Way too much insulin?

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

DiabeticMom

Member
Hi,
I am pretty sure I measured 1 unit but when I pushed in the needle plunger it plunged alot further than 1 unit. I don't know if I screwed up measurement or the plunger just got pushed back. When will it show up if way too much and will Karo & dry food fix it?

Way too many emergancies going on at one time. I should have stopped and dealt with one thing at a time.

Barb
 
If you had already drawn the correct dose, and you just pulled back the plunger
before giving it, then you injected insulin plus air...no problem.

But if you think you may have over-loaded the syringe with too much insulin,
you need to begin testing 1 hour after shot and if it looks like too low, test every 30
minutes until you know if it's going lower or not.

Did everything else go according to the usual plan?
Ate at the correct time and the usual amount ?

Do you know when kitty's usual nadir is (low point)...from your at-home curves ?
 
At vet for reg appt. insulin on my glucometer @ 132 at 2:34 pm. Insulin @ 11 am. On their BG machine at 2:15 it was 192. They r thinking machines diff but I'm not too sure. I've asked for another test in about 10 min. OMG! The vet is 'not too concerned' and test in a couple of hours. I had to insist on BG retest. We did give sub q fluids before I saw the BG numbers. I may have given her up to 10 units!

Any ideas? I think it might be a bigger deal than the vet says. I gave her some dry food I brought with me.
 
I agree with Robin. You need to try to stay calm and breathe. You're saying +3 (192)? And, you said you asked for another test? If so, just wait to see what it says. Or, test him again yourself, if it'll make you feel better.
 
They are having an insane day & won't test her again until about 6 pm which in my opinion is way too late. Vet said wouldn't start a glucose I've until BG at 30 or 50. Ate a couple handfuls dry food. Not eating anymore. maybe full? We're just hanging out in the vet exam room waiting for results. She's laying on bench flipping tail like when she's avoid or not feeling well. Anything else I can look for?
 
They are having an insane day & won't test her again until about 6 pm which in my opinion is way too late. Vet said wouldn't start a glucose I've until BG at 30 or 50. Ate a couple handfuls dry food. Not eating anymore. maybe full? We're just hanging out in the vet exam room waiting for results. She's laying on bench flipping tail like when she's avoid or not feeling well. Anything else I can look for?
 
They don't want to start IV. Gave oral karo & food. Not eating too much. Gave friskies gravy. Will that work? Didn't eat too much. In cage waiting for next BG in 10 min. Acts like sugar too low. Watchful but apathetic.
 
Where are you now - +? and BG?

Hershey has never shown any signs when he's hypo'd. I only discover it through testing. He usually comes up getting small amounts of his regular food. Once we had to break out the higher carb food and only once have we had to break out the karo and higher carb. I've been told not to feed very much at a time because you don't want them to fill up and not want to eat, should you need to get more in them. I don't know how much your kitty has eaten or will eat before getting full. I have never filled Hershey up! I usually give him 1/4 - 1/2 of usual amount of his regular food each time. When we broke out the higher carb food I measured out a Tablespoon at a time - waited and retested about every :15.

Glad you're still at the vet's so you can get help.

Keep us updated!
 
Try not to freak. You're at the clinic, they can do what is needed. Watch for a kitty who looks drunk and has trouble standing or walking. You see that, grab a vet tech by the ear.

Carl
 
She's drinking friskies beef with gravy -- drinking the gravy more than eating it. I can run across the street for FF with gravy if that is better. Waiting for BG numbers now. Seemed out of it. Seems a little better now.
 
So, when was the last test + how many hours? and BG?

Remember, you can always test in the waiting room if it will give you peace of mind to see her numbers

Libby
 
fwiw, yes, this has happened several times in the years i've been on fdmb so don't be too hard on yourself. and it's happened for many different reasons, i.e. vet didn't instruct on drawing up the dose, misunderstanding the vet, sleeping aids, hectic lives, wrong syringes, etc.....

what they've done in the past is pretty much what you're doing now, monitor and respond appropriately.

if by chance 10 units was given instead of 1, the low numbers could be a battle for awhile sooooo if this vet is not a 24 hour vet and they want to keep kitty there overnight, say no and either take kitty to a 24 hour place for longer monitoring or you take kitty home with plans of monitoring possibly thru the night with the help of people here.

if the numbers shoot sky high shortly and stay there for a couple hours, you're probably out of the woods.

(i had this up and ready to go some time ago but since i'm at work i got pulled away. may be outdated info at this point but will go ahead and post just in case it's not :-) )
 
BG went from 83 @ 3 pm to 88 @ 4:10 pm. That was with karo, dry food. Friskies & lots of stress. They are keeping her & will test in an hour. We are at +5.
 
Since we're all in different time zones, it's really helpful if you give us the information in a +how many hours since shot, instead of a time on the clock. Like, if the shot was at noon and you tested at 3pm, it would've been +3. Is that what you're saying? +3 (83) and +4 (88)?

Do you mean they're keeping her overnight or just for a while longer? I know it's easier said than done, but try not to stress. Our kitties know when we're stressed and it's not good for either of you. Just make sure you stay in the loop - watching Chong and knowing everything that they're doing/wanting to do for her. Keep us updated when you can!
 
I'm sitting with her in her cage. Just gave more karo. Vet here I think until 6 maybe later. Open til 8. Then overnight with vet tech. If this is all they do I'll take her home & do same (karo every hour & what food she'll take). What else?

