1/23 Buddha

Still need to work on the profile ...

Still trying to get the hang of shooting with a 5/16" needle. And shooting in the side instead of the scruff. I've got the Monojects and the plunger doesn't glide as smoothly as my old syringes. Buddha had high +4 reading yesterday and I'm wondering if I'm shooting into the skin (not a fat layer left on him.)

AMPS is 237, and I slept late. He's an hour overdue now and has eaten his breakfast. I'm going to prick him again and get a new number. Last time I shot him at 212 with 2.2u he went way low at +6 (and who knows, maybe +5 too.) And today I won't be home to monitor him--the kids have to be two different places this morning.

And just to make life interesting, Buddha's eyes are looking a little crusty and he sneezed at me this morning. My cats tend get seasonal respiratory infections or allergies. Can pollen be starting up already?

Good morning!

 

Awww, Bix has been sniffly too - I think it's the cold nights we've been having here (ok, warm for others, but cold for us!!!!). Hope Budda is feeling ok and the sniffles don't stick around!

The short needle takes a little getting used to, like at first you don't feel like you actually shot, LOL! They are probably going in just fine. What I do is pull up a little bit of skin (nothing as fancy as a tent, but just something to hold on to), and then pop the needle in and make sure I've got the plunger pressed up against his skin. Since he doesn't tend to wiggle, I usually hold it there for a couple seconds just to confirm for myself I've got the needle all the way in, and then when I am shooting, I keep a little pressure there (plunger against skin) to be sure.

 

When you are working with these needles and the plunger.... If you twist the plunger as you move it it will help it move smoother and less herky-jerky. So treat the plunger more like a screw than a nail.

Here are a copy of my concave vs convex tenting that may help you:

H is long hair obviously and I'm right handed. It is hard to describe, but I'll give it a *shot*:
1) Pick up a fold of skin or a clump of hair between left thumb and index finger - bring up and let a little loose then bring up more.
2) Use right thumb and index finger to spread the hair apart several times. This will have the added bonus of growing the skin from an "I" shape into an "A" shape.
4) Use the left hand to adjust the tightness of the skin - it should not be super tight or the kitty will protest [and it will hurt more].
3) Give shot into this now fairly large target area in the convex "A" with the right hand.

This technique works really well for the side of the stomach but not so hot for areas with more skin like the scruff. The side of the stomach is a convex area while the scruff is a concave area of the body. The scruff makes a nice concave tent that's good for larger needles like when doing subQ fluids. The side makes for good convex tents which work well for me with insulin.

 

After I used the new needles for the 1st time, I refilled the syringe with the same amount of water. Then I squirted it into Buddha's fur, just so I could see what it would look like if/when I missed. (And I do know NEVER to reshoot if I think I botched a shot.) I was just curious what it really amounted to. Also, I sometimes run my hand through his fur checking to see if the needle accidentally poked through the skin elsewhere. So now I do know if a shot doesn't take, that I would be able to feel and probably see it.

But wow, what a small amount of fluid between life and death.

 

Wow, what a great idea! I've never seen anyone mention that, but it's a great "practice" idea, to get a feel for things. You're right, it's amazing such a small amount of fluid can mean so much (and also a good reminder to keep a well-stocked HC toolkit! I've recently seen on Health some crises where someone did double shoot, and another shot 5u instead of 0.5u - thankfully both cats did just fine with testing & HC intervention). I have gotten so used to shooting now I pretty much take it for granted. I always triple-check my measurement before shooting, but I've gotten pretty casual about how I think about the insulin. It's some powerful stuff though!

 

Looks like you're getting better numbers for Buddha. Good for you! If that 1.8 isn't enough, you might need to split the difference and try 2.0 again. If you get some midday numbers, it will help you decide. Hope you and Buddha are doing well.

 

Yeah, those #s on the 23rd look pretty reboundy to me. [ETA: never mind, turns out it was dry food & I didn't read the notes ] Good catch on getting the data! When Bix was in his zoomy phase, I found he was super-sensitive to dose changes, even 0.1u. Sometimes just that much less (or more) would make all the difference, it was astounding to me how much that tiny drop of insulin could change the picture.

My 2c would be to hold at 1.8 for another cycle or two and see if the #s continue to settle down. If there has been rebound, that could be clearing, and you may see some improvement. On the other hand, you will be losing overlap, so if the #s start rising again overall, I like Ele's suggestion of splitting the difference and trying 2.0u.

Hope you don't mind the unsolicited comments!

 

All feedback welcome. It didn't feel like rebound yesterday to me. But double digit numbers in general make me tense. Then again, I'm trying to figure out how 18 pieces of dry wellness core could drive up bg so significantly.

My current theory is that it will take a slightly increased dose to get ps numbers lower, and then a gradual decrease in dose over several days until the curve is gentle and the numbers remain in an acceptable range.

Does anyone really talk this stuff over with their vet? I think my vets know that I do stuff on my own and that the that the less they know about it the better.

 

18 pieces of dry Core is about 2.5g which is a very small amount. I absolutely can tell a difference with one feeding of 12g of Core. I gave H 6g of Core this morning to get him to eat right after he barfed [not sure how much effect this will have especially since he barfed] . One thing I've found with the dry is that if it is fed daily it tend to build up in their system and cause more problems then just that day's feeding. Then it takes at least a few days to get out of their system.

 

Oh oops I didn't see that you had fed dry. So cancel the rebound theory then , I thought he jumped up into the 300s on his own mid-cycle. I have heard even 3 pieces of dry can spike them way up like that.

Low #s have made me nervous in the past too. With Bix I found two bites of HC canned (about 12% carb I think is what I used) about every 1/2 hour was enough to keep him nicely in steady #s when I thought I overshot, and more than that would spike him up. Once I let him eat all the HC canned he wanted and well, that was the end of that cycle! He just shot up from it.

IMHO it's good to have this data now - if he ever does go low, you know what the food can do, and that will help you manage the #s. The trial & error can be frustrating, but you learn from it.

I give my vet a copy of the latest SS #s periodically. I found that I like having them know what I'm doing in a vague way, so if there's ever an emergency we won't be slowed down by my having to explain myself. But I've also found that they try to give advice when you give them info (that's their job, right?), and for me that has gotten in the way and just confused me. So now I just keep them posted more or less, and as long as the #s are good, they keep quiet. When the #s have been bad for stretches, I just wait til they are good again to hand in a report.

 

I'm coming late to the party, but I just wanted to add a note about the Monoject syringes that has helped me: before I draw any insulin, I pump the plunger a couple of times. On the first plunge, it always seems to be jerky to me, but then it moves much more smoothly. Maybe this would help?

Also, to answer your question as to whether anyone talks to their vet about this stuff (speaking only for myself): absolutely not. She doesn't have the time or inclination to be nearly as up-to-date on Buzz's numbers as I (and people here are), and I can't even really fault her for that. Furthermore, she isn't nearly as experienced as folks here, and I don't trust her dosing advice, plain and simple. She recommended starting Buzz out on 3u SID, if that tells you anything. It had a nearly disastrous ending, and I'll leave it at that. I can't even imagine talking to her about nuances in Buzz's numbers, and just picturing it made me laugh out loud.