2/18Ravan/amps120/+3 173/+8 116/pmps155/+2 100/+5 63/+6 79/+8 82/

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/2-17ravan-amps134-3-156-8-106-pmps137-5-165-9-180.210856/

 

Looking good Ravan!

 

Nice words to live by!

Looks like the bounce is breaking. Saw in your comments about the vomits after the B12 and calcitroin, did that ever happen before? Empty stomach?

 

Nice blue start. Hope whatever upset his tummy is gone.

 

Lately any supplements I give him he usually vomits. He never did that for all the years he's been getting supplements. This is something new.

The Calcitriol is given 2 X a week on an empty stomach & no food for 30 mins after. ( He didn't vomit the Calcitriol, but later the baby food & B12, Fish oil & Vit E) I won't give it for a few days & see what he does next time.

He's feeling good this morning. Playing with his mousie & me pulling a string around

No one ever answered my question about why is it so important to use calipers & give an Exact dose? Why would it cause him to bounce if the dose isn't EXACT?

 

I'm glad Ravan is feeling good.

The lines on syringes can be so off that you accidentally give a smaller dose than you mean to or a larger dose than you mean to. Giving different size doses can mess up the depot and cause wacky numbers. The calipers make sure you are giving the same amount each time and then you can really see what a dose is doing.

 

It's kinda long but a real cute video

 

I think the majority of people on this forum do NOT use Calipers & don't usually seem to have a problem. Some go into remission.
I guess I'm reluctant to add another process to this already stressful Journey!

 

I found that using calipers reduced my stress. Partly because my DH would also give shots and knowing he was using calipers we would be on the same page for dosing. But also because I measured the BD syringes, and found some had the zero line off by 1/3 of a unit! I found Neko's numbers flattened a bit after I started using calipers and giving more consistent doses.

Ravan sure seems to like blue.

 

Momma likes blue also. I get a bit more sleep

Is there a video I can watch to see how to set the Calipers? I'm using Monoject syringes.

 

The video is in this post.

 

I don't know how many people actually use calipers, but the ones that have mentioned it love using them once they get used to them. I would never go back to not using them. The lines on the syringes are too unreliable. It is entirely your decision.

 

I understand that but I'm still not sure why that matters?

 

OMG! Very funny! I just love 'Simon' and all his antics...I got a lot of laughs out of this one! So realistic...when they go to the vet - how they do carry on, huh?

Thanks for sharing!!

 

If you are relying on the lines on the syringes to draw your dose, you will never have a consistent dose, especially if the zero line is off. When you measure your dose with calipers, you ignore the lines on the syringes so you dose is always the same.

 

I don't know if the BD syringes are worse than they used to be, but I'm finding some are off by almost 1/2 U. This may not matter so much when you're dosing a high dose cat (? I'm not sure on that) , or a cat with very high numbers? When you're dosing a cat that's close to being tightly regulated, or on a lower dose, even 1/4 to 1/3 U off is waaay too much variance.

I don't know how to quote another person in a comment so I'll tag and copy here @JoyBee&Ravan , about the inaccurate lines on syringes you asked: "I understand that but I'm still not sure why that matters?" As an example, if a cat was supposed to get 1 U Lantus and a syringe markings are off by just 1/4 U, the cat could actually be getting a dose as low as 0.75 U up to possibly 1.25 U for *each* injection when doses are drawn to the lines. As carfurby said, you will never have a consistent dose.

When using calipers, the lines on the syringe are ignored and so it doesn't matter if they are inaccurate. The calipers are locked into the correct measurement of insulin (volume) so the same amount of insulin is drawn each time. You will always have a consistent dose.

I really don't know how badly other syringes may vary since I only use BD, but I know I'm a lot less stressed just *knowing* how much insulin Willow is *really* getting. And I know by looking at her SS that her curve has flattened significantly since I started using calipers.

HTH, with love, Nikki

 

Nice blues Ravan!

 

As long as Ravan is getting Good #'s ( i.e. in blue consistently. ) I don't understand why a variance in the dose makes a difference. If I saw his BG going up & down "due to the inconsistency in dose" I'd be concerned but so far I don't see that happening.
I've been told from the beginning that Ravan is a bouncer I've been told he bounces when he drops to #'s his body is not used to. Or he drops too fast.
He's been at times in High green #'s for 4 cycles without a drop & still went into a bounce. I've come to accept that there are times I cannot predict why he bounces. Using Calipers would not stop him from bouncing,would it?

I might try to use the calipers but I'm still not understanding why it's important? Right now his BG is pretty steady in blue. I'm fine with that right now. I'm alone & need a break to get some sleep.

When I feel like I can spend some sleepless nights again I'll increase his dose.

I don't feel stressed at all about how much insulin Ravan is getting. I watch his #'s & if they are good I'm fine with it. If my syringes were off by 1/4 or 1/3 wouldn't I be seeing his BG going up & down?

I do appreciate everyone trying to help but I'm just not getting the importance of using calipers. If it was that important then everyone should be advised from the beginning to get calipers & start using them.

 

I think whether or not you really like calipers in part depends on the type of syringe you are using. If you are using a brand with consistent markings, it may not be as important. Also, some cats are less sensitive to small changes. When I started, no one was using calipers. For what it's worth @nslade001 I used calipers both when Neko was on high dose, and when she was a lower dose cat, which was the majority of the time. At the end, her dose was under the zero line on most of the BD syringes, but I figure it was more like 0.25 units. If I had been going by the syringe markings, most of the time I would have been overdosing her by quite a bit.