Buddy pmps 69 !!

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Marci and Buddy

Marci and Buddy

Member Since 2009
what a shocker-never happened beforemaybe its the wonky #'s from a new vial?
Read Lana's recent post, so my plan is to wait to +1 and shoot a reduced dose , if needed(if under 200).
Any other ideas?
 
Hi Marci -- What an amazing PMPS. Guess that's a magic vial you've got there! Sorry I'm so new to the Levemir game that I have only moral support to offer - and if you need any more fingernails to chew on, I'll lend you my hand. :lol:
 
While some people shoot full doses on PS's that low (because they have the data saying their cat rises through +whatever), I could not shoot on a number like that.

Your plan to shoot a reduced dose on a rising number is a good one. Your data will show you if you need to reduce very much. Sometimes, just a reduction of .1u is enough. 69 is a safe number, but not if he is still falling. Be prepared for a bounce tomorrow morning. Just don't raise the dose because of it.

I thought in the past that Buddy might do better on 1.25u, but maybe he just needs a skinny 1.5u (what would be 1.4u - as long as you are more than 1.25 and less than 1.5u).
 
Hi Marci!

I see you waited and shot .5 after waiting an hour and a half. Did you feed him to get that rising number or did he rise on his own? Remember when you are stalling it is best to not feed (if he will let you!) since then you are shooting a food spike number i.e. in other words, a false number.

I think you have read this primer - maybe copy it off so you can refer to it quickly next time. Scroll down to the general rules and remember these are 'general rules' so if those numbers are too low for your comfort level you can insert your own when you come up against this next time when giving Buddy his shot:

Libby's primer on shooting low preshots

Also, I remember you mentioned in one of Ilkka's posts recently that Buddy had "bad breath" and that your vet said he may need "another extraction" (btw when did your vet say that). I was curious when was his first extraction then. Before he became diabetic or since then?

To me when you see numbers like Buddy's where there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the highs and lows (after ruling out rebound which I think you have done with a lot of different doses - not to say it still doesn't exist at times) then it could mean that there is an infection going on somewhere, for example the condition of his teeth.

It seems like the insulin wants to work for Buddy at times but the teeth problem gets in the way. What do you think?
 
Hi Pamela-thanks for yuor post and esp. for the primer info, i actully had not ever read it and will keep it close to me now-thanks very much.
Buddy had teeth extracted a year ago, 1 year after being diagnosed. Last visit a month ago,vet said he has cruddy gums and may be in need of another one out, but his #'s have been ok since that last vet visit one month ago, so i'm going to leave him be.also, i dont have the money which will be near $1,000. ohmygod_smile
Basically his problem now is the bouncing...i'm thinkning about reducing his dose from a thin 1.5 to just a touch less, a fat 1.25, as Shelia suggested, but when he had that amt before he did not see much blue/green..maybe i will try again, what do you think about that?
 
Marci, I have been out of the loop with a bad computer, taken in for days etc..BUT I am happy to see you are at a pretty steady dose so he must be responding well. I would look at his ss but I would probably end up on a live broadcast from China! This thing is still wonky, need to break down and buy a new one. Only 3 years old but worn out, just like me!
Alley is stictly blues and yellows with a spattering of greens here and there, don't want to upset the apple cart, knock on wood, antijinx.

You go Buddy!
 
Marci and Buddy said:
Hi Pamela-thanks for yuor post and esp. for the primer info, i actully had not ever read it and will keep it close to me now-thanks very much.
Buddy had teeth extracted a year ago, 1 year after being diagnosed. Last visit a month ago,vet said he has cruddy gums and may be in need of another one out, but his #'s have been ok since that last vet visit one month ago, so i'm going to leave him be.also, i dont have the money which will be near $1,000. ohmygod_smile
Basically his problem now is the bouncing...i'm thinkning about reducing his dose from a thin 1.5 to just a touch less, a fat 1.25, as Shelia suggested, but when he had that amt before he did not see much blue/green..maybe i will try again, what do you think about that?
Click to expand...

Lowering the dose slightly is a good plan. If you do that and he doesn't get much green/blue like before, try raising it only .1U, not all the way to 1.5U. I have found that Gandalf responds best if I increase very slightly each time. That's why his doses are always 1.2U, 1.25U, 1.1U, etc. I can do that reliably with my micrometer measuring device. If you have a fine point pen, you can make marks on an index card to help determine consistent fine doses. You might need a magnifying glass to make the marks though!

For the teeth I recommend asking your vet about giving him a course of Clindamycin monthly until you can get his dental done. It's a very tiny pill and involves a 5 day course monthly. I do this for both Gandalf and Tigget and it definitely helps with the odor, so I'm sure it helps keep the bacteria down. And the pills are very cheap.
 
Sheila wrote, "I have found that Gandalf responds best if I increase very slightly each time. That's why his doses are always 1.2U, 1.25U, 1.1U, etc. I can do that reliably with my micrometer measuring device. If you have a fine point pen, you can make marks on an index card to help determine consistent fine doses. You might need a magnifying glass to make the marks though! "
Click to expand...

