? Nadir moving & usually at night - how to track?

Mookie's has been on Lantus since last May. His numbers are finally starting to come down. His nadir is never at the same time and is usually at night while I'm sleeping. What is the best way to track it, so that I can avoid a hypoglycemic episode?

 

The experts here can coach you through the fear of shooting Lantus on lower pre shot numbers like last night's. Over time you'll see that giving insulin when the PS is lower can result in low flat numbers through the cycle.

 

Great How do I connect with the experts?

 

I suggest you make a new thread with a title that indicated you need to learn how to give Lantus on lower pre shot numbers. I'll tag a few people:
@Wendy&Neko
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)

 

Each cycle has a nadir. It's not uncommon for cats to have a lower nadir at night. Since some cats are more nocturnal than others, it's possible that Mookie is "busier" at night than during the day and the activity may lower his numbers. This is also why it is very important to get at least a before bed test every night.

That said, nadirs can and do move around. Gabby's nadir was typically at around +3 -- except when it wasn't. All you can do is consider that your cat's typical nadir is your best estimate of when nadir will occur but understand that there are any number of factors (including the phase of the moon -- and I'm not kidding) that may influence how insulin is being metabolized.

At least to my eyes, I don't see a large difference between AM and PM numbers.

The best way to let people know you have a question is just what you did -- use the question icon or phrase your subject line as a question, or tag people (or all three).

 

Neko's nadir was reliably between +3.5 and +13 when she was on Lantus, though most often between +7 and +9. I got to learn her BG patterns and could usually guess roughly where it would be. Data is your friend. And if you can't monitor, leave out lots of food for him so he can keep himself safe.

I would recommend picking one of the two dosing methods used here, either Tight Regulation or Start Low Go Slow. Following their guidelines for dose changes (and shooting lower numbers) will make things easier for you. Again, gather data when you are able to monitor, so you can learn what to expect.