even if you have a bubble it will be about the same size each time. Does that make sense?

I'm not sure about the well. I thought only syringes with removable needles had wells. None of the sites that carry GNP syringes give any descriptive info. In my Relion syringes, the bubbles tend to cling to the side of the syringe and flatten out so it is very hard to tell how big they are. I am venturing into "drop" dosing so I guess the size of a bubble or whether there is a bubble is of critical importance now.

but their lines are not always consistent and you either have to use the drop method or an external measuring device like I do.

This blew me away. It never occurred to me that markings on syringes might not be accurate. Yet one more variable to contend with.

Lana

 

[Vicky & Gandalf (GA) & Murrlin]

but their lines are not always consistent and you either have to use the drop method or an external measuring device like I do.

This blew me away. It never occurred to me that markings on syringes might not be accurate. Yet one more variable to contend with.

Lana

Yeah, GNP's quality control sucks, but I guess when you consider humans inject lots of U of insulin, whether the 0 line is spot on or not wouldn't really matter.