Oh my goodness, @daisymae. I am not reading enough around here to have known you were anything but 99.99% heathy (0.01 diabetic). I am really sorry to hear you continue to have difficulties. 
Iâm thinking of you and have always hoped you were enjoying your swims, but I really hope so now. I hope you get some answers. 
just to clarify: I AM enjoying my swims!!! I look forward to getting into that pool every chance I can get. I think the one thing that keeps me from the pool is the amount of MD appointments I have to get to in the City. 
Hi
I am also a swimmer and do at least 5000 yards a day every day of the year
I am in the pool for about 1.5 to 2 hours depending on the delays caused by talking, moving lanes, etc
I was on syringes and blood glucose strips for years (over 60 and type 1 since childhood) because I did not trust pumps
I did have problems with getting faint in the water however and I passed out twice in the pool
When the sensors became waterproof I went on them and got a tandem and Medtronic pump
I also use both the Dexcom G6 and the freestyles libre
Here is why
The tandem pump works great with the dexcom but this pump is not waterproof
So I use this system when I am out of the pool
The Medtronic pump is waterproof so I use it during swimming
The dexcom does not work in the water but I can scan the libre at poolside
I tried to swim without a pump but my sugars always spiked badly and it would take most of the day to get myself under control
Moreover my workout goes from good to bad by the time I am done
I discovered that you need insulin to have energy
Without insulin my muscles would start hurting and it seemed that I was damaging the muscle tissue
Wearing a pump while swimming works great
I may need a little energy during about halfway thru my workout but that is it
Also I tried to give a bolus before swimming and that did not work
It would cause my sugar to go down too quickly and too soon
Also my muscles would stilll start hurting
Mike
why would you give yourself a bolus before swimming? I donât goo into the pool with any insulin on board. but, I do give myself a whopping dose right after I get out of the pool to keep from spiking.
sounds like you are really hooked up!!! OMG. talk about devotion!!! awesome.
this is the first time I have heard from you. please keep sharing. thank you,
DM
SO I TRIED SOMETHING NEW EXPERIMENT #1:
now for my past weeks of swimming, I have started out in perfect target range. I crashed and burned after my first leg on 2 occasions, so I started increasing my pre-swim carbo-loading. I took 1 gel shot, and still crashed; so the next swim, I took 1 gel and 2 Gtabs; but, I still crashed (60s). what a pain this was becoming. but the worst part of it was that after crashing, I re-fueled with more carbs, taking 2 Gtabs, waiting about 10-15 minutes and then getting back into the pool. but when I would get out for my next leg, I had spiked from 65 to something like 138. and then I would just hang out there at 138 for the last leg.
was I giving myself too many carbs at 65? I didnât think so. this had always worked for me in the past. what had changed? the only thing that had changed was my pre-swim fuel: I went from just eating Gtabs and Jelly Beans to taking that Gel Shot (15gms).
so today I decided to try something different, and I dared myself to remain âlowâ after my first leg without treating with any carbs. I found out something very interesting. these gel shots have some ridiculous staying power. they donât seem to help me on my first leg, but they spike me during my second.
here are todayâs stats:
1:20 bg 105 (BEFORE getting into the pool) took 2 gel shots (30gms)
1:50 bg 75 TOOK NOTHING
2:20 bg 118
2:50 122 (bolused 2.2 units for 4 hours of replacement basal)
3:35 bg 90 (bolused 1.4 units for re-fuel shakes )
so between 1:50pm and 2:50pm those gel shots were still inside me doing their job. but why didnt they work during my first leg? I took 2 gel shots and then dropped from 105 down to 75. and at 75, I took nothing.
anyone out there with any ideas? could I be spiking from adrenalin or cortisol? besides, shortly after the spike, my BGs returned to normal without treatment (aside from my replacement basal bolus to account for 4 hours of ZB).
anyway, thatâs what happened; I am totally open to suggestions, bc I will be back in the pool tomorrow, and I would love to find my flat line again 
signing out,
DM
I would not say they didnât workâŚ
Remember the twins, Daisy Mae and Petunia June?
Petunia did not take a gel at 1:20pm with the BG of 105. What happened to her?
Really, this swim is perfect. A high of 122?!?!?
DM, this is the voice of reason speaking to you nowâŚ
TodayâŚwasâŚperfectâŚ
thank you.
DM
Why do I have IOB when I swim? I have found that I need insulin in my body to swim. The insulin allows the glucose to get into my cells and keep me going. As I mentioned above, if I do not have insulin in my system, my muscles are not getting enough
energy to keep working and start hurting.
For me, it is not a question of whether to have or not have IOB, rather it is a question of the right amount of IOB.
I have found that wearing the pump while swimming works best for me.
It is also important to note that I am doing about 3 miles or more in 90 minutes or less (including breaks between sets).
But you also need glucose in your blood. One of the challenges with swimming is that you canât add fuel while swimming, you have to stop and go to the side of the pool to get carbs.
Yes, glucose without insulin is bad, but insulin without glucose is also bad.
WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TODAY? EXPERIMENT #1:
so, usually when I swim, I like to consider myself ânon-diabetic.â itâs become a kind of running (or swimming) joke bc my BG #s stay so low and steady. however, lately, I have been experiencing different reactions from similar âformulasâ and actions. its kind of confusing how or why it started and why it is not showing me consistent results.
I use to be able to know exactly, or at least approximately, how many carbs I needed before I would get into the pool, and how many carbs I would need to take as I continued to swim. the longer I swam, the less carbs I needed bc I had been on ZB for hours.
