All good stuff, but just want to remind you that your body will generally respond to Monday’s swim (after a few days off) differently than it responds to Friday’s swim (when you have been swimming for 4 or 5 days straight).
As a general rule - if everything else is the same - your body will need less insulin on Friday than it does on Monday…
this is VERY helpful and sage information. i am really looking forward to my swim tomorrow. i’ve had 3 days of rest and lots of fueling up. my body is ready for a good workout.
AN AWESOME SWIM DESPITE TERRIBLE BGS EXPERIMENT #1:
well, i really didnt know what to expect when i turned my pump off today, because i hadnt been in the pool for the weekend plus yesterday; a total of 3 straight days without swimming. ugh. but i really didnt expect what happened; i was totally blindsided.
when i was prepping for my swim on ZB i started out at 106. i pre-bolused .5 units and had a diet Pepsi (which usually helps keeping my BGs in check.) for 1.5 hours of ZB my BG remained completely stable, even going down a tiny bit (101). i didnt think that i would go high, so i chilled out for another 1/2 hour before dashing to the pool. right before i jumped in, i tested and my BG had climbed to 152 !!! OMG. i decided to forgo my 15 minute warm-up pace and just crank up the volume.
the pool was packed with children day campers and “mommy and me” swimmers. there were only 2 adult lap lanes available: the “SLOW” lane and the “FAST” lane. the lanes were both packed. i jumped into the fast lane and worked as hard as i could to kick butt and keep up. there were 5 people in my lane. but for 90 minutes, i wasnt a diabetic, and it was fabulous. it was just me against the water, measuring each stroke, calmed by the sound of my breathing…AB FAB. 
i did a lot of upperbody work today to help increase my speed. i dont usually like using too much upper body simply because i dont care for the muscles it creates…but thats just a personal vanity thing. i do, however enjoy the benefit of going faster, though. and it was a sure fire way to help me keep up with the tough guys doing the Butter Fly.
i will be back in the pool tomorrow, so i am 1) hoping for a good night without crashes, and 2) looking forward to a lower flatline.
here are today’s stats:
12pm bg 101 (after 1 hour of ZB)
12:30 bg 104
1:20 bg 152
1:50 bg 156
2:20 bg 133
2:50 bg 123 (bolused 2.6 units for replacement basal) (didnt know exactly how much insulin to bolus for because the past 3 days of NOT swimming has caused me to need higher basal rates)
3:25 bg 112 (bolused 1.5 units for my re-fuel shakes)
now everything is a crapshoot. i dont know exactly what to expect from my body. however, i am certain that if Eric is peeping in on this post, he will know exactly what i should expect. so i am hoping that he is and that he will share (as he always does 
).
signing off,
DM
I think that spike was just because it has been several days since you went swimming.
Maybe plan only 1 1/2 hours of ZB when it has been a while, and 2 hours after several consecutive days.
sounds like a good plan. i will play tomorrow’s prep by ear. today’s was a hard swim. i am eager to see how i get through the night on 100% basal. also, i will see if i go low during the night. usually, my BGs speak volumes on what my body needs and doesnt.
thx!!! 
SWIMMING WITH LESS ZB TIME EXPERIMENT #1:
so today was a first for this experiment. the thought of doing it made me nervous, but i did a test before committing to it and was totally shocked at the outcome. while i was prepping for my swim on ZB, i watched my BGs every 1/2 hour. i had prebolused .6 units today (a little more than usual ) because i started out on the high side ( 109 ). within 1/2 an hour my BG had come down to 99, and then after another 1/2 hour had passed, i came down to 92. that was after 1 entire hour off of basal! another 1/2 hour, i started to rise slightly, and 15 minutes later, i started to spike, so i left for the pool 20 minutes earlier than usual. all worked out well, and for tomorrow’s swim, i will leave 1/2 hour earlier. the spike happens REALLY fast (within minutes, literately). i want to be in the pool right BEFORE the spike. so that will be tomorrow’s goal.
as for today’s swim, my numbers were decent. i didnt need any glucose tabs at all. i swam at a nice pace, but i was very very relaxed. my mind wandered all over the place. it was truly wonderful and for 90 minutes i wasnt diabetic.
here are today’s stats:
1pm bg 120
1:10 bg 135
1:45 bg 113
2:10 bg 91
2:40 bg 91 bolused 2.4 units for basal replacement; a little less than yesterday b/c i wasnt on ZB for as long as usual.
3:10 bg 74 bolused 1.5 units to cover my Boost refuel shakes (again, a little less than usual b/c i tried this dosage yesterday and it worked out very well for me )
i changed my dinner ICR for this evening b/c last night post dinner i crashed down to 32 and had to drink a gallon of apple cider. i was shaking and sweating and saw stars before i could get my BG up to 84. fortunately, the juice did its job!
so, for tomorrow’s swim, i will, as i said, try less ZB time pre-swim. and, i will see how all insulin boluses work out from this evening and work from there.
signing out,
DM
Wow!!
