Insulin injection, did I mess up?!

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

lennonej

Member
20 minutes ago, I was giving an injection to my cat, Andy, and he moved as I was sticking the plunger in. Is there any way I could have shot the muscle? I don't know how parallel to his body the injection was. I tented the skin and tried to move with him as he moved away.It was given on his left flank. Using 31 gauge 5/16 syringes. AMPS 286, .5u given. First injection was Sunday. Was running in the 400s beginning of the week and settling into 280-360 past few days.

Is it hard to shoot in the muscle? I don't want to kill my cat while at work because I shot in the muscle.

He was not happy about the injection but no howls or anything. First flank shot too, maybe too sensitive so that's why he moved. Hopefully it was just a fur shot and nothing worse.

Thanks for any help,
Esther + Andy (and Simon too)

Will have a spreadsheet up after my curve this weekend
 
other than possibly a little discomfort for him i don't think there's any imminent danger in hitting the muscle. it's not recommended to make a habit of it ;-) but i don't think you have anything to worry about today
 
Thank you Cindy and Mousie.

I am sure you're right. I'll check on him at lunch.

Little stinker, if he had just held still!
 
i know what you mean. i'm fostering a diabetic kitty right now that won't sit still either. it's not so much that he is trying to get away from his test or shot but moreso that he wants to get to some food nownownownownow :-)
 
Re:Sleep deprived/ Insulin injection, did I mess up?!

Thanks Squeaky for your reassurance.

I checked on him at lunch and Andy and civvie Simon had scarfed down all their food (usually I have left overs when I come home). He tested at 360, but I think that was because prior to leaving, in case it was a muscle shot, I had given him 5 tiny pieces of HC kibble. Anyway, he was fine, didn't want his ear poke(s), but did okay with his treat after.

Muscle shots are faster absorbing and cause a spike, correct, or is my memory failing me?

And I am so sleep deprived, I shoot at 7:15-7:30pm, stay up for +5/+6 and then go to sleep get ready for work, test, shoot, observe. What do you guys do? Does anyone have a good shooting schedule for an 8:30ish-6:00ish (9 hour days) job? Do people just check at the +3+4 mark and go to sleep? I realize I will learn more once I do more testing, but this week has been difficult and I have a feeling the closer I get to green BGs, the harder it'll get.
 
Re: Re:Sleep deprived/ Insulin injection, did I mess up?!

lennonej said:
Thanks Squeaky for your reassurance.

...
Muscle shots are faster absorbing and cause a spike, correct, or is my memory failing me?
...
Click to expand...

No it's me...you're right that most everything says it enters the bloodstream faster. I'm sorry....
 
My Poto has been on insulin for 3 years and dang if he didn't startle and pull away from the syringe on me this morning.
It happens occasionally. Try to warm the insulin between your fingers just a bit after you draw it up in the syringe. Sometimes a cold dose can be a bit startling... not really painful, just an extra awareness. Those needles are so tiny it's more like a mosquito bite than a real shot.
Just breathe... You're doing great!
With any dosed medication, you have a good 30 minutes plus or minus the assigned dose time to stay within the safety range for administering it. You do have a little wiggle room to try and accomodate your work and sleep schedule. Though you do need to be mindful of the schedule, don't let it rule your life :-D
Many Hugz,
Carol
 
Tonight's shot was just fine, but a strategically placed treat might have helped.

Gonna keep breathing! Wishing the best for the moms/dads of glucocats everywhere, we need it'! ;)
 
No danger or problem in shooting into the muscle. My cat Bob got well over 100 muscle shots. I had no data on absorption rate from sub-q shots, but my sense was that it was absorbed a little faster and the cycle was shorter. Like he nadir'd at +5 instead of +6, although I was using PZI so that may have been "normal" for that insulin.
There is a kitty currently who is getting muscle shots daily, and he seems to nadir between +5 and +6 on Prozinc.

Regarding the "spike", are you talking about a spike in BG from a muscle shot vs. a sub-q shot? I don't think anyone has any first hand data on that.

In any event, other than it may have felt different to your kitty, not a big deal if you hit muscle just this one time... better than a fur shot! :-D

Carl
 
Re: Re:Sleep deprived/ Insulin injection, did I mess up?!

lennonej said:
And I am so sleep deprived, I shoot at 7:15-7:30pm, stay up for +5/+6 and then go to sleep get ready for work, test, shoot, observe. What do you guys do? Does anyone have a good shooting schedule for an 8:30ish-6:00ish (9 hour days) job? Do people just check at the +3+4 mark and go to sleep? I realize I will learn more once I do more testing, but this week has been difficult and I have a feeling the closer I get to green BGs, the harder it'll get.
Click to expand...

I try to shoot at 6:30 am/pm. Most of the time that works. I live close to work, so I come home for lunch and sometimes will slip out to check BG, and back in 15 minutes. By doing earlier evening, I'm up for awhile, so can usually get a couple of numbers. If he's gonna start dropping, you'll probably have a sense of that by +4 or +5. Once you have some numbers, you'll feel more comforable going to sleep. Also, you can go to sleep and set the alarm for, say 2 am to get a mid-cycle reading.

I was initially encouraged to test at +5 and +7 (5 or 7 hours after the shot). When the +5 came back lower, the next day I tested at +4 and +6. This will help give you an idea where his low time, or nadir, falls in the cycle. Keep in mind it may take as much as 45 days for the kitty to adjust to the insulin, so things may change up - don't be surprised. Be sure to keep a hypo kit handy, in case you need it should numbers drop low.

Keep us posted on your progress, and ask, read, review and ask some more.

Lu-Ann
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top