Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 PMPS 341 Counting drops?

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Lisa & Leo

Lisa & Leo

Member Since 2012
Yesterday's Condo

Yesterday's Summary
AMPS 81
+2 80
+4 63
+7.5 56
+10 87
PMPS 90
+3 52 <--- 1/4can 11%
+4.5 73 <--- food spike, more 11% (mamabean exhausted)
+11 95
AMPS
(Dose reduction)

Good morning LL!

Leo is curled on his throne after sticking his nose out the door for as long as I'd leave it open (brrrr). Last night he actually came into the family room and crawled up on the couch and slept next to me. The LR is Molly's territory but she's been upstairs a lot. Leo is wary when she is down, but he got brave. I wish they could coexist more, because Leo doesn't get nearly any cuddle time with people at home. But all P's in place as usual.

Leo has nearly earned a reduction the last 3 cycles, and probably did when I wasn't looking (58, 56, 52), so I am taking one this morning. His old dose was 0.25u, which is about the lowest dose I can eyeball with the calipers. So yesterday I revisited a bunch of condo's I'd bookmarked before about counting drops, and practiced with a syringe and water. So challenging. I'd measure a unit and get anywhere from 10 or 13 drops. I think part of it is the bit of insulin still in there when I give the plunger a final hard squeeze (Terumo's which don't have the nose cone). If I count drops, it seems like those would actually be "extra" drops. How do you account for those when you say a dose is 4 drops? :?: This morning, I am guessing at 0.15u as 0.25u (measured by calipers) minus 1 drop.

Today is travel day. There will be snow during our afternoon commute but it should be warm enough that the roads will be clear. I was very fortunate I could take some days off and work from home a couple days last week to help Leo's little pancreas gain strength as he turns the corner. The last week has been quite spectacular in his numbers! We'll see what travel does to him. Please send many prayers and vines for Leo's pancreas to survive the trip without overreacting to the stress the trip ALWAYS puts on him. And calming vines for mamabean who is already nervous for the trip and how he'll respond. We all have fingers crossed he can maintain his surfing. It would be devastating for these trips to reverse his progress.

Healing vines and calming vines and thoughts to all who need them for lost loves ones and kittehs, vetty visits, sore bums and new diagnoses.
 
Re: Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 Counting drops?

Morning Lisa,
!!!!!!YAY LEO!!!!!
Lots of calm traveling vines and prayers to you both. I'm saying a thank you prayer for a wonderful trip, good road conditions, good numbers, calm momma bean, calm Leo. travel safe. hugs and scritches from us
 
Re: Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 Counting drops?

Morning Lisa, nice AMPS! :mrgreen: I count three drops, but I don't have the calipers yet. It's on my to do/to order list for a while now. Something else always comes up! :? Congrats on the reducie. Sending good and safe travel vines for you and Leo today.
 
Re: Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 Counting drops?

Morning Lisa ~O) ~O) ~O)

Nice amps Leo! and congrats on the reducie! I can't help with the drop counting, never had to worry about that. Micro dosing sure isn't my strong point. :roll: Wishing you much luck. I will send good trip vines too, and hope that Leo has a good one. I will hope too that the weather cooperates. They say it is spring, but I dunno....

Have a great day today. Leo - you surf well.
 
Re: Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 Counting drops?

Hi Ann - how do you get to the 3 drops? Do you start at 1 unit and then squeeze out 7 drops or something like that? As for calipers, I don't think you can use calipers with the lower doses you've shot like the 1-2 drops. It's really hard.

HI Michelle - thanks for the support and vines! This "spring" sure is a trip, huh? Global warming ... pah. Have a good one!

Hi Mary - thanks! yay for the little Fart!!! Thanks for the vines and stuff, and I'll save your scritches for the road when he always needs them. :-D
 
Re: Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 Counting drops?

Hi Lisa, I use the Monojects, so some of the lines go over the top. I first use my magnifying glass and see where the line falls. I fill the syringe with just a little insulin, as three amounts amounts to so little. I start squeezing out drops from where I fill it, and Most of the time I get five drops just from eyeballing it. Then I fill it again to where I think it's three drops, Most of the time I'm so close or a drop over. Then the third time I just fill as close to the three drops or queeze out if too much. Sometimes the three drops falls above the line on the MJ's. Hope this makes sense.
If you use the Tuermos, and there is no cone or variances in lines, you may have an easier time just counting droms from the half mark.
 
Re: Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 Counting drops?

Hi Lisa,
How nice to be at the point where you have to micro-dose!! If you are using the calipers, why do you have to try to count drops again? I thought the calipers solved that problem(?). What is the number you determined was a "drop"? (mine is 0.11mm but I know that everyone has a slightly different number). To go down a drop from your present dose, all you should have to do is subtract that number from your present caliper setting. However, I see, on second read of your condo, that the problem is with "eyeballing". Maybe get a really good magnifying glass or a jeweler's loupe?

Good luck with your travels. Leo is looking great.

Ella & Rusty

p.s. I think I read somewhere that when practicing squeezing out drops, you should practice with old insulin, not water. The consistency is different. Do you have any old pens or vials with a little left in them?
 
Re: Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 Counting drops?

Hi Ann - so it sounds like you are drawing up insulin 3 times, and then first figuring out how many drops for where the line is, and the second time is to see if you can do the three drops correctly, and the third is to draw and shoot? Wow. I didn't think of that. I've been ignoring the lines because they are all over the place. I didn't think about figuring out how wrong they are, and then figuring out how to use the wrong lines correctly! Thanks for the tip!

