Thursday, September 27, 2007

Diabetes - What! Diabetes - Who!

Diabetes gave me its best shot yesterday, it tried as hard as it could to make me cut a workout short, to not even attempt a work out in fact - but yesterday I won the battle, the most important to date. After the exuberance of finishing my 45 minute run on Monday I ignorantly thought I had diabetes under control, I thought I finally learned how to hit the curve ball and was well on my way to batting 1.000 against this thing. Yesterday, diabetes came back with something that I never expected.

It all started in the morning, I wanted to get a muffin when I got to my office so I decided to just have a glass of OJ in the morning. As I put on my work clothes I started to feel really weird - man my apartment is hot I thought, but to be safe I tested - 42! WTF how am I down to 42, I didn't over bolus. So I called my boss, let him know I'd be in a bit late and made myself a delicious glucose tab cocktail. I felt somewhat strange for the rest of the day but was still determined to go for my 5 mile run after work.

At 3:15 I turned my pump down 95% and had a blood sugar of 85; at 3:30 I had a clif bar unbolused, at 4:15 my bs was only 100 - really weird - my bs normally shoots up 50 points for an unbolused clif bar. I decided to add an unbolused clif builder bar to my stomach - at 4:45 my bs was 154 so I headed to the gym. 10 minutes later my bs was 106 - ugh! I had an acel-gel, after stretching I was up to 110; oh well I have enough carbs in me I thought lets get this done.

10 minutes into my run I had a second acel-gel but refused to test, 15 mintues after that I had a second acel-gel and refused to test yet again. I completed my 45 minute run with a bs of 87 - yesterday would have been easy for me to walk away from the treadmill. Yesterday I had a perfectly acceptable excuse to tell my coach why I couldn't run, my blood sugars weren't at a safe level to begin exercising. But what I refused to accept that diabetes would stop me from running, from training, from reaching my goals. Perhaps I put too much into getting every workout in but I refuse to let diabetes be an excuse, I was determined to finish that run yesterday and there was nothing this disease could do to stop me. I will continue to fight it and I will continue to win these batttles and ultimatley win the war. Diabetes, when I cross the finish line at IMLP on July 20, 2008 you will have done everything you could to prevent me and I will smile and know that I defeated you and proved that this disease can not stop me.

9 comments:

Dances with Corgis said...

1. What is a glucose tab cocktail... do you actually blend them with OJ or just chomp down two or three with water?

2. It seems as when you're low, it happens for a few days... and oftentimes is related to crazy weather. Look how hot it's been lately that might have an affect, no?

3. That is awesome that Tom is so understanding and works with you.

4. You are dumb for refusing to test while running, I hate it when you do that, just like during your sprint tri

5- good job still getting a run in and bulldozing through those lows!

Scott K. Johnson said...

Way to go Ed!

Dances with Corgis said...

Also, is the title of this post some football cheer or something? :)

Wingman said...

Diabetes - What! Diabetes - Who! would be like saying team name x - what! team name x - who! after you took them behind the wood shed and beat them.

Anonymous said...

Ed..... Nice work as always. Don't forget about Mary Ann, she's a great resource. She just did a 1/2 Ironman too!

:_) mary

Anne Findlay said...

I have to agree with dwb on #4 and #5 although I wouldn't yet dare call you "dumb." Plus I've done the same thing! But anyway, congrat's on getting through it. It is wacky when that stuff happens.

Major Bedhead said...

If I were your mother, I'd give you shit for not testing. But since I'm not, I'll just strongly urge you to not ignore those weird feelings. It's one thing to do that if you're in a gym full of people, but getting in the habit of ignoring those weird feelings when you're out running on your own is just asking for trouble. You can stick with your workout, maybe just plan for an extra 15 - 20 minutes on the days your bg is doing weird things.

Unknown said...

I admire your tenacity, but you scare me a little bit. I think it is great that you did the workout, but why don't you ever test while you're running? I hate having to test so much while exercising, but it might save us from some scary scenarios. I don't want you (or me) to have to learn the hard way, y'know?

Shannon said...

Ah, you've gotten the lectures about not testing during a workout, so let me just say good for you for sticking it out, but please test if you feel weird :)

Sorry, couldn't get through that comment without a lecture ;)