Staying steady (-ish)
So much of the food here in Asia has been particularly high-carb, giving me trouble in the blood sugar department. It’s also been ridiculously tasty, with thick pad Thais, savory curries served with heaps of rice, and deep bowls of pho I’ve slurped every last bite of. But not every item has been so carb heavy. Consider the following items I’ve encountered at night markets, restaurants and street corners:
1. Deep fried crickets
2. Grilled goat
3. Snail soup
4. Shrimp heads, fish heads, any seafood head really….
5. Deep fried river weed
Of the list above, I have to be honest with you and divulge that I was only brave enough to sample the goat-it’s considered a local favorite in some of the northern areas of Vietnam and the dish we were served was quite tasty. They used a simple and sweet marinade on the goat meat and sprinkled it with sesame seeds before grilling. The meat was tender and flavorful, and definitely didn’t require a bolus. As for the crickets…um maybe I’ll give them a try next time? At any rate, it’s nice to know its not all noodles.
I’ve finally hit a bit of a stride with my insulin (it only took me a month and half!). The first week of travel, I spent every morning at 5am treating a crashing low, even though I’d regularly go to sleep with a BG over 250 due to high carb dinners.
I split my Lantus dose between morning and evening, so after that first week I started dialing back one unit a day on the evening injection until the lows subsided. I actually came down total of 6 Lantus units from where I started on this trip, presumably because we walk so much throughout the day. I think the steady exercise spread out over a long period of time has lowered my overall requirements, even though meal times can require a lot of rapid acting to cover the carbs. I’ve started blousing sooner for noodle or rice meals, and I find that helps prevent some of the bigger spikes after I eat.
I still struggle with bolusing for meals when I know there’s heavier physical activity coming up after. It’s tough to dose when you have 50 grams of carb in front of you that will be followed by a rigorous hike up a mountain. But overall, I’m getting better at this whole travel thing when it comes to diabetes.
We’re in Vietnam right now, and I have a LOT to say about this leg of the trip…more to come soon!
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Wow! I’m more out of the loop than I thought… What a great journey you are on! Hope the last leg is as wonderful as the rest of it has been.