? I dont know if insulin went in

Julie mueller

Julie mueller

Member Since 2019
I just started insulin today and these are the syringes they gave me. I tried to do a half unit but when I put the needle in and pushed I'm pretty sure it didnt even move (like no insulin came out ) and then I tried again .. which I should of never did :(
 
Heres the syringe
 

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Hi Julie!

Just to clarify: did you draw up an additional 0.5 units and gave it to Smokey or did you just poke again with the same needle?

If you’re not sure any insulin went in, we call it a fur shot and we’ve all done it many times. I’d grab a test at +2 and it might be an indicator of if any insulin went in. Another way to check is to smell the shot site. It shouldn’t have any smell if it went in.
 
I did redraw and shoot. But I feel like nothing comes out when I'm drawing less than a unit . This was my first time ever shooting. +2 means 2 hours after I did it right? Sorry I feel clueless
 
Hi Julie. Anything smaller than 1 unit does seem like you are shooting nothing. Like Sonia said, 1/2 unit is a very small amount.
And do please test at +1 and +2 ( 1 hour after injection and 2 hours after injection) to make sure he is safe. And yes, you should never give another shot after you suspect it was a fur shot because often times insulin does get it and then you would be double dosing.

Do you have some higher carb food to help bring the BG's up if needed?

Please post your test numbers.

Can you set up a Spread Sheet for us and attach it to your signature line so we can help you with dosing questions better. If you need help setting up the Spread Sheet, just yell and someone can help you.

The directions for setting it up is Here

This is an explanation of how to interpret the SS

AMPS is the AM Pre-shot test (always test before shooting to make sure they're high enough to give insulin)...then the U column is for "Units" (how much you gave)

The +1, +2, +3, etc are for how many hours since shooting...so +2 is 2 hours after the AM shot, +9 is 9 hour after, etc.....Since we're all over the world here, saying "he was at 148 at 8pm" doesn't tell us anything...we need to know how long since his last shot

At the end of a 12 hour cycle, it's PMPS time! (PM Pre-shot) and the whole thing starts
 
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Yes, once you've pushed the plunger in, that's it. Don't give another dose. An extra cycle of high numbers is much safer than a hypoglycaemic episode.

@Bobbie And Bubba had some great advice. Keep us posted with the tests and be ready with the honey and high carb foods.
 
Not sure if this photo shows you very well , but this is how small a .50 unit is . My 91 year old mom help me take the photo and her hand was not real steady
A3507038-1678-49A8-9D83-B26B21DC09DD.jpeg
 
Julie mueller said:
It actually went up. And I think I got the spreadsheet added
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Good job adding the SS! I think you'll be okay to wait a few hours to get another test. Lantus ( are you using Lantus or Lev?) Add which one to your signature. With Lantus, the onset is somewhere around +2 after the injection. Since he went up quite a bit , you are probably going to be just fine this cycle. And you can take the 911 off our title thread now since he is purrfectly safe right now. :)
 
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Thanks guys ! How often should I test him now today ? And if I didnt get any in this morning that means tonight at 11pm would be his first real shot .. how often would I need to wake up and test over night ?
 
Hi Julie. Sorry you didn’t get a reply.

I would test now again. The more data you can gather, the better. Let’s see where Smokey is right now.

I’m not in the best position to help you right now as I’m trying to catch up with sleep so apologies if I go MIA again.

As for tonight’s dose, it will again depend on the PMPS as well as the +2. Some cats can be quite sensitive to insulin and some aren’t. You might not see too much happening the first few cycles because the depot is still building.
 
I updated his spread sheet for today . Now I guess I just have to wait until tonight to see if I need to stay up all night testing him?
 
Julie mueller said:
Thanks guys ! How often should I test him now today ? And if I didnt get any in this morning that means tonig ht at 11pm would be his first real shot .. how often would I need to wake up and test over night ?
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Looks like he got insulin with the +3 showing him coming down. I would get another test in some where around +6 or +7 which is in the middle of the cycle typically. You want to find how low the shot takes him since we base the dose on the nadir with consideration to the pre shot numbers.

