Dropped New Bottle of ProZinc

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Blamethecats and Hannah

Blamethecats and Hannah

Member Since 2014
FYI, I have posted this on the ProZinc Forum, as well, but hope maybe it will get more visibility, here.

Well, now I've really done it! Got Hannah a new bottle of insulin from the vet this AM, but dropped it before getting it put away in the fridge. Darn, I wish I wasn't always in such a hurry to get things done!! It was still in the box when dropped and surrounded by the instructional insert, so the bottle itself appears to be okay. However, the insulin is now all foamy and I am wondering if my carelessness has ruined it. This happened about 5 hours ago, and it still isn't looking good... maybe even more bubbles than when it happened. Anyone else ever had this happen? Have I just ruined a $100 bottle of insulin? :nailbiting: There is still enough in the previous bottle for a few more days, so we're okay, for now.
 
I have never used Prozinc, but with other insulins, unless it breaks, it is usually ok. One way of protecting the vial is to put it in an empty pill bottle and stuff either cotton or paper around to vial to make it snug in the bottle. Then all you have to do is remove the cap to get the insulin. I usually kept the top of the vial lower than the lip. This save my vials several times.
 
I dropped a vial of Caninsulin once, Carole, and I rang the vets in a right tizz (my stomach sank) . They said that as long as the vial was not cracked or broken it should be OK. It was. Fingers and paws crossed that your ProZinc'll be fine, too. :)
 
Critter Mom said:
Oh, Carole ... :( I really and truly feel for you.

:bighug::bighug::bighug:
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Oh, Áine, I know you do. But it will be fine and we'll be okay. Worst case scenario = another new bottle of ProZinc. Darn, I've just got to learn to slow down and think about what I'm doing. Thanks to all the good folks here on FDMB, including you, I've calmed down and feel much better about the outcome. This is just another little bump in the road and we'll get over it.;)
 
For what it is worth - my Scamp has been doing weird and not so wonderful things with her BG levels and I have been grasping at straws trying to figure out what is going on with her. The thought I had was maybe her ProZinc had separated and wasn't any good anymore. The vet (who is trying to help me figure out what is going on with Scamp) checked with the technician who made the insulin and the technician said that ProZinc is now very stable and does not "deactivate like Older insulins have in the past. "
I like Larry & kitties idea of waiting over night and BJM's idea of rolling it.

Good luck
 
Alix said:
checked with the technician who made the insulin and the technician said that ProZinc is now very stable and does not "deactivate like Older insulins have in the past. "
I like Larry & kitties idea of waiting over night and BJM's idea of rolling it.
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Thanks for the info, Alix. Very helpful and interesting, indeed. This gives me more hope. As suggested by @Larry and Kitties and @BJM , I rolled the insulin gently, then let it sit overnight in the fridge. Checked it this morning, but it's still frothy, so will just let it rest some more and hope for the best. I guess the real test for whether it's okay or not will be THE CAT TEST. :eek:
 
BJM said:
Get some self stick bungee wrap to go around the bottle. Brains I got; dexterity, not so much.
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LOL, BJ!! Your comment made me chuckle. Glad I'm not alone on this one. Where did you find self-stick bungee wrap? As for me, I'm not blessed with either brains or dexterity. That's why I rely on folks like you!! :D
 
BJM said:
Pharmacy - look for bandage wrap
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Well, alrightie! That'll work. Already have two rolls of the stuff in our medicine cabinet, left over from when DH put his finger into a v-pulley, another finger into a circular saw, then two more fingers into a meat slicer. Very familiar with bandage wrap... maybe too familiar. :rolleyes:
 
Critter Mom said:
I'd have been in bits. :(
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Crazy thing was, he couldn't look when he lost part of his finger in the v-pulley, so I had to check it out and tell him, "Yep, it's missing". Don't know how I kept from passing out, but somehow I managed. The saw incident happened at his mom's, so I never saw it until after the trip to the ER. However, I did witness both of the meat slicer wounds, and those made my knees buckle. Had to sit down while he patched himself up. I pretty much don't do blood!:eek:
 
This thread isn't doing my PTSD any good whatsoever. I was always a bit squeamish, but I could tolerate the sight of blood OK. Not any more. Now I have to switch channels on the TV when anything with even the slightest bit of squeam-factor comes on. I am a complete wuss. :rolleyes:

Any news on the insulin vial, Carole?
.
 
