Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Nicole on February 6, 2012 at 7:43pm

Unfortunately that tends to be the case with T1. Just as you begin to think you've mastered it, your body changes and you end up struggling to keep up. It's a vicious ongoing cycle. Try lowering the amount of carbs he's eating. It will be easier to do that rather than give him insulin to cover the carbs.

Also, what kind of snack are you giving him? Make sure he's getting some protein and carbs that are longer lasting (higher in whole grains).

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Permalink Reply by SuzP on February 6, 2012 at 7:54pm

thanks, he's having a pb sandwich so it's got the carb/protein mix
I'm sure things will change again soon, but it sure is frustrating for now

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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on February 6, 2012 at 7:55pm

I would suggest avoiding whole grains as I've noticed that those sorts of things take a couple of hours to "deploy"?? I try to clear out as much "on board" insulin as possible and generally "make do" with 8-10G of carbs although I doubt I burn 1/4 as much energy as a 12 year old swimmer? Maybe hedge your bets with 20-25G and see what happens? I think that faster acting carbs, maybe fruit or something like that, would hit a sweet spot?

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Permalink Reply by Brian (bsc) on February 7, 2012 at 3:17am

OMG. I call "Winter Beard!"

I'm no longer allowed to have one, for fear that I would get mistaken for a member of ZZ Top.

Great new look.

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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on February 7, 2012 at 4:07am

Thanks! I was gonna shave but MrsAcidRock said "you'd better not or we'll have another blizzard..."

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Permalink Reply by nel on February 6, 2012 at 9:03pm

I tend to suggest same from a distance ( about 500 km from you :) ...lower the carbs prior to the swim . Test, test, test , darn , darn ,darn and see what works at the time !!!....till next time .
What does he prefer to eat prior to the swim ?? ..he does not want to feel too tummy full in any case ?

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Permalink Reply by rick phillips on February 7, 2012 at 4:07am

I suggest doing nothing in the short run. I base my suggestion on the recentness of the change, High Blood sugars are tough, but you might want , a low in a pool is more dangerous than a high and I wonder if you might want to make sure he isn't taking crabs you might not know about.

Rick

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Permalink Reply by JohnG on February 7, 2012 at 4:30am

I agree with AR...you will have better luck with fast acting carbs during a athletic event. It will be much easier for you to make adjustments. You will probably also have a better chance if you raise his BG before the event and let the activity pull it down...when he is finished he will need to restore lost muscle glycogen, 30 to 60 min after activity when the muscles can take up glucose without much need for insulin.  Also keep it in mind that he can suffer from late-onset hypoglycemia for hours after a event his body is going to restore lost muscle glycogen if this is not taken care of as soon as he is finished with activity.

You need to read --Diabetic Athlete's Handbook by Dr Sheri Colberg--

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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on February 7, 2012 at 4:37am

Something in small "denominations" is useful, as if it's a shade low, a couple beans will get you where you want to be? They sell "sport beans" but they're like $2.00 1/2 oz but I just get bags of Starburst Jelly beans for $3.99/ pound.

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Permalink Reply by SuzP on February 7, 2012 at 7:23am

Yup, gummy bears and Gu chomps are our go to mini-carbs :)

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Permalink Reply by SuzP on February 7, 2012 at 7:23am

That's what we had been doing and it was working great, now not so much....
We'll try a smaller quicker snack on Wednesday and see how it goes.
Thanks for the book reference, I'll look it up.

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