That's it, 9 minutes, that is the length of my workout today - a whopping 9 minutes - 36 minutes short of my scheduled time. This week I'm up on Diabetes 5 - 1 but that just isn't good enough - and today is major bs - I've never been so upset at a disease in my life. In fact if I could kick a diseases ass diabetes would be in for a major beat down right now. We could put it up on pay-per-view put the two of us in a steel cage and settle it like men; but no diabetes likes to play sneaky it likes to play unfair. Diabetes wil sneak up on you and prevent you from living your life the way you want, it will take your eye sight, it will take your limbs; eating healthy and exercise are the best ways to combat it so then diabetes says you have to have your blood sugar high enough to complete workouts but sometimes NO MATTER WHAT YOU EAT your blood sugar just won't be high enough.
Today I reduced my lunch time bolus by a unit of insulin, had a clif bar, 2 acel-gels and 3 glucose tabs before I ran; before I left my office I was at 150, short walk to the gym down to 117, stretched, had that second acel-gel waited a bit - at 120; oh well it will go up I thought. Due to the internet lectures I received I decided to test while I was running today (I hate you guys for making me do this!) 9 minutes into the run my blood sugar was at 88 - crap! Ok lets take a 5 minute break and see what happens; so I stand there on the treadmill staring at the wall and ready to head butt anyone who looks at me weird. After 5 minutes I'm at 79!!!!!!!!!!!!! Call it a day, hop in the shower, at 91 when I finish the shower, back in my office now 45 minutes after I finished my run, over an hour after all that food and I'm only at 112 - WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm ready to forget about the MBA, take the MCAT and see if I can't be Dr. House on this one.
Update: 1 and 1/2 hours I stopped my run and nearly 2 and 1/2 hours after the clif bar my blood sugar is up to 180 - just add some more frustration.
8 comments:
Ed,
I really admire the way you are tackling diabetes and your work out schedule head on. It's actually kind of inspiring when I'm feeling very jaded.
Just a couple of thoughts-
Are you reducing basals ahead of your gym sessions? I cannot get through a workout without either a severe low or eating a mountain of carbs if I don't pull back for around 2 hours before and several hours after a workout. Since I have a fairly consistent pattern I actually have a "gym days" basal pattern that differs from my "non-gym days".
Also, how far ahead of your workout are you having your Clif bars? Those things can take an aaaaage to raise blood sugar!
Apologies if these are things you have already considered, and good luck in your endeavors to crack it!
Caro
P.S Very glad you adopted the practice of testing while running :-P
Major suckage man.
Part of what makes us winners is to take these frustrating days, and deal with them as best we can (which sometimes means to just chalk them up in the "WTF" column), then get up and try it again.
You will find the formula.
Wingman, I'm sorry you have to deal with all this. Exercising and having diabetes is hard. I love your determination, and I hope you don't get discouraged enough to give up on your goals. You CAN do it, but it isn't easy. After living with this beast for 18 years I can say that life is good, but then again, I don't remember life without diabetes.
Keep going. Glad you're testing while running.
In 1999, Gary Hall Jr. was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, commonly referred to as childhood or juvenile diabetes. Upon his diagnosis, Hall struggled with the possibilities and the effects he knew the medical condition would have on his life. Hall took a short hiatus from swimming, but returned in time to compete in the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials. There he won the 50m freestyle and placed second in the 100m freestyle. His 50m time, at 21.76 seconds set a new American record, beating the ten-year old record set by Tom Jager.
That is some fast freestyle in the comment above.
Ed I think you've got to just take the bad days and let them go. I think some days will just be screwed up and that's the nature of the disease. Maybe it's a good thing and will make you be more ebb and flow type b personality :)
I've already told you think but I think you would be a fantastic medical professional.
There will be sooo much trial and error in finding what works and how your body reacts to different stressors.
I don't blame you for being frustrated.
But don't ever give up. Take a breather and get back at it again.
Hi Ed,
I came across the blog while I as searching for triathletes in NYC who have been blogging about their training and experience racing. You've got a great story and I admire your determination and effort to educate yourself and pass on that knowledge to others.
I posted the Gary Hall, Jr. blurb (above). As a swimmer (swimmer gone tri) I think he's an amazing athlete and roll model for kids, particularly athletes, going through lifesytle and training changes that a type 1 diagnosis entails.
Best of luck and keep up all your hard work!!!
Meg
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