Critter Mom said:
This thread isn't doing my PTSD any good whatsoever. I was always a bit squeamish, but I could tolerate the sight of blood OK. Not any more. Now I have to switch channels on the TV when anything with even the slightest bit of squeam-factor comes on. I am a complete wuss. :rolleyes:

Any news on the insulin vial, Carole?
.
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Well, it looks like we're two of a kind, Áine. Squeamish is almost my middle name. With me, it's my overactive imagination that triggers it all. You can just imagine how I reacted when I learned Hannah was diabetic and I would have to start the testing and learn to do the insulin injections. At least I've progressed as far as that is concerned. You obviously handle that type of thing quite well, too. Yayyyyy for us!!

As for the new bottle of insulin, it looks somewhat better but still has lots of bubbles at the neck of the bottle, clinging to the inside of the glass. The insulin itself now has none. Am afraid if I roll it, they will once again hook up with the insulin. Will give it the CAT TEST in a couple more days, as the old vial is almost done. Will let you know how we do when the time comes. Thanks for asking.
 
Update: FYI, the dropped bottle of ProZinc is finally, finally looking almost normal... only one, medium-sized bubble left in the insulin, itself. It's come a long way since I dropped it, a week ago today. Still haven't used it on Hannah, as it's amazing how much insulin seems to still be left in the old bottle, especially when tipped upside down to draw insulin from the vial.
 
I dropped mine the other night, just on the counter though and it didn't look too bad, but I totally thought of you and this thread when I did it. lol! I've been using it and it seems just as potent, but again, it didn't make it to the floor, and it didn't look overly foamy.
 
Stacym20 said:
I dropped mine the other night, just on the counter though and it didn't look too bad, but I totally thought of you and this thread when I did it. lol! I've been using it and it seems just as potent, but again, it didn't make it to the floor, and it didn't look overly foamy.
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Thanks for thinking of us! Glad to hear your bottle of insulin is still in good shape. It happens so fast, doesn't it?! One minute, all is well... next second, not so much.
 
Today's the day! We finally started the new bottle of ProZinc that started this thread in the first place. It looked as it should, with no bubbles. Now we're giving it the "cat test" and hoping it passes. :smuggrin:
 
Stacym20 said:
@Blamethecats and Hannah I looked at your spreadsheet, looks like Hannahs numbers are coming down huh? Yay!
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Yes, they are, Stacy, at least for now! What a relief. I don't know what to think about the last couple of days and the new bottle of insulin... probably just some sort of coincidence? Cat problem, operator problem? I was so relieved when I got that lower number at +3 after last evening's dose, you likely heard my huge sigh of relief. And this morning's lower number was a total surprise. Now I've got to learn how to shoot those lower numbers. Was too conservative with this AM's dosing, but was going to be out of the house for a couple of hours, so... well... you know how it goes.

I noticed that Bud had some very nice numbers after yesterday's PM dose. Good work!
 
I gave up trying to find a pattern in Buds numbers lol I'm sure it's there but I've had to relax as I was becoming depressed and it was affecting my family. I was glad to see some better numbers last night but I just wish they didn't happen so soon after injection. Dropping almost 300 points in a little over 3 hours doesn't seem right. I had my mind set on switching to Levemir tomorrow night and now I'm second guessing it. I can already think of a couple instances in the next 2 weeks where his shot time will be off by more than an hour. I'm almost leaving it up to his preshot tomorrow morning, over 400 and I switch. Under 400 I don't. Ugggghhhhhh I'm so confused, and tired, and so looking forward to going to a swim night with my family Saturday night to relax in the hot tub!

And yes, I totally know how it goes! Bud would normally get 1 unit with a preshot of over 400 but I backed down to 0.8 since I wouldn't be home this morning.
 
