Type one diabetes

wheelbreaksthebutterflies
wheelbreaksthebutterflies Posts: 32
in Food and Nutrition
I'm brand new here, so I thought first off, I'd say hello!

Second, I have been a type one diabetic for eleven years now. In case we are not clear, when people warn about having a healthy lifestyle to prevent diabetes, this is not what they mean. The kind of diabetes I have is genetic and is an autoimmune disease; the other kind of diabetes is the one that they're talking about, which is mainly due to life style choices.

This section is pretty much for people not in the know about diabetes to explain my problem. I often have low blood sugars and so now I'm afraid that by working out, I may have more lows as exercise is an extremely big factor in low sugars. To correct a low blood sugar, you must consume more sugar. There is no getting around that.

My question is, if I run low and have to consume something, should I even bother adding that to my calories for the day, since I don't have a choice as to eating/drinking something? I have glucose tabs, which are usually about 12 calories per (a total of five or six usually brings me up), or juice, which has 100 calories. I was considering that, but I'm not sure if that would be beneficial at all.

Thanks for the help in advance!

Replies

  • absoluttif1
    absoluttif1 Posts: 19 Member
    I would add the calories. Unfortunately, it's just a part of it. Do you have a pump? Can you temp basal before you workout? I know that won't help totally, but maybe it could save a few calories. My son has Type 1 and I'm always wondering how it will be for him if he starts working out. As it is right now, he has to have a juice before he swims, roller skates, etc. Actually, roller skating is CRAZY for lows! I'm force feeding him Pepsi, popsicles, and tabs pretty much any time I can get him back over to the table.

    Our educator runs marathons, spins, etc. From what she told us, she uses the temp basal function a lot for workouts.

    Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, if you know you are going to have a hard workout, can you just not give yourself a full bolus (or not bolus at all) and plan a healthy snack before you go to the gym?
  • absoluttif1
    absoluttif1 Posts: 19 Member
    Oh, also! Are you going to be working out alone? I know you've had Type 1 for eleven years, but as a mom, I want to make sure you're always being safe! Do you have someone who can administer glucagon just in case (while you're getting into the swing of things and learning about how your body reacts to a hard workout)?
  • wheelbreaksthebutterflies
    wheelbreaksthebutterflies Posts: 32
    Most of the time that I work out it is from an aerobics class, so I have lots of people around me. I do use a pump but have not quite the hang of temp basals yet; I either back off too much or not enough.
  • absoluttif1
    absoluttif1 Posts: 19 Member
    So maybe a snack with little or no bolus before class would be your best bet?
  • wheelbreaksthebutterflies
    wheelbreaksthebutterflies Posts: 32
    The class is first thing in the morning, so I always start by eating breakfast. Maybe I can give myself a free carb with breakfast then. Thanks for the advice, by the way.
  • jaygreen55
    jaygreen55 Posts: 315 Member
    Hi
    I'm diabetic and on an intensive insulin regimen so I'm familiar with what you're going through. I'm not a true type 1 in that my body still produces a trace of it's own insulin and I have no antibodies to indicate auto immune destruction of my beta cells but I became diabetic at a relatively young age (34) and i was lean and fit at the time of my diagnosis. My doctor describes me as type 11/2 and I am treated with and respond to insulin like a type 1. I've been taking insulin for 19 years now

    First of all if you're logging calories and carbohydrates consumed you should count what you take to correct for low blood sugar. Dex 4 glucose tablets have 4 grams of carbohydrates and 16 calories each and it takes 3-5 tablets to bring my BG up when I go low

    I always check my blood sugar before I exercise and if it is below 120 I eat a snack containing 20- 30 grams of simple carbs and depending how intensely I'm working out repeat that every 30- 45 minutes. Most diabetes manuals recommend a pre exercise level of 150-250 to prevent hypos

    If your exercise session is of long duration or very high intensity your body will be very sensitive to insulin for several hours to a day afterwards. I reduce my basal insulin by 30 - 50 percent and always eat after my workout. Yesterday I jogged 16 miles in 3hrs 12 minutes and ended up eating 475 grams of carbs over the day and still had blood sugar levels at 80 -100 and woke up this morning at 70

    There are several good books out there that you would find very helpful in managing your diabetes. My favorite is the "John Hopkins Guide to Living With Diabetes" It's a very comprehensive but easy to read and understand text

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