- Agreed! Do enjoy!
2 Likes
A LITTLE EXTRA IOB EXPERIMENT #1:
well i forgot to turn off my lowered TB before bfast this morning. my BGs had been excellent, so i thought nothing of it. but as i got closer to prepping for my swim, i saw my BG climb to 111, which is out of my target range, especially for that time of day. i should have known right then and there…but, like i said, i thought nothing of it. well, within 1/2 an hour, my BGs reallly started to climb quickly. i went from 111 to 150 by the time i turned off my pump. so i bolused .6 units and flooded my system with black coffee, which, like Diet Pepsi, brings my BG down. well it didnt come down, but it was kept in check.
being so high, i decided to leave for the pool 1/2 hour earlier than usual. this meant that i would have more IOB than usual. but after my successes last week, i knew i could deal with whatever was thrown my way. be flexible and adjust!!!
being in the pool earlier (even just by 1/2 an hour) changed the entire swimming situation: the pool was absolutely packed. i had to swim with 5 people in my lane and listen to screaming day camp children. after about 45 minutes, it started to clear out, though, so i am grateful for that.
it was a 1/2 decent swim. i felt strong after 2 days of recovery and refueling. i got no real endorphin rush (total bummer), but i am certain that tomorrow’s swim will prove infinately better (from start to finish). also, i am proud of myself for daring to try something new (swimming with all that extra IOB).
here are today’s stats:
12:50 bg 162
1:20 bg 154
1:50 bg 130
2:20 bg 122 (bolused 2.2 units to cover 3.5 hours of ZB plus .1 unit to bring my BGs back into range )
3:05 bg 101 ( bolused 1.6 units for 32 gms of refuel…figuring that since it was my first swim in 2 days, and i wasnt swimming my hardest, i was probably less insulin sensitive than when i am swimming days in a row like last weeks) we’ll see how that works out 
so thats all the news thats fit to print.i am kinda doubting that i will need a TB this evening/overnight. i feel strong, but not worn out.
signing out,
DM
3 Likes
momma cancelled!!! i can swim on Sunday. soooo excited. 
1 Like
FORM AND EFFICIENCY OVER SPEED EXPERIMENT #1:
last night i spent about an hour watching UTube videos about proper form for the breast stroke.each site i visited taught the same thing, specifically, how speed is irrelevant if you cannot have excellent form. and, in fact, speed can easily be achieved once proper form is utilized.
you would think that i am in the pool more often than not, so i should be around swimmers all week long, and bc of that, i should be able to see what the “better” swimmers are doing. not true. just bc someone is swimming in the designated “fast” lane, does not mean that they are any good at what they are doing; it means that they are swimming fast. also, you cannot see what is going on with their bodies UNDER water while they swim their laps. you just get to see them stroke with their arms and come up for air.
these videos i watched allowed me to see what exactly was taking place UNDER the water as well as above. i also learned the exact form needed to be the most efficient with my strokes as well as my kicks and glides. an interesting part of what i learned was that the breast stroke is one of the more challenging strokes in swimming bc you must engage your entire body in a specific coordinated motion. the most important part of the stroke, the one in which you get most of your power and speed from, is your kick. so these videos were very educational. Interestingly enough, what i discovered rather immediately, was that i already had good form. but regardless, i focused my attention today on my form with each stroke. not only have i wanted to achieve great D success with my BGs while swimming, but i want to be the best swimmer i can be. today i achieved both 
when i started prepping for my swim today, my BG was 70. i turned off my pump and bolused a modest .3 units. in 1/2 hour my BG went down to 65. i wanted to take a Gtab to bring my sugars up a bit but i was also 1/2 hour into being on ZB. 1 tab brings me up 20 points when i am on 100% basal. i chose to take 1/2 a tab .i lucked out; it brought me up to 82. now i was on my way…
here are today’s stats:
1pm bg 106 leave for pool
1:20 bg 109 took 3/4 Gtab and jumped in
1:50 bg 94 took 1/4 of a Gtab (1gm carbs)
2:20 bg 90
2:50 bg 91 bolused 2.4 units for missed basal
3:15 bg 75 bolused 1.4 units for 32gms of refuel (a little less than yesterday)
it was a really good, strong swim. i thoroughly enjoyed myself. the pool was practically empty (which, as you must know by now, I LOVE!!! ) and in Eric’s sage words : "I am Possible."
i will be back in the pool again tomorrow, but until then, signing out,
DM
4 Likes
What a FABULOUS workout! Amazing! I’m glad you have also reached your goal to be the BEST swimmer you can be, too! Not just BEST, DIABETIC swimmter!!! 