Great job, DM! Happy for you. Wonderful numbers today!
HAVE A PLAN, BE FLEXIBLE, AND ADJUST EXPERIMENT #1:
today my BGs were running high when i began my prep of ZB. i pre-bolused a little heavier (.5 units) and decided to leave for the pool 40 minutes earlier than usual. this meant that i would start swimming 30 minutes sooner than usual, which meant i would have been on ZB LESS time than usual. a little daunting for me. kinda expecting a crash, but figured i would work it out. Eric told me something recently which has emensly abetted some of my pre-swim BG anxiety: take everything just a 1/2 hour at a time. look at the circumstance, consider the big picture, and make a decision based upon that; dont bother yourself with the idea of swimming for 90 minutes…just the half hour. each half hour will require a new decision and a new action. today, this was put into play, and i was shocked and pleased with my results. but it did take a lot of faith on my part.
so when i was ready to start my swim, my BG was 138. no gtabs necessary for that first half hour. but when i i got out of the pool to test, my BG had crashed to 103. now what would i do if i were starting my swim with a BG of 103? i would definitely take 1 tab; so thats what i did, and then i got back into the pool for another 1/2 hour. when i got out and tested, my BG was 106; now, at this point, i had been on ZB for 3 hours. i KNEW i didnt need any more carbs, so i just jumped back in for another 1/2 hour. when i got out, i saw how my decisions paid off: my BG was 100.
now i would have prefered NOT crashing after the first 1/2 hour, but i saw that it was possible to manage a safe swim without dangerous reprecusions so long as i was able to break my swim into several pieces. if i just looked at one aspect of the big picture, i would have had a lot less courage and a lot more anxiety. this was a new experiment for me, and new experiments can be frightening.
tomorrow is another day. i will get to try out another experiment. who knows what will happen, how it will go; i know one thing, though, and that is that i can be flexible and adjust. i have a plan.
here are today’s stats:
11am bg 83 0% TB and pre-bolus of .4 units
11:30 bg 98 (ugh oh, bg going up too fast; bolused another .1 unit )
12pm bg 104
12:30 bg 126 (OMG! how did that happen??? Grab my bag and leave for the pool)
12:50 bg 138 no tabs needed, just jump in and swim hard
12:50 bg 103 (OMG! major crash. took 1 Gtab and jumped back in)
1:20 bg 106 (phew)
2:20 bg 100 (got out and bolused 2.1 units to replace 3.5 hours of ZB)
2:50 bg 83 bolused 1.4 units to cover Boost re-fuel shakes (bolused LESS than i ever have in the past b/c i have been swimming hard this week and my BGs are trending low and crashing too often. i have also adjusted my dinnertime ICR AGAIN!!! i need so little insulin after consecutive swims.)
so today provided me with a lot of new lessons. i really hope someone can benefit from this. one HUGE thing i learned today: I dont need to be afraid so long as i can muster up the courage to be UNLIMITED (and, like ERIC so profoundly said in his latest thread: “I AM POSSIBLE.”
signing out,
DM
This is a great way to look at it! I’ll have to incorporate in my workouts, too!
You nailed it today!! 
Being flexible is the way to go!
POST CONSECUTIVE DAY SWIMS AND BG EXPERIMENT #1:
OMG. i survived an evening, overnight and second day of BG nightmares.i couldnt stop crashing. i turned my basal down to 90% and drank a gallon of apple cider, peacan sandies, chocolate, glucose tabs. nothing worked. i was up all throughout the night just testing and fueling. and yesterday was barely better. then, i think b/c of all the carbs i was pounding into my system to make up for all the lows, it hit me all at once at 1am (2 nights in a row, same time) : a bg of 184, and then a bg of 158 the next night. i did IM corrections which worked as usual, but then the same problem repeated itself the next day: one low after another without much success at bringing them back up.
so i lowered my basal profile. and today has been a little more successful. so far one high after an over-correction. and then i am waiting to see what today brings (especially since i didnt swim yesterday). i plan on making up the missed swim day by swimming tomorrow (something i never do, swimming on a Sunday/weekend day).
i will report back later to let you all know how my day progresses.
has anyone else had this problem??? i need helpful ideas and suggestions and Eric is away 
thx in advance,
DM
Sorry, a bad couple of nights! Is it because you missed a few days swimming? It is hard to adjust basals when activity levels change. I sometimes think that insulin stays in the system MUCH longer than documentation suggests. This happens to me, too, if I miss running for more than a day in a row. I tell myself to do SOMETHING, but being human, I don’t! Bad, me!! 
I guess you could go biking or some other activity if you don’t want/can’t swim on the weekend, just to keep your basals consistent with your swim days?? Hope you have a better evening and overnight tonight!
