Looking for advice!
Glad to of found this web page! I have recently ( about 3wks ago) started on the Omnipod insulin pump. This is my first pump and used Lispro/Lantus for about 2 1/2 months prior to starting the pump. I was diagnosed three years ago and place on oral meds when I (max wt 122lbs) was told I was a type 2 because I was diagnosed at age 35. When I started loosing weight and eating like crazy I new something was up!! Especially being an RN. I went to a few different Endocrinologist then I was told I was type 1 and place on insulin, I gained 6lbs very quickly and now a little over 3 months I feel much better, However, I've had many bumping times when I first started on the insulin and trying to get regulated on the pump. I have always been active-Yoga/Pilates/mountain biking/hiking/running/skydiving/scuba diving. etc. but now married to a wonderful guy who is a hardcore activites freak, it is hard to do activities and slows him down and leaves me always trying to figure out what to bring/what to do and how to do it. I have had low BS in the middle of the woods/biking/running and high's skydiving/ice climbing. I am trying to keep my BS somewhat normal as I find it fatigues me more if I am high when I do an activity, but I do not wish to be low in the middle of nowhere. I carry sugar tabs and a glucagon kit when I do activities. Just hoping to get advice on how long it took for anyone to get regulated on the pump and what they carry for food when they do long strenous climbing/hiking. And I think just looking to hear familiar stories of how people feel physically with the diabetes doing these activities, sometimes I feel pretty wimpy doing these activites because I fatigue easier than I use to, or nauseated when my BS creeps up or drops quickly. I know that I am very knew and probably need to give it more time to adjust. Just grateful to hear what others have experienced. Thanks for any advice!! Denise Doscher
Hi Denise, welcome!
My wife Liz is a type 1 pumper (and an RN, incidentally). When we're out in the hills, exertion causes her BS to drop, but fear causes it to rise. So it can be difficult to plan for a mixture of the two. But understanding what's going on really helps! We have found that temp basals work well for long days, but it takes an hour or two for the effect to start and stop so they don't work so well for half days. We have to revert to full basal at least 1-2 hours before the end of a day's exertion.
We always used to climb to a nice spot for lunch, but that late-morning exertion came at just the wrong time for blood sugar. A low just before lunch has to be corrected with sugar before bolusing and eating. Correcting a low can be hit-and-miss with a temp basal, and can set you up for instability all afternoon. Especially if it's a nice gentle descent from your post-lunch hilltop nap!
When she first had her pump it took a long time to get stable - about a year. We finally realised that she absorbs glucose extremely quickly in the morning, so the answer was to separate breakfast into two snacks two hours apart, otherwise bolusing for a large breakfast just causes a major downwards overshoot.
Finally, we have found that the solution to cycling at the same speed is to ride a tandem!
-- Andy Reynolds MAD Website Admin
Hi Denise.
There are many here, lurkers or otherwise, who can very much sympathize with your situation! I think that the early months after being diagnosed can, for many, be quite a roller coaster. In many cases, I think it is next to impossible to dial it all in, whether you are a total couch potatoe or a hard core athlete or a weekend warrior. Many of us have written about this strange thing called the pancreas that can for quite some time spurt and sputter and wreak havoc on your blood sugars --
I think that the diabetes medical community in general is pretty clueless, although thankfully there are exceptions. Often they are the CDEs or endos who are active diabetics themselves. The biggest challenge for aerobic activities is how insulin sensitive you become and how, for many of us, you need to WAY reduce your basal insulin using temporary basals both during the activity and perhaps even following. One's goal for any activity is to adjust your insulin so that you feed exactly like your non-D co-participant. You may need to start a lower basal some time prior to starting your activity or eat something just before starting out on your hike, cycle, what have you. Sometimes you need to eat during the activity, to prevent lows or to react to lows already happening. I think prevention and planning is key. Easy enough to say than for me to practice for myself.
Then there are activities which can make your blood sugar go upwards -- things that produce these pesky counter regulatory hormones.
I'll add more and others please elaborate!
cheers, dp