2 Likes
thanks, Trying. encouragement really helps me continue doing what i am doing. tomorrow i will try and go a little faster. when i began this swimming thread (about 2 1/2 years ago), i was in the “slow” lane struggling to keep up. now i swim in either the “Meduium” lane or the "Meduim/Fast " lane (whichever lane is the emptiest). i would like to continue working on my strength and speed. but i know that for now, continuing to work on my form is very important. i want to be able to get into the pool and feel utterly confident about my stroke. i dont know how long this journey will take, but i am definately up to the task. and anyway, its the doing and not the destination
2 Likes
Another set of awesome number!! You are a rock star!
Hey, on the 3/4 gtab or 1/4 gtab or whatever fraction of gtabs you are doing, did you ever consider the jelly beans?
They are a fast sugar, and the ones I have (Jelly Belly) are 1 gram per bean, so the math is easy and you don’t have to cut them into little bits like the gtabs. Also they are probably a bit more durable around water and so forth.
And as a further incentive, they have about 50 flavors to choose from. You can get the assorted packs that have all of the flavors, or just pick your favorites…
Check out this page. Click “SHOW ALL”. It will take you a day to read all the flavors. 
2 Likes
i’m going to look them up and order them. it really is a pain in the *** trying to break the Gtabs into tiny little crumbs…especially at the pool with all the water around 
(and who would have thought that 1gm of carbs would pack such a punch!!!)
my BG was 67 1/2 hour ago, and i took 8gms of carbs; i just tested and what “should” have brought me up by 40 points didnt bring me up at all. yet, when i am on ZB, its that tiny little crumb that really does a good job! and i am certain that the Jelly Beans taste a whole lot better than the tabs 
1 Like
Wonderful job, DM! I love the fact that there is so much education available to us via the internet! Did any of the videos give you the mantra, “pull and breathe, kick and glide.” I had my cadence set to that mantras pace as I was moving through the water.
I’m always amazed at how well everyone does with their calculations on what to do to get their bg in the correct range before beginning and how to keep it there during and after!
Great job
2 Likes
this has taken me 2 1/2 years!!! currently i am 1.5 hours into my prep (ZB ) and my BG is only 77. i leave the house for the pool in another half hour. i will be taking some fast carbs before jumping in. i have to admit that i am a little nervous being this low before a strong swim. hoping it will all work out. by the time i get to the pool, i will have been on ZB for 2.5 hours!!!
3 Likes
AWARE OF MY POSTURE EXPERIMENT #1:
so today’s swim was more about my body’s alignment than anything to do with diabetes. isnt that wonderful!!! from all the videos i watched yesterday, one of the main things that was emphasized about the alignment of your body while swimming the breast stroke is the position of your head and neck and eyes. it’s a funny thing, bc there are all these other breast strokers in the pool with their heads bopping up and down as they lift their heads out of the water to catch a breath. i really thought that it was best to really pull your head HIGH out of the water using your forearms bc thats what i watched all of the fast swimmers doing. i really thought that the pull with your arms was proper form; but, it turns out that its not. whats most important is maintaining as horizontal a line with your entire body as you can, only pulling up minimally to take in a breath; this way, you dont put undo strain on your neck. also, this body posture allows you to be the most fluid as possible without having any drag. so i followed these instructions, and i had perhaps my best swim ever. i was also amazed at how this posture allowed me to go much faster without much greater effort.
