forscooter
04-02-2008, 06:22 PM
Hi Everyone!!!
I'm Beth, and hopefully I won't screw up my first post!:o
I was "talking" to Natalie over on the Cushing's board, as I have two dogs with Cushing's disease (Scooter and Bailey)....and I, myself, am diabetic. I have been trying to help the diabetic pups and their moms and dads by offering what I know about diabetes from a "people" perspective...what it's like, how it feels, what can help, etc....especially since a doggie can't tell us!
I admit I know very little about canine diabetes, but I thought I would offer any help I can to any of you who may have questions that maybe your pup can't tell you. :) So, some things may be different, but I think a lot of things are the same and hopefully I can be of some use.
Jeanne, Kiska's mom, asked me about insulin and what it feels like. I thought I would give you all a copy of my answer here. I will also add on this thread other information I have given her in the hopes it helps someone here too!
And....please feel free to ask me anything about how it feels, what it's like, what I know, what I don't know...I am more than happy to share anything I can.
Just a quick background on me....I am a diabetic for ten years. First treated with oral meds (misdiagnosed as a Type 2), then went onto injections and was up to injecting four times a day with different combos of insulin, and then I went onto using a pump. I am still on a pump and now also have a glucose sensor that goes with it. I have been as low as 11 (and still standing somehow :rolleyes:) and as high as the upper-500s (and still standing somehow :rolleyes:)...I have had ketones, and all sorts of things. So hopefully my experience will help all of you!
OK, this is what I told Jeanne when she asked about the insulin, giving injections and how it feels to be hypo and hyperglycemic:
"I don't know about Kiska but I can tell you from a people perspective! Insulin itself doesn't hurt per se...it's more about sometimes hitting a nerve when you place the needle. And since you can't see where the little buggers are, sometimes you hit one! Cold insulin, or refrigerated insulin, can be more uncomfortable...so if you keep it in the fridge, it helps if you roll the bottle gently between your palms first before giving it. I use mine so much that once I open a bottle, I keep it out of the fridge. But when I use a new one, I "warm" it first. I never noticed a difference between the amount of insulin hurting more....just more where the needle goes.
When I have hurt myself, sometimes it is a quick sting, sometimes I scream OUCH OUCH OUCH and jump around......BUT any pain passes very quickly. It helps to rub the spot where the injection went to get rid of the pain faster. A quick fast jiggly rub!
As for how it feels....it doesn't really feel like anything. If your sugar is high, and the insulin does it's job bringing you back down to closer to normal, you just feel more awake, not as thirsty, not as crummy, more energetic, etc. If it doesn't, you just still kind of feel ho-hum. If you go too low from too much, you feel lethargic and hot and very hungry...sometimes dizzy, numb/tingly. And if you ever rollercoaster, up and down and up and down, you just feel like pure garbage!!! I usually get a headache and feel like a wet noodle bc then the body is more like WHHOOOAAAAAAAA!
So...you don't want to drop too quickly either bc you can set things in motion to go too low....what you are doing is fine!! It's right!! Slowly adjust the insulin up, fiddle with the diet but not to the point where she is hungry, and you will get there! Better to take your time in getting it down. I don't know about doggies, but for people, a slow decrease is better than a very fast one....it just makes you feel badly.
I find if I take the needle out before releasing the pinched skin all the way helps with the pain too. Taking it out while the skin is still pinched up hurts me more for some reason...I don't know why, but it does..." I also want to add here that when you keep the pinch and take the needle out before releasing the pinched skin, it tends to get that wet spot that pushes some insulin out I think.
I hope this is helpful to you! And I will be back with some more pointers as I sort through them!:D
Thank you SOOO much for having me here!! I'm very happy to "meet" you all!
And I'll try to get some pics in here too!
Lots of hugs!! Beth (and of course, my Scooter and Bailey!)
I'm Beth, and hopefully I won't screw up my first post!:o
I was "talking" to Natalie over on the Cushing's board, as I have two dogs with Cushing's disease (Scooter and Bailey)....and I, myself, am diabetic. I have been trying to help the diabetic pups and their moms and dads by offering what I know about diabetes from a "people" perspective...what it's like, how it feels, what can help, etc....especially since a doggie can't tell us!
I admit I know very little about canine diabetes, but I thought I would offer any help I can to any of you who may have questions that maybe your pup can't tell you. :) So, some things may be different, but I think a lot of things are the same and hopefully I can be of some use.
Jeanne, Kiska's mom, asked me about insulin and what it feels like. I thought I would give you all a copy of my answer here. I will also add on this thread other information I have given her in the hopes it helps someone here too!
And....please feel free to ask me anything about how it feels, what it's like, what I know, what I don't know...I am more than happy to share anything I can.
Just a quick background on me....I am a diabetic for ten years. First treated with oral meds (misdiagnosed as a Type 2), then went onto injections and was up to injecting four times a day with different combos of insulin, and then I went onto using a pump. I am still on a pump and now also have a glucose sensor that goes with it. I have been as low as 11 (and still standing somehow :rolleyes:) and as high as the upper-500s (and still standing somehow :rolleyes:)...I have had ketones, and all sorts of things. So hopefully my experience will help all of you!
OK, this is what I told Jeanne when she asked about the insulin, giving injections and how it feels to be hypo and hyperglycemic:
"I don't know about Kiska but I can tell you from a people perspective! Insulin itself doesn't hurt per se...it's more about sometimes hitting a nerve when you place the needle. And since you can't see where the little buggers are, sometimes you hit one! Cold insulin, or refrigerated insulin, can be more uncomfortable...so if you keep it in the fridge, it helps if you roll the bottle gently between your palms first before giving it. I use mine so much that once I open a bottle, I keep it out of the fridge. But when I use a new one, I "warm" it first. I never noticed a difference between the amount of insulin hurting more....just more where the needle goes.
When I have hurt myself, sometimes it is a quick sting, sometimes I scream OUCH OUCH OUCH and jump around......BUT any pain passes very quickly. It helps to rub the spot where the injection went to get rid of the pain faster. A quick fast jiggly rub!
As for how it feels....it doesn't really feel like anything. If your sugar is high, and the insulin does it's job bringing you back down to closer to normal, you just feel more awake, not as thirsty, not as crummy, more energetic, etc. If it doesn't, you just still kind of feel ho-hum. If you go too low from too much, you feel lethargic and hot and very hungry...sometimes dizzy, numb/tingly. And if you ever rollercoaster, up and down and up and down, you just feel like pure garbage!!! I usually get a headache and feel like a wet noodle bc then the body is more like WHHOOOAAAAAAAA!
So...you don't want to drop too quickly either bc you can set things in motion to go too low....what you are doing is fine!! It's right!! Slowly adjust the insulin up, fiddle with the diet but not to the point where she is hungry, and you will get there! Better to take your time in getting it down. I don't know about doggies, but for people, a slow decrease is better than a very fast one....it just makes you feel badly.
I find if I take the needle out before releasing the pinched skin all the way helps with the pain too. Taking it out while the skin is still pinched up hurts me more for some reason...I don't know why, but it does..." I also want to add here that when you keep the pinch and take the needle out before releasing the pinched skin, it tends to get that wet spot that pushes some insulin out I think.
I hope this is helpful to you! And I will be back with some more pointers as I sort through them!:D
Thank you SOOO much for having me here!! I'm very happy to "meet" you all!
And I'll try to get some pics in here too!
Lots of hugs!! Beth (and of course, my Scooter and Bailey!)