Downhill slope.
We all have differing levels of confidence when it comes to certain activities and managing our diabetes. For example, I feel very confident in my ability to manage my diabetes on long runs, having trained for several half marathons at this point. Sure, I don’t always get it right and there will always be some surprises (I mean, it’s diabetes, right?) but for the most part I know what to expect and what to do. A sport that’s always challenged me and my d-confidence has been surfing. I can’t take my CGM with me (well, not easily), and being in the water makes it hard for me to recognize a low BG. More than once I’ve been out in the ocean and gulped down a GU because I was sure I was feeling shaky, only to return to a BG of 250mg/dL and a realization it was the pummeling of the waves, not the glucose that had me fatigued and shaky.
A sport that falls somewhere in the middle for me is skiing. I love to ski, but I just don’t go very often - maybe once a year? Sunday found us on said annual trip, and Jacob and I hauled up to the mountain for a day on the slopes. I went in with a great BG, about 98. I had 15 grams of CHO by way of an apple before getting on the mountain, but didn’t turn down my basals. I did a run on the bunny slope to get my bearings, and then we headed up a regular lift to some blue tracks.
We did about four runs, and I was feeling good (although a little clumsy and slow - to be expected when you get out once a year!). BG held steady in the 80s for the better part of two hours, but at the top of the mountain on our last run, I felt three vibrations from my CGM, tucked in the top of my shirt. If you use the brand of CGM that I do, you know that three vibrations or beeps means you’ve hit your low threshold (versus two for highs), so I knew I had dropped under 70mg/dL. It was good timing, as we were ready for a hot chocolate break right then anyways (yeah…we don’t take ourselves too seriously out there! Four runs = hot chocolate break in our world!)
Turns out the hot chocolate was waaaay to much for that little low, and I was arrow up and 154mg/dL in no time. I bolused two units, and steadily watched the arrow flip around on my CGM. By the time we broke for lunch around 1pm, I was in the low 80s but still drifting down, so a few french fries from Jacob’s plate to complement my chicken salad did the trick. We hit a few more runs after lunch and called it a day after that.
Surprisingly, that’s when the biggest challenge started. I dropped down into the 40s before dinner, had three lows overnight, and dropped low twice the following day! It’s amazing that not only intense exercise but the type of exercise can change how sensitive you are to insulin for an entire 24 hours afterwards! I’ve been playing catch up all day, despite being relatively sedentary at work on Monday.
What activities do you feel like you have down? And which ones are hard for your to manage, or challenge your d-confidence?
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Bicycle cycling I can do. That’s easy - and easier the longer it lasts.
On the other hand: Running, swimming, gardening (especially bad: cutting down trees), teaching the kid how to ride a bike, pleasant little walks around town (with or without icecream) are all a pain. A proper pain. And not just because they involve movement, also because of blood glucose