Stacym20 said:
I gave up trying to find a pattern in Buds numbers lol I'm sure it's there but I've had to relax as I was becoming depressed
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I often have a hard time finding a pattern in Hannah's numbers, too. Every now and then I think I see one, then everything changes and that theory goes out the window. When we first started this sugar dance in May of 2014, depression factored in for me, too -- it still does, at times. Last summer, I lost my appetite and dropped 14 pounds I couldn't afford to lose. I could hardly drag myself out of bed in the morning to face another day of the numbers game and a sick kitty. It was awful. Then, gradually, I decided I had to get on with my life, accept Hannah's diabetes, and just do the best I could for my sugar baby. If things got better... fine. If not, then I'd just have to be a little (lot) more patient and hope time and experience would improve the situation. I also considered changing insulins, but I like ProZinc because it's a little more flexible than other insulins. And now I think I'm almost at the point of figuring out how it works... and sometimes, doesn't work. In my mind, that in itself is progress.

The swim night with your family sounds like it's just what you need. Enjoy!!! Sometimes we just have to step back, take a deep breath, and go off and do something relaxing, for a change. It helps give us a fresh, new outlook on an old situation. Best wishes and hugs!
hugs11.gif
 
Blamethecats and Hannah said:
Every now and then I think I see one, then everything changes and that theory goes out the window.
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Exactly!!! There for a while his AMPS would always be lower than his PMPS and then that switched. And then there's the whole well this dose at this preshot did this last time but it certainly did not do that this time thing.... I fed this food and this happened and I liked it so I'm going to do that from now on and oh wait, there goes that theory... Bleh! lol

So I don't know if Bud is trying to tell me something because his AMPS was 275 this morning!! I could handle ProZinc if that was the case every time. So I don't know what to do...If/when I switch him, I want to do it on a Friday so if I don't do it today, and see a ton of reds and blacks in the next week, I'll be kicking myself.

The whole depression thing sucks. My husband will ask me what's wrong sometimes and all I have to say is "Bud." I hate hate hate that I can't get control of his numbers. So that's when I have to remind myself to look at the bigger picture. Bud is an entirely different cat now from when he was diagnosed. He's put on a little weight. His fur is gorgeous where he was all matted before. He's more social. So how is Hannah now compared to when she was diagnosed?

Thanks for the hugs! Much needed and right back at ya!! :bighug:
 
Stacym20 said:
And then there's the whole well this dose at this preshot did this last time but it certainly did not do that this time thing.... I fed this food and this happened and I liked it so I'm going to do that from now on and oh wait, there goes that theory... Bleh! lol
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Yes, indeedy! Sounds SOOOOOO familiar. As for Hannah, she's also acting, looking, and feeling much better these days. In that aspect, she's come a long way and I am thankful for that. She still has appetite problems, so she's on meds to stimulate that. Actually, she doesn't like wet cat food all that much, so convincing her that she's got to have it has been extremely challenging. She was one of those dry food junkies folks on this forum keep talking about.
 
I had no problem switching mine to wet. They got it every once in a while as a treat and when I switched they were all in 7th heaven! They enjoy some crunchy treats still when Buds numbers are heading too low and they go nuts. So I think mine would be fine with wet or dry. But I've seen such improvement in their fur and weight since I've switched to wet.

Well I started the Levemir tonight. With a preshot of 440, it was an easy decision.
 
Blamethecats and Hannah said:
FYI, I have posted this on the ProZinc Forum, as well, but hope maybe it will get more visibility, here.

Well, now I've really done it! Got Hannah a new bottle of insulin from the vet this AM, but dropped it before getting it put away in the fridge. Darn, I wish I wasn't always in such a hurry to get things done!! It was still in the box when dropped and surrounded by the instructional insert, so the bottle itself appears to be okay. However, the insulin is now all foamy and I am wondering if my carelessness has ruined it. This happened about 5 hours ago, and it still isn't looking good... maybe even more bubbles than when it happened. Anyone else ever had this happen? Have I just ruined a $100 bottle of insulin? :nailbiting: There is still enough in the previous bottle for a few more days, so we're okay, for now.
Click to expand...

Same thing happened to me! Found a product called Vial Safe and it's been a lifesaver. Check it out... www.vialsafe.com
 
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