Hi Ella - I use the calipers now and it's a lot easier to see when larger doses. With the smaller doses, the opening of the caliper is so small that it's hard to see the light all the way through consistently. I hold the syringe up to a light and look through it but with the small space, I get reflections and aberrations. If everything were perfect, calipers would be great. I could make a drop whatever I wanted I suppose - it looks like drops are different sizes in some of the condos people have put up with pictures. Is a drop how much is on the needle right before it slides down the needle? I tried to make a drop 0.1u but I know there is slop. I have a cheap magnifying glass that doesn't help. I think I would need something that would be stationary. It takes me two hands to do it with the calipers. Yes, I read too about using old insulin. I have some and will try that. It probably wouldn't make a difference if I am trying to duplicate drop *size* but water wouldn't be good to practice if a drop is how much stays on the needle right before it rolls down. So yeah, a viscosity thing. Thanks for our travels! The Cerenia will be going in him soon....let the drooling and frothing begin. :cry: :cry: :cry:
 
Re: Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 Counting drops?

Morning ~O)
I remember this part. And having lots of magnification to see. I had all of it... jeweler's lit up glasses, strong reading glasses, and backlights.
I had terumo's and my personal measurement was .13 per drop . When I was down to one drop.... I tested the shot and found that absolutely nothing came out
and had to backtrack to a dose of .30 on the calipers to get what looked like one drop out. That was our final amount. I didn't want to just poke her and have
nothing going in at all since she was so sensitive to it.

It's definitely challenging. Good luck.
 
Re: Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 Counting drops?

counting drops is each drop that rolls off the needle.

Do you have the digital calipers? It didn't sound like it. You can just lock them in place so they stay on the same amount.
 
Re: Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 Counting drops?

Cheerup Lisa! Yes, it's frustrating counting drops but it's a happy problem! :lol: :lol: Good luck with the new dose & thanks for your visiting Rosy's condo.
Yes, gaigai is pronounced as 'guy guy". She's here with her sister; DaiDai & HeiHei. I love to see these poor stay kitties family together.
 
Re: Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 Counting drops?

Hi Lisa, yes, you're correct. That's the way I am counting drops, and it works for me and I'm not wasting syringes (MJ's), as so many of them have variances.
As Tortie's Bean said, it's a happy problem! :-D
 
Re: Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 Counting drops?

I use a camping headlamp and shine the light ON the syringe, not behind it. Works great! No hands. I hold the syringe in one hand and the digital calipers in the other hand. Like Rhiannon says: leave the calipers set once you get the number. Don't do it from scratch each time.

But if you can't get close enough to the calipers to see the measurement, you might need a lighted jeweler's head loupe. I am "lucky": I am so nearsighted that if I take off my glasses I can see really well up close (like 4 inches away from my hand). Those of you blessed with 20-20 vision may have to resort to reading glasses. :smile:

Good luck. Campmor has a good selection of camping headlamps:
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear...rrentPage=&ip_sortBy=&searchKeywords=headlamp
 
Re: Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 Counting drops?

+3.75 117 :-(

Maybe my measuring isn't so good! This number is pre-Cerenia so it doesn't reflect any travel-related stress. But he just the Cerenia and is drooling all over the floor. Poor guy :-(

WOW - tons of good information ladies!!!

Hi Rhiannon - ok, drop rolling off the needle - I need to start over again with practicing and converting. I have an old bottle of insulin I will take down with me. I have the digital calipers and I do lock them on a dose. Wow - so it seems like Leo's old dose of 0.25u was really just about 2 drops. :shock: :-D :shock: I'll have to figure out the conversion and I'll post it this week. Thanks for your experience on this one!

Hi Helen - I know, I am complaining about a wonderful problem! :lol: :lol: :lol: Beat mamabean with a wet noodle. It's good your kitties are all siblings - that is sweet. I've never had siblings although I would love to. And I've never had a kitten. We always end up adopting strays. And love them to death. :-)

Hi Ann - thanks for clarifying. That's a good method!

Hi Ella - I didn't think about shining the light on from the front. I will try that. I have a couple strong flashlights (LEDs) - I'll try that before I buy anything - thank you for the link to the headlamps. Definitely need that third hand! I have the same "lucky"-ness that you have. I take off my glasses to see up close, but it's getting harder and harder!
 
Re: Leo 3/25 AMPS 92 Counting drops?

Counting drops is a good problem to have! I wish insulin was just an oral liquid - it would make life sooo much easier! I am going to bookmark this conversation for the day we finally get to that point. Good luck!
 
PMPS 341.

Just arrived after 4 hour commute. Not much to say here. I'm pretty much devastated. 12 days of blues and greens and then this.
 
Yikes Leo, come on down from there!! Remember when he used to go black or red from travel? Poor guy, give him lots of scritches from us.

Good luck figuring out your new dose. It's a great problem to have. I dose in the kitchen where this is a strong overhead light. I can hold caliper and syringe in one hand, magnifying glass in the other. I've also go those small LED flashlights and have been known to hold that with my mouth.
 
well that's an improvement. pink instead of red/black from traveling...

If you want another gadget....
http://www.amazon.com/ARTOGRAPH-225...ight/dp/B000KNHRH6/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20
I had one of these... in addition to my magnifying glass... and reading glasses/ etc.....

It helped me because I would sit the calipers next to the syringe all on the light box.... backlighting is nice.

You can also make your own if you have a glass coffee table or dinner table.... by putting a light under it....

It's rough losing our sight.... @-)
 
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