ETA: I am assuming you are following Start Low Go Slow method(SLGS) since .5 was your starting dose? You will hold this dose for one week unless he goes under 90 . 90 is the reduction number for following SLGS . Could you add SLGS to your signature line also?
 
Hey Julie, when I posted my last comment, I could have sworn the +3 was a high yellow number, and now it's a pink number. What happened?
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Hey Julie, when I posted my last comment, I could have sworn the +3 was a high yellow number, and now it's a pink number. What happened?
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I realized I mis typed it .. because I tested with 2 meters .. I'm trying to see the differences between my meters .. my pet test meter said 280 and the alpha trak with insulinx strips was in the 300s... I accidently wrote the 280 down at first but all my numbers were based off the AT with insulinx so I changed it
 
Looks good. I would change your dose for this morning and say you shot 1 unit and write in the comments what happened.

Let's see what +2 looks like and we'll go from there :)
 
That usually means this cycle won't be as active but ECID (Every Cat is Different). Again, if the +2 number on Lantus is similar to the PS number,then that particular cycle most likely won't see much movement. You can try to get one more test in before bed time though just to collect some more data.

And remember, you technically shot 1 unit this morning and 0.5 units tonight. Let's see what Smokey does as you continue to give 0.5 units. Once the depot fills in 6-10 cycles later, we'll know much better how 0.5 units affects Smokey.

For now, have you decided which protocol you want to follow? Tight Regulation (TR) or Start Low Go Slow (SLGS)? It seems like you are doing SLGS right now but it's good to re-read the stickies and make a decision. No rush but it does help us help you. If you'er doing SLGS, you'll most likely hold this dose for 1 week as @Bobbie And Bubba explained but with TR, a dose change usually follows after 6-10 cycles.
 
Crista & Ming said:
That usually means this cycle won't be as active but ECID (Every Cat is Different). Again, if the +2 number on Lantus is similar to the PS number,then that particular cycle most likely won't see much movement. You can try to get one more test in before bed time though just to collect some more data.

And remember, you technically shot 1 unit this morning and 0.5 units tonight. Let's see what Smokey does as you continue to give 0.5 units. Once the depot fills in 6-10 cycles later, we'll know much better how 0.5 units affects Smokey.

For now, have you decided which protocol you want to follow? Tight Regulation (TR) or Start Low Go Slow (SLGS)? It seems like you are doing SLGS right now but it's good to re-read the stickies and make a decision. No rush but it does help us help you. If you'er doing SLGS, you'll most likely hold this dose for 1 week as @Bobbie And Bubba explained but with TR, a dose change usually follows after 6-10 cycles.
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Ok thanks . I'm going to read those now as I wait . I'm going to test at +3 yet before trying to get some sleep .
 
As for why +2 is higher than Smokey's PS, there are a variety of reasons. I'll list the ones I know that are general explanations as to why it happens. One thing I've learned dealing with Ming and his diabetes is that asking why is good but sometimes, you never get a concrete answer and you just sort of have to shrug and treat what you see instead pulling out your hair about why your cat does what it does. Cats will be cats! :rolleyes:
  • A food spike. Usually +1 is a food spike number but some cats might spike later.
  • Onset is later. Ming's onset on Lantus was usually at +3.
  • The previous shot of insulin is wearing off and onset hasn't started yet (this is more apparent once you shoot insulin consistently)
  • Bouncing. Perhaps the lower 300 numbers for Smokey is new to him and his body isn't used to it. Remember, Smokey's body is probably used to higher levels of sugar and any difference, even if it's still in the 300s, can cause their liver to panic! And dump MORE sugar! (Ming does it all the time :rolleyes:)
I recommend you read other member's threads/condos and take a look at their cat's SS. Ming's SS is a great example of bouncing. Lots and lots and lots of bouncing! You'll learn a lot!

For now, you did great today, Julie. Keep posting and asking questions even if you think you are asking too many. Many here are happy to help!
 
You are doing great, takes practice.

Can’t tell from pic of syringe if that has 1/2 unit marks or just whole unit? Are there more lines on the left side that isn’t shown in pic? If you have the ones with 1/2 units on the left side, makes it easier (see pic below).

