Yesterday had disaster written all over the treadmill again but I learned from my mistakes on Friday, I was determined to finish my run and even though it took me a little over an hour to complete a 45 minute run I couldn't be happier with my performance.
Yesterday at 5:08 pm my blood sugar was at 170, this was 2 hours and 8 minutes after turning my pump down 95% to 5% of capacity and 1 hour and 30 minutes after an unbolused clif bar I was ready to head to the gym. Before walking out of my office for the 5 block walk to NY Health & Racket I had a chocolate accel-gel hoping to get my bs above 200.
When I arrived at the gym, 12 minutes later my blood sugar was 145 - ugh! I had hoped this was just some weird occurrence so I went upstairs, stretched and hoped on the treadmill, my blood sugar was up 8 points to 153. 15 minutes into my run my blood sugar was 106 - not a good sign, 5 minutes later my blood sugar was at 96 so I took an accel-gel - really not a good sign - 25 minutes into my run I was down to 68 - UGH!!! Bit by low bug again. I stopped the treadmill, picked up my stuff and instead of punching a hole in a wall I went and sat on the side of the boxing rink.
Over the next 15 minutes I tested 3 or 4 times:
6:03 PM (5 minutes after getting off the treadmill) - 71
6:07 PM - some dumb trainer comes up to me and says hello, ummm buddy do you not notice the daggers coming out of my eyes right now, leave me the hell alone
6:10 PM - blood sugar of 89
6:15 PM - blood sugar of 121 - YESSS!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN FINISH MY RUN
I hustle over to the treadmill, set it for 20 minutes and off I went, when I finished my run my blood sugar was a very happy 86.
Over time I'll learn how to avoid going low when I run, but now at least I realize no matter how many annoying trainers come up to me or how pissed I am at diabetes if I have the sugars in my system my blood sugar will eventually rise to the point where I can finish my workout. I just hope by July 20th I have this thing better understood.
5 comments:
Patience, Grasshopper :)
It takes an enormous amount of patience to deal with your body when it's not cooperating and you want nothing more than to finish a workout. You did a great job practicing that.
Shannon is right ... patience is key. The reality is that managing this condition is not all that scientific to begin with, in spite of grandiose claims to the contrary. Example: we attempt to control in spite of not having measures on other hormones circulating in the bloodstream which compete for access to the cell receptors, so are guided by only a few known variables, yet there are many other variables not being factored into the equation. While pattern recognition can help on occasion, its not physiological and will therefore always be imperfect.
After 31 years, I've learned that a key is not to beat yourself up for the unpredictable and just roll with the punches. You'll avoid unnecessary stress that likely could not have been avoided anyway.
It will get easier. Still, I was thinking of you when I had a similar experience with my run last night. I ate *plenty* but still got low on my run. My exercise level has picked up a little lately, and I've been trying to eat less, which is the perfect combo for lower BGs.
Since you were diagnosed pretty recently, you may still be producing some insulin. There is a test that will measure the C-peptide levels, which are only present if your body is still making insulin. It might not make things easier but could at least help explain what's going on.
Are you getting low during the day? Are you eating enough throughout the day? When I was training for IMCDA, we would do long runs the day after our long rides and I would have to basically shut off the pump and eat like crazy to keep my BGs high enough. Did you workout yesterday morning, or have a hard workout Sunday?
Anyway, congrat's on persevering through the low. I get really mad when a BG spoils my workout, too!
WAY to go! I'm glad you could finish, and that you tested so much. Sometimes having diabetes just really sucks!
That said, I agree with Scott and Shannon.
After living with t1 for 18 years, I know a lot about my diabetes and my body, and one of the things I know is that you can't alway explain it away logically. Sometimes the body has strange things in store for us that defy logic. I know you're going to be fine, more than fine, and that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, but diabetes is something that doesn't ever get "perfect" results 100% of the time, despite our more than perfect attempts.
I would have quit in frustration. Good job waiting it out, Ed. You really are learning all the nuances of the disease.
(although I know you just wanted to hang around with the awesome NYHRC personal trainers!)
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