How did you make your "micrometer measuring device?" Are there pictures in any of the stickies? How do you hold card, insulin, syringe, keeping all within the sweet spot of a magnifying glass?

Lana
 
Lana & Yoyo said:
How did you make your "micrometer measuring device?" Are there pictures in any of the stickies? How do you hold card, insulin, syringe, keeping all within the sweet spot of a magnifying glass?

Lana
Click to expand...

OK, the micrometer is an actual measuring device that tool & dye manufacturers and others who need fine measurements use.

It looks like this:
Micrometer.jpg


Here are pictures of how to use it:
http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/FindingNeo/Micrometer instructions/
 
I mentioned making marks on an index card because it's what another member, Melissa & Paul-Kyle suggested and I think that would be easier for people. A micrometer is about $20 on Ebay. Well worth it IMO, but making marks on a card would suffice.
 
What I found works for getting micro dose amounts (any increment of .1u or .05u - like .3u or 1.15u, etc.) is to overdraw the dose to, say, the next quarter unit amount and remove the syringe from the insulin pen/vial. THEN twist off drops to get your dose.

Example: You want to shoot 1.35u - so draw 1.5u, remove needle from syringe, then twist plunger to form drops on the end of the needle of one .1u drop and flick it off, then repeat for a .05u drop. If using the micrometer or marks on a card, you would slowly twist to form the drops and hold up the measuring device to the syringe to compare - that could be done under the magnifier, which I hope you are not trying to hold also.

Do you have a magnifier light? That would make things a lot simpler since it would hold itself up and shed some light on the subject.
 
If you're having trouble seeing the plunger position, I recommend holding it up to natural light through a window, but the white of a computer screen email program works well too. I have not resorted to a magnifier yet, but am getting to the point I need the bright light. FYI, CFL bulbs are crap for this kind of thing a they create too much glare. Nighttime dosing sucks, which is how I discovered my computer screen email program works well.

Sheila's method is by far the easiest though. I do the same thing really when I'm adjusting, even with the micrometer. So as long as you can determine how large a .1U droplet is, it would work great.

The key to the droplet method is consistency - you perfect a method day after day and as long as you do it the same way each day, you will get the dose darn close to the same each time.
 
Thanks for all the wonderful information Sheila and Vicky!

I use a 5X magnifying lamp. The light is inside the lamp's magnifier head. I now understand that I need a light behind the syringe. Thanks!!

Vicky, I think I found the calipher on Amazon. Check out 01407A and let me know for sure before I order it. And thanks for the photobucket pictures.

Lana
 
you forgot the link, here it is: http://www.amazon.com/Neiko-Stainle...Large/dp/B000GSLKIW?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20

That looks right, but Vicky can tell you if it will measure small enough.

I have had to take my glasses off and hold the syringe and pen up with my white kitchen cabinets behind it to see what I am doing. You might have some luck putting a piece of white paper on the table under the magnifier light - it will reflect light back through the syringe.
 
I'm sorry Lana that I didn't see this until tonight. Yes, that is what I use, although this particular one is just like mine because I have a case and got the extra battery too. http://www.amazon.com/Inch-Digital-Caliper-Extra-Battery/dp/B0002JFMIO/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20

$10 is a very good price, so I might order an extra 'cause I see it has a new off/on button. It is easy to accidently push the one I have. That's just for the digital display, which you only need to adjust it, then you tighten the screw. It stays in place very very well.
 
Vicky wrote: "I'm sorry Lana that I didn't see this until tonight. Yes, that is what I use, although this particular one is just like mine because I have a case and got the extra battery too."
Click to expand...

Drat!! I know you have a demanding work schedule and I thought you had not noticed the post. I went ahead and ordered the $16 one. The $10 one and the $16 one look identical.

Oh well . . .

Lana
 
If it's any consolation, I paid at least $16 for mine when I got it off Ebay. I didn't even think to check Amazon at the time!

You are probably the first person brave enough to give this contraption a try! In case you're wondering, I use an easy conversion system, 1mm = 1U, but it works for the syringes I use, which are GNP brand, 3/10th cc. The barrels are not the same size from one syringe manufacturer to the next. So my best suggestion would be to measure with the micrometer between the marks on the syringe, starting with the tops of the 0 and 1U mark, to determine the width of 1U on your syringes. It should be close to 1mm. That way if you are still doing .3U when you get it, you would set the micrometer to .3mm to equal .3U.

Draw a bit more insulin in the syringe than needed for the dose, then make sure you put the point of the micrometer against the side of the barrel at the point of the barrel where the insulin actually starts. You are no longer concerned with the marks on the syringe! Does that make sense? Your micrometer now indicates the correct dose. You just slowly push the plunger up to make a small droplet on the needle, then remeasure with the micrometer to see if the top of the plunger and barrel meet up with the points on the micrometer. Just keep squeezing out droplets until they do. I sometimes notice I am pushing out air too. That is fine. It makes it easier to measure if you don't have an air bubble i the way.

You can PM me if you have other questions. The PM system sends an email when someone receives a private message. Sometimes that is faster than waiting for 1 of us to visit the board. I usually check my emails first.
 
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