for 90 minutes, i was not even close to being a diabetic. i was thoroughly freed, at peace, and focused on doing something ive had as a goal for a long time but never thought i would or could achieve. i have seen how my efforts, despite ALL OF MY FEARS, to be a “diabetic swimmer” has impacted the rest of my life. fears about food and bolusing have (almost) disappeared. i am willing to take more risks doing things i know nothing about. its awesome and totally astounding to me. I am still coping with my OCD, but even that has abetted. i feel strong and healthy, and, most importantly, happier than i have felt in many years.
here are today’s stats:
12:30 bg 77
1pm bg 79 (leave for the pool after 2 hours of ZB)
1:15 bg 90 (took 1.5 gtabs and jumped in)
1:50 bg 101 (took 1/4 gtab)
2:20 bg 100
2:50 bg 96 ( bolused 2.2 units; slightly less than yesterday* )
3:20 bg 96 (bolused 1.2 units for refuel; slightly less than yesterday* )
4pm bg 78
- i took less insulin today bc it was my 3rd consecutive day swimming and my IS and ICR are substantially effected. i simply need less insulin. and my dinner ICR will go from 1:16 up to 1:20 (yesterday it was 1:18, and that worked out perfectly)
as always, i dont swim on saturdays, but i will be back in the pool on sunday (as you know, my mom cancelled our brunch date…Yippie 
)
signing out,
DM
PS: i ordered 5 different flavors of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans: Licorish, coconut, pear, green apple, and crushed pinapple. i should get then in about a week. i am soooo super excited to try them out. Thanks, Eric!!! big help!!! 
4 Likes
Wonderful job, @daisymae!
I’m so glad you’re finding more happiness! It shows
1 Like
had a terrible night last night. up several times with high BGs and doing corrections. got up at 5 for bfast instead of my usual 6am. by the time i was finished with IOB my BG had spiked to 130. but, determined as i’ve been, i decided to start my swim prep 1 hour earlier and bolus more than i typically do ( .6 units when i turned off my pump for ZB).
i dashed into the kitchen to grab a large bottle of my Diet Pepsi and guzzled it down. 1/2 hour later, my BGs started coming down a bit. dont know yet what will happen with my BGs, but i am prepared to leave a 1/2 hour earlier into my prep for the pool and just rely on Gtabs for any lows.
i’m bummed out about the spike. but my diabetes doesnt really care about that
i shall move forward and persevere!!!
1 hour later: drank 2 bottles of Diet Pepsi, and now my BG is 98. Wow, did that happen fast!!
2 Likes
So sorry you’re having a bad morning. Hopefully, the swim made it all better 
I know I should probably know/remember this, but what is the benefit to the Diet Pepsi? I see you took it in the early morning, which seemed to bring down your bg. Then you drank two bottles and your bg came down again.
2 Likes
the Diet Pepsi does 2 things for me 1) it has some caffeine (i dont drink regular coffee in the am) and 2) it always brings down a high BG. i dont know why; it just does. this morning it brought me down from 130 to 98!!! just 2 medium sized bottles. and within only 1/2 hour !!! it seems to act like an insulin correction 
.
2 Likes
AFTER A REALLY BAD NIGHT EXPERIMENT #1:
last night was a nightmare for me. i had terrible dreams, i had night sweats, and i had continuous BG highs that required corrections. i didnt think i would even swim today. and when i woke up at 5am, i forgot to turn my alarm off correctly; i put it on “snooze” instead, and when it buzzed again, i thought it was really 6am, so without looking at my watch, i bolused for my bfast, and it was really only a little after 5am, which meant that i had IOB from my last correction. silly mistake which i thought would creat some insulin stacking issues. i was all ready for crashing, but instead of crashing, my BG went high, and then i spiked further.
i felt very frustrated, but i knew that i had swam with a BG of 200 in the distant past and this was no crisis. so today needn’t be a wash-out. i would just start prepping early, give myself a larger pre-bolus before turning off my pump, and i would drink a liter of Diet Pepsi, which would, hopefully, bring down my BG. well, within 1/2 an hour, i went from a BG of 130 to a BG of 98. all was restored 
now i just waited it out on ZB for 2 hours.
