? Need advice whether/what to shoot

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Fiona & Ruby said:
Hi Darrah, yes I was blown away with the disparity between the ruler and the syringe gauge. What I thought was 1.5u eyeballing on the syringe turns out to be 2.0u on the ruler! Oh just a whole 1/2 unit out, not that big a deal...OMG. Using the ruler I now feel like I'm giving consistent dosing each time and the 1.5u on the ruler seems to bringing in some nice blue numbers for my girl so I'm feeling so much more at ease. Also, re the bubbles in the syringe, do you shoot air (the dosage you're going to give) into the vial before drawing up the insulin? Read a sticky on LL that days not to do it, however, also read another thread (sorry didn't copy it ) that included instructions from Lantus that says to do this. I've since been doing that and drawing a bit extra insulin to get exact reading and the combination of this and expelling the excess seems to eliminate the pesky bubble...hope this helps.
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Hi Fiona,

I had a whole drama with the Lantus cartridge before I realised I'd been doing everything wrong from the start and opened a new cartridge. You do NOT put air in if you're using a cartridge (as I'm doing: 3 ml cartridge): you only put air in if you're using a big vial. I confirmed this with experienced people after I watched the video on the sticky re: lantus and drawing doses, which is when I realised I'd been stuffing things up big time by putting air in AND squirting insulin back into the cartridge.

I had been seeing really awful numbers and saw a dramatic change when I switched to a new cartridge and started drawing doses properly. I just draw a larger dose and then get rid of bubbles and get to the right dose carefully by expelling what I don't need. I don't care about the wasted insulin at this point! :-)

Fiona & Ruby said:
Mmmm was getting excited, thought I'd found a solution. Perhaps not. Just did some further skeuthing and read that it's imperative to press the plunger firmly when inserting into vial and before drawing dose. Maybe that's the key for bubble ridding @Girlie's mom ??
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I do this now, too, but still have bubble issues. One thing I also hadn't been doing, but do now: I make sure that I have the plunger firmly depressed before I pull the syringe out of Girlie. I'd been inadvertently leaving a drop of insulin in the syringe by not doing that, and a drop is a lot for a cat not to get! :-)
 
I just took a look at your SS and saw that you've decreased from 1.5 Units to 1.3 units even though you've only been getting AM and PM pre-shot numbers. I assume that you're at work all day (like a normal person!), and that that's why you haven't been able to get any tests in in the middle of the day. I just thought I'd mention this - I'm sure others have already - but dose changes in Lantus aren't based on AMPS or PMPS: they're based on how low the cat goes after the shot. Are you able to get any more tests in during the day this weekend or at least a +2 or +4 at night during the week? That will give a better picture of what Lantus is actually doing for Ruby.

I am guessing that on 4 Oct Ruby probably went to a low number that's unfamiliar, and that's why the bounce at the PMPS to pink and then the bounce up to yellow at the AMPS. I assume that you're doing the SLGS as you're not able to test much - is that right? It would be great to see some more numbers in there if you can manage. I'd rely on more experienced people to give you dose suggestions, but people won't be able to give much advice if they can't see more data and know what the Lantus is actually doing during the cycle. I'd like to see more experienced people chime in, but those are my two cents. What do you think? :-)

Also, if you do decide to post again, could you create a new thread? It's generally easier to follow how a cat is doing if we post a new thread every day with a link to the previous day's thread. :-)
 
Tara & Ivana said:
Hmmm, I'm afraid I have no suggestions for the air bubbles as I never had an issue with them (perhaps I was just super-lucky?!). Maybe instead of pulling the plunger down, try twisting it down - it will be slower, but it might mean less chance for air bubbles to form? Not sure, just putting it out there :)
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Hi Tara - here's the post with the info re: new Wellness phosphorous levels: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/wellness-complete-health-is-very-high-phosphorus.182879/
 
Tara & Ivana said:
Thankyou! I emailed them a week ago and I still haven't heard back...
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I can still get some of the old Wellness from my local Petbarn, so I'm trying to stock up on them while I can. It's really a challenge to find food that's okay for a diabetic cat with CKD here in Australia, isn't it? We just don't have as much choice available to us as in the U.S.
 
Girlie's mom said:
I just took a look at your SS and saw that you've decreased from 1.5 Units to 1.3 units even though you've only been getting AM and PM pre-shot numbers. I assume that you're at work all day (like a normal person!), and that that's why you haven't been able to get any tests in in the middle of the day. I just thought I'd mention this - I'm sure others have already - but dose changes in Lantus aren't based on AMPS or PMPS: they're based on how low the cat goes after the shot. Are you able to get any more tests in during the day this weekend or at least a +2 or +4 at night during the week? That will give a better picture of what Lantus is actually doing for Ruby.

I am guessing that on 4 Oct Ruby probably went to a low number that's unfamiliar, and that's why the bounce at the PMPS to pink and then the bounce up to yellow at the AMPS. I assume that you're doing the SLGS as you're not able to test much - is that right? It would be great to see some more numbers in there if you can manage. I'd rely on more experienced people to give you dose suggestions, but people won't be able to give much advice if they can't see more data and know what the Lantus is actually doing during the cycle. I'd like to see more experienced people chime in, but those are my two cents. What do you think? :)

Also, if you do decide to post again, could you create a new thread? It's generally easier to follow how a cat is doing if we post a new thread every day with a link to the previous day's thread. :)
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Yes I'm working full time, just had some holidays which is why I could do some testing during the day. But good idea with the evening tests. :)
 
Fiona & Ruby said:
Yes I'm working full time, just had some holidays which is why I could do some testing during the day. But good idea with the evening tests. :)
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I've been lucky so far to still be able to be at home post-ankle surgery so I can get the day tests in. I'm dreading going back to work full-time: I think I'll go a bit nuts not knowing how she's going through the day! Fortunately (or unfortunately), she tends to go low during the day. I'll figure how to work it out somehow... It's hard to have a diabetic cat when you have to work full-time: that's my verdict, at least... :-)
 
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