Calling diabetics

6ftamazon
6ftamazon Posts: 340 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm hoping this is the right place to ask. Does anyone find it hard to control their lows when cutting back?, especially after a workout. right before a workout I'll eat something. My blood sugars will be on the high end (say 16, I guess that's around a 250 for the Americans) . And this is deliberate because I can't finish a workout if they're in my normal range (5-8). Then I'll check them right after and they've dropped to 3 or less...even had a 1.6. I've tried simple carb, complex carb, it doesn't matter. I was curious to see how other diabetics deal with this.

Replies

  • GlucernaBrand
    GlucernaBrand Posts: 486
    What type of medication or insulin are you taking? Talk with your physician and let her know what's happening, and perhaps she can adjust your meds/insulin so that you can exercise without dropping too low. ~Lynn /Glucerna
  • becdizzle
    becdizzle Posts: 2 Member
    I have a problem with dropping low after / during workouts in the evenings (mornings are OK). I have to have my blood sugar in the low teens mostly and finish anywhere from 4 - 12 without explanation as to why! I usually try and run on higher side before I start exercise and correct (either more carbs or more insulin) once I'm done. My endo is OK with this.

    One thing that has helped me is using an insulin pump - temporary basal rates really help but I still find that it can be quite unpredictable :( I also found that some days quite a few of my calories can come from treating hypos, so I try and make my hypo food as fun as possible ;)

    Diabetes is a pain in the backside
  • amy_kee
    amy_kee Posts: 694 Member
    I adjust my own insulin all the time to balance this out. I've been adjusting it for many years too. Plus, you figure out how certain exercises effect you and you make sure you are high enough before working out with more than just carbs. You also need protein with the carbs to carry the level of your blood sugar out longer.
  • 6ftamazon
    6ftamazon Posts: 340 Member
    Thanks all...sorry for the late reply, my computers been down

    I'm on novorapid and levemir. I've noticed since I've tweaked my insulin and timing a bit and I've noticed better control and no huge highs or lows (yet). I will be making appointment with my doctor, just to see if there's anything else I can do.
  • albertabeefy
    albertabeefy Posts: 1,169 Member
    Thanks all...sorry for the late reply, my computers been down

    I'm on novorapid and levemir. I've noticed since I've tweaked my insulin and timing a bit and I've noticed better control and no huge highs or lows (yet). I will be making appointment with my doctor, just to see if there's anything else I can do.
    This is mostly going to be a factor with insulin, and tweaking either it or your carbohydrate intake prior to exercise will help greatly.

    I had similar issues until I considerably lowered my carbohydrate intake and my insulin doses. I no longer bolus, in-fact, as I eat low-carb enough that my basal insulin combined with exercise takes care of things just fine. *However* I'm not a true Type I as I do still have a slight bit of beta-cell function - so my experience will be different than yours.

    If you've increased the intensity or duration of your workouts - I'd definitely tweak the dosage and timing of insulin, and reducing carbohydrate a bit (to a level YOU'RE comfortable with, obviously) helps reduce the amount of insulin required, thus reducing the chances of hypoglycaemia.

    There's many Type I diabetics now adopting this approach, and being quite successful with it. http://www.diabetes-low-carb.org/ has a couple of blog posts by Ron Raab - a Type I diabetic who chooses a reduced carb approach. Ron isn't just a blogger though - he's the Vice-President of the International Diabetes and president of the charity "Insulin for Life" - he's an extremely well-educated lifelong champion of diabetes education and accessibility to insulin for everyone.

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