and, as it turned out, i had a fantastic swim!!! it was a nice strong swim, pushing myself till my muscles burned from exhursion.
here are today’s stats:
12pm bg 94 leave for the pool
12:20 bg 94 took 1.5 gtabs and jumped in
12:50 bg 105
1:20 bg 101
1:50 bg 95 bolused 2.4 units basal replacement (a little over-zealous and heavy handed)
2:20 bg 95 bolused 1.4 units for fuel replacement (again, a little heavy handed)
2:40 bg crashed to 44; took 3 Gtabs and drank my Boost Shakes (maybe i over-corrected here out of panic )
eager to see how this evening goes. it was nice to swim with a relatively empty pool today. i might consider swimming at this earlier time next Sunday. the jury is still out on that one 
signing out,
DM
3 Likes
You sure did!!! Thanks to your persistence and hard work!! And knowledge and experience you’ve gained these last few years, too!!!
3 Likes
@daisymae Ditto what @Trying said! Great job!
It is truly something how we are all so different. I’ve read countless posts on how caffeine increases bg, and here yours acts to lower bg! You’ve found something that works, and very well at that, stay with it!
2 Likes
isnt that odd??? i think it goes the same with alcohol. i used to drink A LOT in college; and i would crash every time even without taking ANY insulin.i couldnt believe it when i first found out that some Ds have to bolus for a glass of wine, a beer, or hard liqours.
1 Like
I THINK I’M GETTING THE HANG OF THIS SWIMMING THING EXPERIMENT #1:
i had a bad night of lows (as opposed to the other night of highs and corrections; i was gobbling up my glucose tabs one after the other every hour. ) but, it was what it was and finally, at 6am, i got my BG up to 69 so i bolused for bfast (i lied to my pump, which will not allow me to bolus when i am under a bg of 70 
)
anyway, throughout the morning i stayed on the low side (my low side) in the low 70s but once i turned off my pump, i was able to get my BGs to rise to a nice level of 78.but after 1.5 hours of ZB my BGs went down to 73. i tried to figure out what kind of damage i would do if i took a tiny bit of a glucose tab after having been off of all my insulin for so long. i weighed the consequences. hummmmmm . then i decided that 1 tiny little inocuous looking gram of carbs wouldnt kill me, so i went for it. i figured it was just part of my learning curve. anyway, all said, it worked out just fine. when i was ready to leave for the pool, my BG was 88. ( i knew that it would climb from there, bc its a 20 minute walk from home, and the ZB and that Gtab still had some work to do…)
here are todays stats:
1pm bg 88
1:20 bg 101 took 1 tab and jumped in
1:50 bg 97 took 1/2 a tab
2:20 bg 98 ***
2:50 bg 100 *** bolused 2.2 units for missed basal (a little less than yesterday)
3:20 bg 88 bolused 1.4 units for refuel (also a little less than yesterday)
*** wanted to note that a definite pattern has emerged that i have been carefully monitoring: any carbs that i take after my first stretch seem to impact me most NOT during my next stretch, but during my LAST stretch. which, i think, is why my BG jumps from 97, after my first stretch, to 100 after my last stretch. i dont know if i should just NOT take anything at all during that first stretch or take only 1/2 of what i am taking. perhaps once the JELLY BELLY Jelly Beans arrive, it will be easier to take smaller doses of carbs than it is now, where i am out of the pool, squatting over my bg meter, opening up my bottle of tabs, and trying to break one into crumbs.
well, i’ll be back in the pool again tomorrow, so i’ll have another chance to figure out the pros and cons of my decision making and my actions, and i am fairly certain that when i wake up tomorrow morning that i will still have diabetes 
.
signing out,
DM
PS: Just received my FreeStyle Libre CGM in the mail. on line it claims that it IS waterproof and that you CAN swim with it on. i am sooooo excited to get strted and try it out (as you all know, none of the Dexcoms worked for me)!!! Yahoo 
3 Likes