Category: Diabetes

April 17

I’ve done two good ride days now.

The day before was bad but a good lesson. The Powerade really helped so I started out with that yesterday and did half the bolus dose I had calculated. Lots of tips from the nurse and dietitian at the clinic about exercising with diabetes. Also some more tips on dealing with my post breakfast highs- I forgot I need to be taking my insulin 10-15 mins before eating.

Trying also to get up a bit earlier on work days to get on the stationary bike – the nurse said that trying to keep a consistent amount of exercise is best for my insulin dosing, so I’m not messing too much with how much I’ll need.

April 16

Yesterday was the first day of my training regime for this 2 day long bike ride coming up at the end of August. It’s an MS fundraiser and here in our region it’s called the West Kootenay Glacier Challenge. It’s hellishly hard. And I really want to try and do it.

I’m going to do it.

So, yesterday was my first official training day.

And I fucked up.

It’s all good now but it was a little unsettling at the time.

OK, so I only moderately fucked up, I guess it could’ve been a lot worse.

Bike ride + bad planning= lesson learned.

I planned to go for an hour and a half, with a turn around at 45mins and I wasn’t going to check my blood sugar before that. In the past I have biked for half an hour and then checked and it’s all good and then check again in half another hour and it’s getting low, so I thought I was good… The other thing is, I usually let my BG be a little high before I go out.

Yesterday BG was 10.4 when I left. This was the start of the problem- it was only half hour after taking rapid insulin and I had taken a dosage to cover all the food I ate, instead of letting it run a bit higher…

45mins of moderate cycling later BG is 3.7.

Whoops.

OK, it’s ok, I brought lots of snacks. So sandwich. (38g of carbs).

Got me up to BG 6.2. And I still had to get home.

That’s ok, I had some dex tabs too (20g) and then started the ride back.

Easy cycling, no pushing. 20 mins in I did a recheck.

BG 6.7

Well hell. I am fighting with my insulin now. I know I did wrong with the food bolus insulin and now the exercise and insulin are working against me.

But it’s still ok, I still have snacks. Half a granola bar (15g of carbs) goes in to the bod then I bike another 20 mins.

(Yes, technically I should be almost home, time-wise, but having a low really slowed me down and I was still, at this point, 20 mins from home. It’s either that or the ride home is actually further.)

So, I stop and retest again. BG 6.9.

Ok, I know I can make it home in about 20 mins. I still have food in my bag but I am standing outside a gas station and say fuck it and buy two of those power drinks. Now I can have the carbs while I’m moving.

15 mins later I am on the ferry, 5 mins from home. I have drank almost all of 710ml of sports drink.

BG 7.4! Yay!!

I feel good, I feel proud of myself for managing. I ease my way home and have an orange and some cheese to celebrate.

Sooo, I learned some lessons yesterday… and as tired and upset as I was during the whole thing I am not cut down. I still want to do this.

Day 1 of the training for the West Kootenay Glacier Challenge has been accomplished! Today I’ll be going out again…

March 30

Tonight I have been trying to remember what I thought of diabetes before I had it. Honestly, I didn’t really think about it. I mean, I knew my dad had it and he’d had since he was a child.

I knew the very basics – that insulin was used by diabetics so their blood sugars didn’t go too high, but they also had to be careful not to have too much, that their BG would go too low. I was terrified of my dad having lows. Even when he had ones he could function through, I would be in heart-pounding anxiety mode, terrified he’d not be able to get his sugar to come up. I knew what to do if he went unconscious but hopingwishinghopingpraying that I’d never have to do deal with that.

I really didn’t think it was that hard- he makes it look so easy! Even so, I have always been overly watchful. But I remember at the same time I was also so used to it that I didn’t think about it- it was normal. He’s always done regular things. I think in my child-brain it only effected him at meal times or bedtime, when he had to do his shots. He’s also had 50 years experience.

Now I don’t know what to think about it. It’s hard and it’s tiring and it’s always in the back of my mind. Every thought I have about myself is coloured by it. What is my work day like? Can I go out to an event, and if I do will I last through a meal that I’ll have to adjust for? Can I go to bed yet? Can I run to the store for something? Am I OK to drive?

I think if I’m going to figure out myself with this disease, I need to start by making myself understand that I have a disease.

March 27

My 3 day weekend was good. Almost done with the old place, just a couple things left to move. I had some wine last night and recovered all day today – BG has been high all day.

Depressed, and angry with myself. I am overwhelmed with everything right now. Moving is almost all done but now all the little things are piling up and I can’t function to do them.

Can’t. Won’t.

March 10

Just started antibiotics for my ingrown toenail that won’t heal. It’s not getting worse or better and it’s been that way for about 2 weeks now. Also started probiotics ‘cuz I really don’t need a yeast infection on top of infected toenail.

So much to do still with the move. Feel so much more at home here. Gonna try and sleep and then go get stuff done at the old place.

February 29

I was thinking about how tired I am of doing math every time I want to eat. And I am amazed that this process is already ‘built in’ to non-diabetics, and done better than we can do manually. No big spikes or crashes. No guessing – the pancreas just does it. Gets me thinking about all the organs, when they’re healthy, just go along doing their thing.

Without getting into all the specific hormone actions, think about the basics. The heart beats regularly. The lungs exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide.. My body is beating and breathing and digesting…

We are amazing. My body, even with it’s little deficiencies, amazes me.

But I still don’t like having to do math when I eat.