I'm going to run across street for FF gravy. What's the best. She seems to drink the gravy. Eyes somewhat dilated I had her walk. Not too bad. Just quiet & miserable in cage. Nailed the teck & hissed at few people, but now just laying there miserable.

I'm afraid to leave for FF. Which one should I get? Grooming!
 
Sorry this is happening to your cat. My heart hurts for you...

FF gravy lovers is a good choice as it is loaded with gravy.
 
from a quick glance at janet's charts, if it says grilled or sliced, it's gonna be high carb (eta: that's fancy feast grilled or sliced)
 
FWIW, it doesn't appear that you shot ten vs. 1 unit, or I believe the drop would have been much more severe. You're almost at nadir now. Be careful not to overfeed on these numbers. If she does drop more, you need her to be hungry enough to eat an ounce or so.
Carl
 
Just feed the gravy from the wet food, don't worry about eating the pieces. The gravy is the high carb portion and what you want to give, so you don't fill up the tummy too much and she won't eat.

Do you have a 24 hour vet near you? You are better off taking her there if you need to stay at the vet, then leaving her at a place that will close and she will be unsupervised. If there is no 24 hour vet, then load up on the gravy foods and take her home - ask the vet for feeding syringes, so if you have to syringe it, you can easily.

That's just my opinion, that I would prefer to have my cat home with me overnight, where I can supervise her and handle it, then alone in a cage in an unsupervised vet office.
 
BG @ 117 @ +6. What does everyone think? Is Chong going to survive her mother? Or do I have more rough road ahead? Vet hasn't been in yet. Tech told me the #s. She's not really eating. Lapping up the gravy. Seems more responsive.
 
I agree about bringing her home. I just wish there was someone else there to watch any time I give insulin. She's up & drinking water now. TG!
 
I think you may be ok to bring her home, she is not dangerously low. And if she should drop while at home, give her the gravy - it's good she wants gravy as you don't want to fill her up with food and then if she does drop to 50 or less then you will have a struggle to get her to eat.
 
We're on our way home! I'll continue to test & watch but think she survived me! Thanks to everyone who hung in here & supported me. If you can & not too much to ask, please check in through the night. I'll post as I get #s but I think (hope) we're ok.

I'll take down the 911.

THANK YOU
 
We're on our way home! I'll continue to test & watch but think she survived me! Thanks to everyone who hung in here & supported me. If you can & not too much to ask, please check in through the night. I'll post as I get #s but I think (hope) we're ok.

I'll take down the 911.

THANK YOU
 
I have been out all day, but have watched on my phone! Wow! I am sure glad Chong is okay!
 
Thanks everyone. Got home & did BG test @ 6:45 pm (+7.45). 95. Didn't like it coming down from the previous 117 but it's a different meter & she's home and maybe not so stressed. Had a little FF Gravy Lovers. Drinking water and acting ok. I'll continue to check.

Barb
 
I know you're relieved - both to have her home, and to have her numbers in the safe zone again. Glad everything worked out okay.

Our cats can behave so differently. From a 350 preshot, I can give Grayson 4.5 units and he still doesn't hit 200, while others can give .2 units and they'll go to hypo numbers. That's why we encourage folks to go slow w/ increases.

I know how easy it is to get distracted when our sugarcat is ripping our arm off so we'll feed them faster (at least that's what it feels like!). I've found two things I can do to make the syringe-filling go smoothly. First is to fill it before any food is brought out (or even before the cat is summoned to the feeding/shooting spot). If they aren't smelling the food, they're not quite as anxious. The other way is to give them the food first. Then they're distracted and I can fill the syringe in peace. Once Grayson's head is in a food bowl, I could shoot him with pretty much anything! But every little bit can make a big difference, as you experienced today.

Take a deep breath, and expect that tomorrow you'll see some really high numbers from all the carbs he enjoyed today!

Lu-Ann
 
The 117 and the 95 are virtually the same number, so you're looking good at this point.

carl
 
No more faxing, feeding, shooting, business calls at the same time! Enough! Gotta get control of my life ... And Chong's! Vet says no insulin tonight (duh!). See what happens tomorrow. High numbers I'm sure, and I guess back to 1 unit again? She got fluids so that might play into it. We're both exhausted!
 
Quite a day for both of you!

What's you day like tomorrow? Working or will you be around the house?
When cats go "low" like Chong did today, some of them will be more insulin-sensitive than normal for a cycle or two afterwards. Great that you aren't shooting tonight. Yes,she's likely to be high in the morning, for 2 reasons. One is no insulin tonight. The other is because she had a really big drop today, something her body is not used to. You've already read about "liver action" where her liver will dump glucose to self-preserve her? The liver also releases hormones that don't disappear as fast as the glucose would, so she may still be experiencing the bounce in BG from today's lows. No matter what her number is (assuming it is high of course), stick with one unit. The bounces clear on their own, and it can take 2 or 3 cycles for that to happen. If you see higher numbers all day tomorrow, don't be surprised, and don't react by raising the dose.

With no insulin tonight, you shouldn't have to worry about her numbers dropping, so both of you get some sleep.


Carl
 
I work from home, which is good & bad. I take Chong on some real stress rides.

How much should I be testing since I'm not going to be doing anything about it anyway. Anything outside of insulin times? And once more tonight before bed just to be sure. Do I need to watch for anything in blood or urine?

Even tho I'm expecting high numbers, I kind of don't know what to expect. . .
 
It was quite a stressful day y'all had. Carl gave you good advice about trying to get some sleep.

Hope you get some rest -

Libby
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top