Sorry, I just edited my reply @daisymae!
just the opposite; i swam really hard 3 days in a row, and by the 3rd day, BAMM! trouble!!!
do you have different pump profiles for your running days/non-running days? easy/hard running days? i try and rate my swims in regard to difficulty. even though i always swim for 90 minutes, sometimes it is a harder swim than others. (then i know it will bite me in the A** that coming evening 
)
(and truly, i should buy stock in Ibuprofin 
)
This is EXACTLY my problem. EXACTLY!!!
Oh, I’m so sorry, I thought your original message was from 2 days ago, so I was thinking you missed swimming!! Sorry!!!
No, I use the same settings everyday, and same for all 24 hours. Keep in mind, I’m now on Loop which gives me temp basals up to 3x my max schedule basal (0.5U) as well as reduces the basal as much as ZB when I’m predicted to go under my target (correction) range. However, even before Looping, I used the same basal, ISF, IC everyday, each hour of the 24 hours. It’s just before Looping, I manually did a lot of temp basals to compensate for the activity difference in run days!!! A lot of work, and I think this is what you are going through!!! 
Yes, I know, some days running is also harder on me, too. I don’t know why, but maybe weather, recent diet change, eating/going out, insufficient rest, …?? Yes, my fallback is Advil, too, but try to limit it!!! I hope you do not need it too often!
it is a LOT of work. thank you for understanding. now i dont feel so all alone and nuts. I felt like i was going to rip my hair out!!! 
PS: i stopped taking Ibuprofin 2 weeks ago. i became certain it would give me an ulcer.
Yes!! That is why I try to limit it, though when I do take it, I usually take 3 all at once, and mostly during the night so I can sleep through the pain.
I know you do not use Dexcom CGM because it doesn’t work well for you and I’m not sure which pump you use, but I have to say DIY Loop has made a world of difference to me, esp for this very issue, changing metabolism due to activity causing changes in basal needs.
I am now using the Dexcom G6 and it is much more accurate than the G5. I also started using it on the back of my upper arm, where there are fewer failures. I don’t know if you tried the G6 but if not, maybe you want to do a trial of it.
I only make this suggestion to you because it seems we are pretty similar and it may have similar good results.
[quote=“Trying, post:2009, topic:894”]
I usually take 3 all at once, and mostly during the night so I can sleep through the pain.
[/quote
i take the prescription ibuprofin which is 800 mg. i take it with two Tylenol Extra Strength and it works like a charm. i havent taken it in about 2 weeks now, and i have just sucked it up with the pain. (eric’s suggestion)
i dont even know what LOOP is. i am completely ignorant 
but the problems i am having are exactly as you described. different activity levels, different insulin needs. this morning everything was ending up in a terrible crash, then the later afternoon came and POP, BG 191!!!
knew it was time to reset my basals to sluggish profile. gave myself an IM shot in my left calve muscle and walked about my home with a bottle of water in my hand, guzzling while exercising my calve muscle. of course it worked in about 15 minutes, bringing my BG down to 130. i know that is above my target range, but its certainly nice to feel that i have some control over the situation.
PS: but tomorrow i will be in the pool again and hopefully i will find a nice balance with my insulin/basal/bolus/ICR/SF needs.
LETTING OFF STEAM; A SUNDAY EXPERIMENT #1:
after my 2 days of BG Hell, my husband encouraged me to swim on a Sunday. i usually try and avoid the weekends b/c they are so busy and the crowds are miserable. but i took his advice; he knows me over 26 years, and knows what will set my ill at ease straight again: swimming. ALWAYS SWIMMING!
well miraculously, my BGs were stable overnight (after many manipulations of pump basals), and my morning was wonderfully uneventful. at 6am i began to prep for my swim. my numbers were nice and flat and steady.
i truly thought that the pool would be very crowded, and my fear was that i would have been on ZB for 2 hours and when i got to the pool, there wouldnt be a free lane and i wouldnt be able to swim. well the pool was empty!!! 
it was right there just waiting for me. and i had one of the best swims ever. all my angst melted away. all my agrivation, frustration, and anger disolved in the water, and i was ME again.
here are today’s stats:
12:30 bg 91
1pm bg 105
1:15 bg 111 (took 1 tab and jumped in) (2 hours and 15 minutes of ZB)
1:45 bg 108 (took 1/2 tab)
2:15 bg 105
2:45 bg 104 bolused 2.5 units (who the heck knows if that was enough, not enough, too much, just right???)
3:15 bg 91 bolused 1.4 units for my Boost re-fuel shakes (again, who the heck knows if this was sufficient or not. i’m just trying out new insulin dosing to try and avoid evening crashes)
tomorrow i wont be in the pool (MD appointment in the City) but i will be back in on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and next Sunday) I am praying that my evening goes well and that my BGs remain stable. One moment at a time. One step at a time. One day at a time.
signing out,
DM
PS: thank you all who have been so supportive of me during a time of overwhelming challenges. i am very grateful to each one of you. 