It seems you have had a few times where you have stalled, I have already provided some comment regarding your hesitation to shoot anything lower than 200. To give you some more food for thought, I think if you are able to get a +10 or +11, you may be able to see whether the cycle is coming down yet to pre-shot, or whether the cycle is waning, and Honey is on her way back up. I am extracting the following from one of the stickies about handling lower pre-shot numbers, hope it helps.
Becoming Data Ready:
Are you data ready to handle a lower preshot number?
Everyone focuses on the +6 spot check to find the cat’s nadir, but there is a reason to collect data in the very early and very late part of the cycle. The +10s and +11s and +1s and +2s are often the “neglected spot checks,” but they can be almost as important as the nadir.
Why the +1s and +2s? Let’s say you have a lower than usual preshot. If you have collected the data to know what usually happens after you shoot and how long it usually takes for the insulin to start having an effect (onset), you may see that shooting low is actually very safe for your cat. If your cat typically rises through +1 and +2 before the insulin starts to work between +2 and +3, then you can feel comfortable knowing that your cat will actually be much higher before the insulin starts to work. If your cat typically has little to no food spike or an early onset, then you may need to be more conservative with low preshots.
You are not shooting the number your cat is at now – you are shooting the number your cat will be at when the insulin kicks in. You need to know what that number will be. You are then using the lag time (aka
overlap and
carryover) to your advantage. It is important to note that while Levemir may typically have a later onset than Lantus or Basaglar, that is not true for every cat. Know thy cat.
Why the +10s and +11s? These spot checks will help keep you out of trouble. Again, let’s say that you have a lower than usual preshot. If your preshot is higher than +10 or +11, you know the insulin from that cycle is waning, the cat is on his way up, and the number is probably shootable. If you have a preshot that is much lower than your +10 or +11, knowing why will help you decide whether or not to shoot. Some Lantus, Basaglar, and Levemir users notice a dip at the end of the cycle, meaning that the preshot is always a bit lower than +10 or +11 (but usually still higher than the nadir – the cat dips to a nadir at mid-cycle, then rises, then dips again). If this is your cat’s pattern, then this type of dip is not a reason to delay a shot. On the other hand, if your cat has a bounce clearing and is still careening downhill at shot time (usually characterized by numbers that drop for the whole cycle, without a clear nadir), then you will want to take that into consideration as you make a decision about shooting. Know thy cat.
Knowing whether your cat is one that dips at the end of the cycle can also help you with dose increases. If your nadirs are not that great and you are considering an increase, but then he dips again at the end of the cycle, you might be tempted to delay the increase. If you know that this is a usual pattern for your cat, you will know that you can ignore that dip and go ahead with the increase.
Do not forget the “neglected spot checks.” They are more useful than most realize.
Know thy cat. Be data ready to handle the situation.
~ written by jojo and bunny(GA) and Y, edited to update and clarify by Libby and Lucy
Again, IMHO, we all have had to get used to shooting lower preshots...not saying it is easy, but depending on your goals for Honey, at some point you may need to get more comfortable with the idea.