2/13 Sabian (PZI .5u) AMPS-264 +2-189 +4-174

AMPS this morning was 264. No incidents involving kibble today, so maybe we'll get some good numbers.

I picked up some U100 syringes yesterday at the grocery store pharmacy (they're sticklers *no pun intended* about handing out needles to someone without an insulin prescription), and when I got them home, they were marked with 1 units, not 1/2. Ugh. When I prepped her shot, I drew on a U100 and it was FILLED with bubbles. I tried tapping it with my finger, tried a butter knife, tried repressing and redrawing...nothing could get those bubbles out :-x . I redrew with a U40 to .5u like normal and binned the U100. Looks like I'm going to place an order with Hocks (from here) and get some of the right ones from there.

 

Re: 2/13 Sabian (PZI .5u) AMPS-264

Sorry the needles are such a problem, Patrick. Here is a thread from Jill and Alex about bubbles:



here's what greg/carmelita wrote:

We use the BD Demi+ syringes, and hold them with the needle pointing at the ceiling for most of this process.

For each shot, we do these things:

1. Throw away the plunger cap and move the plunger a couple of times. (Jojo told us that spreads the plunger lubricant)

2. Make sure the plunger is all the way to the needle end, uncap the needle, and insert the needle into the insulin cartridge.

3. Pull the plunger back pretty far, maybe the 4 or 5 IU mark. The vacuum inside the cartridge "fights" this; it goes slowly.

4. The insulin will start moving into the cylinder very slowly, watch to see how much is in the syringe.

5. When there is about .5 IU more insulin than needed, withdraw the needle from the cartridge without moving the plunger.

6. This causes the insulin to move down to the plunger (away from the needle), and the air goes up to the needle end.

7. Put the cartridge back in the fridge; do the rest of this over the sink.

8. Press the plunger to expel the excess air at the top. (don't skip this step, even if there are bubbles! The less air is in the syringe when you flick on it, the easier it is to form a single bubble that can be pressed out.)

9. If there are any bubbles at this point (often there are not), flick the syringe to bring them to the needle end.

10. Twist the syringe while pressing the plunger slowly to expel any remaining air, and to "dial in" the desired dose. This way, you can see if the bubble is sticking to the side, because you're rotating the syringe and looking at it from all sides.

11. If there's a bubble stuck to the side of the needle collar, draw a tiny bit more air in to join it, and then rotate the syringe the opposite direction to last time, while pressing the plunger. This spins the bubble together and hopefully centers it on the needle hole so you can squeeze it out.

12. Because we do micro-dose, when dialing in doses, we try to hold the syringe so the angle on the needle is facing up. This way, the little drop of insulin that forms there can be pulled back into the needle without bringing air, if we accidentally dial the plunger in a drop too far.

That's it, ready to shoot. Now... find the cat.

 

Re: 2/13 Sabian (PZI .5u) AMPS-264

Should've gone to Walmart :roll: What brand did you buy? Some states you can buy insulin but you need a script for it.....at least it used to be that way. Kinda dumb......what are people supposed to do.....drink the insulin!!!!!! I went to two pharmacies looking for Flovent and neither place had ever heard of a cat being asthmatic. I buy two boxes at a time at Walmart......never a question asked. Like to stock up during winter months.

Where's the pic of the day?

 

Re: 2/13 Sabian (PZI .5u) AMPS-264

They gave me BD Insulin Syringes with the BD ultra-fine needle. 3/10cc 8mm (5/16") 31G.

Thanks for the tips, Sue. I do it that way most of the time.

Here's this morning's photo. This was before the AMPS testing. She was playing with the syringes, batting them off the table whenever I pulled one out.

 

Re: 2/13 Sabian (PZI .5u) AMPS-264

Walmart Neighborhood Market carries the ReliOn also.

 

Re: 2/13 Sabian (PZI .5u) AMPS-264 +2-189

Yay! She turned blue!

+2 is 189!

 

Re: 2/13 Sabian (PZI .5u) AMPS-264 +2-189

:RAHCAT

 

Re: 2/13 Sabian (PZI .5u) AMPS-264 +2-189

dancing_cat dancing_cat dancing_cat dancing_cat dancing_cat dancing_cat dancing_cat dancing_cat dancing_cat dancing_cat dancing_cat dancing_cat dancing_cat dancing_cat dancing_cat dancing_cat

 

Pics of ReliOn box.........

and syringe. Double click thumbnail

 

Re: 2/13 Sabian (PZI .5u) AMPS-264 +2-189

Thanks Hope, I'll grab those when I get back to "that place".

At +4 she's at 174! Great blue numbers today!

 

Been busy today, but she's had good numbers. +10 was 262 and PMPS is 267. Going to push .5u again tonight and hope for the same curve as this afternoon.

 

Re: 2/13 Sabian (PZI .5u) AMPS-264 +2-189

Great numbers!!! So happy for Sabian