ericbakes
Member
This is a long story, but stay with me with me...
I've been largely absent from these boards because Melville has been doing so well over the last six months. However, that started to change in September when his preshot numbers began to drift up. I didn't think much of it at the time. I just assumed that his pancreas was getting worse, so I compensated by increasing his dosage 0.2 units at a time. His numbers would drop a bit each time, but over all, they still trended upwards. By the end of October, I was giving him 3.2 and 3.4 units. He started out at 2.2.
A couple weeks ago, I had to work late, so my wife gave Melville his shot. She was surprised by the number of units since she hadn't given him a shot in a long time. I assured her that 3.4 units was correct. However, when I tested him the next morning, he was very low -- around 80. I delayed and reduced his dose dramatically to 2.0, but his PM numbers were very high -- almost 500. So, I went back to 2.6, then 3.0, then 3.2 units. Even then, he was still a little too high, but not dangerously so.
Last week, my wife had to give him a shot again. Once again, the numbers after that shot were way too low -- around 60. I thought she must have measured incorrectly, so I asked her to show me exactly how much insulin was in the syringe. She was right on the money. We went through this same cycle one more time before I had somewhat of an epiphany: what if she's giving him the shot in the wrong place?
So I asked her to show me where she was was injecting him. As she pointed at his midsection, she said, "Right here, where always shoot him." It immediately became clear what had happened: I was the one who was injecting in the wrong place! :roll:
Here's what happened. Back in August, I had two fur shots relatively close together. To correct for this this, I think I must have started giving him his shot in slightly different places. Over the course of 2 months, I gradually moved from his middle back to the loose area near his haunches. As I drifted, the insulin became less effective, so I compensated with an increased dose. Of course, while this was happening, I didn't even realize I was drifting!
I can't believe how much of a difference injection site makes. Now that I have corrected my mistake, Melville is back down to 2.0 - 2.4 units. If anyone else out there is having trouble with high numbers or inconsistent results, maybe it's time to take a look at where you're injecting!
I've been largely absent from these boards because Melville has been doing so well over the last six months. However, that started to change in September when his preshot numbers began to drift up. I didn't think much of it at the time. I just assumed that his pancreas was getting worse, so I compensated by increasing his dosage 0.2 units at a time. His numbers would drop a bit each time, but over all, they still trended upwards. By the end of October, I was giving him 3.2 and 3.4 units. He started out at 2.2.
A couple weeks ago, I had to work late, so my wife gave Melville his shot. She was surprised by the number of units since she hadn't given him a shot in a long time. I assured her that 3.4 units was correct. However, when I tested him the next morning, he was very low -- around 80. I delayed and reduced his dose dramatically to 2.0, but his PM numbers were very high -- almost 500. So, I went back to 2.6, then 3.0, then 3.2 units. Even then, he was still a little too high, but not dangerously so.
Last week, my wife had to give him a shot again. Once again, the numbers after that shot were way too low -- around 60. I thought she must have measured incorrectly, so I asked her to show me exactly how much insulin was in the syringe. She was right on the money. We went through this same cycle one more time before I had somewhat of an epiphany: what if she's giving him the shot in the wrong place?
So I asked her to show me where she was was injecting him. As she pointed at his midsection, she said, "Right here, where always shoot him." It immediately became clear what had happened: I was the one who was injecting in the wrong place! :roll:
Here's what happened. Back in August, I had two fur shots relatively close together. To correct for this this, I think I must have started giving him his shot in slightly different places. Over the course of 2 months, I gradually moved from his middle back to the loose area near his haunches. As I drifted, the insulin became less effective, so I compensated with an increased dose. Of course, while this was happening, I didn't even realize I was drifting!
I can't believe how much of a difference injection site makes. Now that I have corrected my mistake, Melville is back down to 2.0 - 2.4 units. If anyone else out there is having trouble with high numbers or inconsistent results, maybe it's time to take a look at where you're injecting!