Also not sure if you know it makes it much easier to get precise dose in syringe by turning the plunger slowly counter clockwise instead of pushing it, less likely to push out too much excess insulin when getting syringe ready.

upload_2019-5-30_8-8-40.jpeg
 
Julie and Honey said:
You are doing great, takes practice.

Can’t tell from pic of syringe if that has 1/2 unit marks or just whole unit? Are there more lines on the left side that isn’t shown in pic? If you have the ones with 1/2 units on the left side, makes it easier (see pic below).

Also not sure if you know it makes it much easier to get precise dose in syringe by turning the plunger slowly counter clockwise instead of pushing it, less likely to push out too much excess insulin when getting syringe ready.

View attachment 45228
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Mine do not have half unit markings .. but someone sent me a link yesterday of syringes that are much cheaper than I bought yesterday so I think I will order them this weekend
 
If you like Monoject, these are a good deal...also check for ADW coupons to offset shipping:)They have decent prices on a lot of supplies, lancets, syringes, etc.

I see you use Insulinx strips, but if you ever do order anything Alphatrack from ADW, your whole order is free shipping with any Alphatrack purchase as long as it is not a really huge order. I was using Insulinx strips also, but still getting Alphatrack strips to compare sometimes, so I would get several boxes of syringes and lancets also so shipping is covered on whole order. Also recently used DIA10 coupon for 10% off total order.

https://www.adwdiabetes.com/

Monoject Ultra Comfort U-100 Insulin Syringes 30G 3/10cc 5/16" 100/bx 1/2 unit

Item # SY8881609800

Your Low Price: $11.99
 
Julie mueller said:
Thanks !!!
Do you see a big difference between AT and insulinx strips ??
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The first batch of Insulinx was 3-15 points difference using the same code as my first AT strips, which I felt comfortable with.

The next batch of Insulinx strips that same code I used for first batch of Insulinx was off by 60+ points and I did several tests. So I tried 4 different codes and found one that is 10-25 points difference, which seems close enough.

Problem is they are best with a specific AT code and sometimes you waste both AT and Insulinx strips trying to find the right one.

I love the AT meter, but finally broke down and bought a human meter which I will eventually switch to because it is so much cheaper for strips.
 
Julie and Honey said:
The first batch of Insulinx was 3-15 points difference using the same code as my first AT strips, which I felt comfortable with.

The next batch of Insulinx strips that same code I used for first batch of Insulinx was off by 60+ points and I did several tests. So I tried 4 different codes and found one that is 10-25 points difference, which seems close enough.

Problem is they are best with a specific AT code and sometimes you waste both AT and Insulinx strips trying to find the right one.

I love the AT meter, but finally broke down and bought a human meter which I will eventually switch to because it is so much cheaper for strips.
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I'm trying to decide what to do with meters as well.. I just do not feel comfortable with the accuracy of the insulinx strips .
I do have a relion prime meter. I may have to buy strips for that as well. AT strips are just so expensive!
 
Julie mueller said:
I'm trying to decide what to do with meters as well.. I just do not feel comfortable with the accuracy of the insulinx strips .
I do have a relion prime meter. I may have to buy strips for that as well. AT strips are just so expensive!
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I am in the same boat, and I have been out of work 6 months. I just got rid of cable tv yesterday:( trying to save money anywhere I can now.

I did some research and found the Presto meter to have good reviews. Got from ADW for starter kit with meter and 200 strips, lancets pen, etc for under $50! There is a Presto regular and a fancier model, but the regular model seemed adequate. Link below, they have other package deals with more strips. This uses .5 blood, same as Relion, but slightly more than AT meter which is .3. I have not tried it yet, another member has this meter and has been happy with it. I rarely go to Walmart anymore and when I do they are out of stock on a lot of items, so that is why I do not want to use Relion. I was also impressed with the accuracy tests the company shows on their site for Presto.

https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/8179/agamatrix-presto-blood-glucose-meter-kit-and-strips

https://agamatrix.com/innovative-technology/accuracy/
 
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