Type 1 diabetics.. Help please

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So I've been having a crazy amount of low blood sugars due to my change in diet and exercise, but I can't adjust my ratios until I can see my endocrinologist. Do you guys count the calories and carbs in your daily limit you have to have when you go low? And does anybody know how to keep my blood sugar from sky rocketing after I exercise.. I usually am 120-150 before and will be in the 200s after, it's so frustrating! Thanks for the help(:

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  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Hi! I'm also a type 1 diabetic.

    Personally, I count all hypoglycemia treatment toward my kcal and carbohydrate goal. Just because you are using it to treat a low doesn't mean that it is excluded from basic thermodynamics laws. The big thing I would want to figure out is when the lows are occurring in order to determine if basal or bolus insulin needs to be lowered. Weight loss can cause insulin sensitivity to increase, which increases the risk of hypoglycemia if doses are not properly adjusted (I lost about 30 pounds since diagnosis, and my basal insulin needs were lowered by about 10 units because of the increased insulin sensitivity).

    With the exercise, how it affects your blood sugar depends on the intensity and duration of it. I have read that weight lifting, really high-intensity but short burst of exercise, and anything you might be really pumped to do (such as participating in a sports game) typically requires a temporary increase in insulin dosages to account for them raising BG levels. Personally, I noticed that I tend to go low during exercise (but a lot of my exercise is low-intensity and long-duration exercises, such as walking), so I've been having issues with trying to figure out the right temp basal rates for exercise without needing to consume uncovered carbs before or hypo treatment after. I think the book Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner also discusses how exercise might affect BG levels.
  • ShayanKhan2015
    ShayanKhan2015 Posts: 33 Member
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    As you people are discussing sugar so let me know about it and it's type that is type 1 and 2 , why we suffer from it and how we can control or get rid of it ?
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
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    As you people are discussing sugar so let me know about it and it's type that is type 1 and 2 , why we suffer from it and how we can control or get rid of it ?

    Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are two entirely different disorders that are caused by two very different causes. The only thing they have in common are the main symptoms. The word Diabetes Mellitus describes two of the main symptoms patients experience: sweet-tasting urine (mellitus -as a result of hyperglycemia that passes renal threshhold) and frequent urination (diabetes -a reference to the Latin word for siphon).

    Type 1 diabetes autoimmune disease caused by the destruction of the pancreatic beta cells within the Islets of Langerhans. These beta cells are primarily responsible for producing insulin, which is a peptide hormone that is responsible for carbohydrate metabolism. Because of the absolute absence of insulin, type 1 diabetics rely on subcutaneous insulin injections for the rest of their lives in order to stay alive -not receiving any insulin could very easily cause death within 24 hours. There is no 100% known cause for type 1 diabetes. Most current theories suggest that type 1 diabetes develops when a person has a genetic predisposition to it as well as exposure to certain environmental triggers (such as certain viruses, though current research suggests vitamin D might play a role as a precursor to type 1 diabetes development) that causes the autoimmune attack. Approximately 5-10% of all diabetics are type 1 diabetics

    Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is a metabolic disorder marked by insulin resistance. The disease often consists of an absence of insulin (though not a complete absence of insulin like in T1's), though this "shortage" in insulin production is thought to be caused by lifestyle factors, such as obesity, that increase the person's insulin resistance. Treatment includes medication, lifestyle changes, and occasionally insulin (the big thing here is that most type 2 diabetics do not rely on insulin injections for survival, rather it is a way for them to more effectively control their blood glucose concentration). Type 2 diabetes is typically caused by genetics, age, obesity, inactive lifestyle, and some medications. About 90% of all diabetics are type 2 diabetics. When most people are talking about diabetes, they are almost always referring to type 2.
  • tmlandgraf
    tmlandgraf Posts: 79 Member
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    abatonfan - awesome explanation!

    csmith110 - I am a type 1 (going on 25 years), and I personally do not count the calories for treating a low. I also don't eat back my exercise calories, so they have a tendency to cancel each other out. The calories I eat for a low are often far less than the exercise calories I have available, but I also don't let myself go crazy with what I eat. Usually a capri-sun and pack of fruit snacks usually does the trick for about 200 calories.

    There is a Type 1 group here on MFP if you want more fellow type 1's to reach out to. They often have good input and everyone in the group can relate to basically any and all type 1 issues you may have.
  • mrsmiles08
    mrsmiles08 Posts: 12 Member
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    Hey just wishing you all good luck. My little boy is type1 diagnosed at 2 now 4.. Worries me so much. Bloody hate it. X
  • csmith110
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    I'll definitely join that group! And yes I do the same thing with not counting low treatment and not eating what I burn with exercise