Getting syringes with half unit markings is pretty much impossible in Australia but we've had other members from Australia order them from
HERE. With shipping times, you might want to order more than 1 box at a time so you'll have them when you need them.
There is also an
insulin ruler you can make but it's only good for B/D syringes.
As I told you in Facebook PM's. the sad truth is that vets just don't get enough education on diabetes so you will often read things here that are totally different from what your vet tells you but please believe me that the people here have the real life, day in/day out experience to help you and Chanel.
What we usually recommend is if you get a Pre-Shot under 8.3 that you Stall, DON'T feed and test again in 20-30 minutes. Use that time to post here with a good strong subject line like "STALLING! NEED HELP!". Once you have somebody's attention, you can go back and "edit" your subject line. We like to see the test numbers you get in the Subject line so as people scan the forums, they can get a quick idea of how people are doing and if they see numbers that concern them, answer those posts first.
As you gain more experience with how Chanel responds to both food and insulin, that "stall point" can come down even further. On Tight Regulation, I would give China her insulin if she was above 2.8 (of course that was after a LOT of testing and learning here first!).
As long as Chantel is eating the Z/D kibble, you'll have to stick to the Start Low, Go Slow dosing method. Once she's eating a low carb canned diet only, you could do Tight Regulation if you wanted. Here's the
two dosing methods we use for Lantus again.
What's going on with Chanel now is what we call "Bouncing". Bounces happen when 1. they drop too low, 2. they drop too fast, 3. they drop into numbers their body isn't used to anymore (or any combination of all 3). The liver releases stored sugars and hormones to bring the BG back up. It's totally normal, especially this early in treatment, and although very frustrating for us, there's not much you can do about it except hope that Chanel's body gets used to being in those lower numbers quickly so her liver stops panicking! It can take up to 6 cycles for a bounce to clear so all you can do is wait it out. As she spends more time in those "good" numbers, the bounces won't be as high and won't last as long.
For now, stay with the 2U dose for a few more cycles. Try to get at least 1-2 tests on the AM Pre-shot test during the day and at least 1 "before bed" test on the PM cycle (if you can get more, that's even better.) You don't need to do an official "curve" either....if you test at different points in the cycles, you can get a pretty good idea of what's going on. Think of your spreadsheet like it's a puzzle. The more pieces you have "filled in", the easier it is to know what the picture is. I never did an official curve in over 5 1/2 years but I tested more than enough to know what was going on with China. (feel free to look at her spreadsheet....I was an admitted test-o-holic and you don't need to test as much as I did, but it gives you a good idea of what I mean by "sprinkling" tests around at different points in the cycle.
It can also be helpful to read other people's threads and look at other people's spreadsheets. Sometimes somebody might ask a question you hadn't even thought of to ask or you'll see other people answer the same questions you have but in a different way that makes more sense to you.
Hang in there. It's still very early in Chantel's journey. Take pleasure in seeing those little flashes of improvement that you see too! I remember breaking down in tears the first time I noticed China was grooming herself. I hadn't realized it before but it had been a long time since I'd seen her grooming so I knew she was feeling better!