I think that lately, I have upped my game and am swimming stronger and faster than I had been in earlier days. I do try and time myself, which is the best indicator of how fast I am swimming, but sometimes I get so lost in my little nirvana that I lose track of everything. I have to remind myself that I need to get out of the pool every thirty minutes to do a finger stick.
well, I use to be able to get by on a few Gtabs. however, lately, I have needed the fast action of Glucose gels to keep me afloat. I started with taking 1 gel before jumping in (15 gms) and that seemed to work. then I needed to take 2 gel shots for the same amount of swim time. but today I took my 2 gel shots before jumping in when my starting BG was 90. I anticipated a BG of about 70-100 after my first 1/2 hour of laps. BUT, when I got out to do my finger stick, my BG had soared to 129. WHAT??? well, that was that. I knew from there that I would only go higher, as these gel shots have incredible staying power. UGH. at the end of my swim my BG had climbed to 146! I got out to bolus for 4hours of ZB, and I decided to give myself an extra .2 units to compensate for the high. well this worked out wonderfully, as I came right back down to target level within 1/2 hour. Phew.
so hereâs the deal: why did this âformulaâ work yesterday, while today it gave me completely different results? I ate the same breakfast, I did the same swim-prep, I went into the pool with very similar BGs, I swam as hard as I did yesterdayâŚyou get the picture.
is this just one of those Diabetic Tricksters that play on our sense of well-being? is there a reason to this madness?
in any case, I am sore as Hell, but my BG is perfect (80), and I am well-hydrated and re-fueled.
here are todayâs stats:
1pm bg 90 dash to pool
1:20 bg 90 take 2 gel shots (30gms) and jump in
1:50 bg 129
2:20 bg 128
2:50 bg 146 sighed and then bolused for 4hrs of missed basal
3:25 bg 111 bolused for my re-fuel 1.4 units for 32gms and had a handful of almonds
4:35 bg 80
am on 97% TB ( a good place to be after a swim, for me anyway) and looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving on Thursday. I will be back in the pool on Friday (tomorrow is a Holiday prep day, so no pool time.)
wishing everyone well and a good hearty meal and family time and football this Thursday!!!
signing out,
DM
just out of sheer curiosity, what is the ârightâ amount of insulin for you during your swim? my swims sound very similar to yours, time-wise and distance.
2 of those gels is a ton of glucose! Those are supposed to be for emergency bad lows.
I agree with you about IOB and swimming.
How much? The pump basal rate is .85 units/hour. So a little over 1.5 units for my swim. I usually get into the pool with BG level between 150 and 180 mg/dl. The BG spikes a little in the first 15 to 20 minutes and then starts dropping. I usually do longer intervals, mostly 500 yards, with kicking sets of 250 yards, and check with the Libre between each interval or set.
but I took 2 of them 2 days in a row before my start and I still went low afterwards within 1/2 hour!!! makes no sense to me at all. but youâd better believe that the next time I get into the pool (Friday), I wonât be taking so much!!!
I used to swim with high BGs and basal IOB, but in the past year I have changed things up so that I am low and steady. I try my best to flat line it and keep between 80 and 120. some days are better than others, but that is the general goal.
you say that you feel stronger keeping some IOB, but your BGs are higher than mine. when I am high like that I get cramps, and I feel wiped out.
I am glad that you have found something that works for you. I know what a challenge it can be!!! 
See about doing some frequent testing before, so you know if you are dropping, flat, or rising.
A 90 can mean a lot of different things. Look at these examples!
12:40pm - 70
1:00pm - 85
1:20pm - 90
or
12:40pm - 120
1:00pm - 100
1:20pm - 90
Those 
are totally different.
It is not just the 90, but how quickly you are rising or falling.
I know you take a test right before you leave, but just consider a few tests to get an idea of how quickly it is changing.
gotcha. 
I have found that the Libre is not so accurate during exercise. also, there is about a 15 minute delay; so, I could be 100, but the Libre may read 120. I donât like making treatment decisions based upon it during intense exercise. and one of the problems I had with the dexcom while swimming is that I was constantly out of range, so I would get those stupid ??? until AFTER my swim. now I simply rely upon finger sticks.much easier and more reliable.
Yes, the Libre is not great in the pool during intense sets, but for me it is easier than either guessing or getting out of the pool and checking BG directly.
To try to qualify the differences between the Libre readings and the actual BG test, I got out of the pool repeatedly and took both measurements at about the same time. This gave me a idea of the differences.
The Dexcom does not work in the pool since the water interferes with the bluetooth transmission. When swimming, the body is mostly under water. After a few transmission attempts, the Dexcom receiver or phone will indicate that it is âout of range.â
The Libre would not work ether if you tried to scan it under water. The advantage with the Libre in the pool is that you can scan it between sets (or even sometimes intervals) and get an idea of where your BG is.
I do not like the Libre out of the pool and use the Dexcom G6 with the Tandem slim t2 when I am out of the pool.
I found that I got to get my BG up a bit to get through even a warm-up set. Nevertheless, if I am over 250 my swimming technique starts to fail. For me, the cramps were more due to the statins than the BG level. Most endos put their type-1s on statins as a prophylactic. My endo dropped my dosage of statins since I do not have a cholesterol problem and that mostly stopped the cramping. I also take CQ 10 which helps with the cramping.
When I swam in college, I would eat some donuts before swim practice. This was many decades ago and did not have any way to check BG. The donuts usually got me through practices, but there were more than a few bad episodes. Swim meets were a huge challenge. With the adrenaline flowing, I was always guessing.