eric, can you help me get my BGs into target range?
Today you dropped 27 points.
Once you get comfortable with it (donât rush it), you donât need to be at 170 when you start. At some point you will be comfortable with starting at 150. And then 120!
Sure, you mean pre-swim?
i will do the same tomorrow and see what results i get.
my question to you is this: i turned off my pumpâs basal for 2 full hours before i even detached from my pump. so, without any basal, i went from 114 up to170 in 2 hours. how could i possibly not have my BGs rise so high if i am on 0% basal for the 2 hours? would i just go down to something like 20% basal rate for 2 hours? is that how it would work? (in theory, not that particular # basal % )
yes, pre-swim.
Did you eat anything?
no, i didnt eat a thing. just empty tummy with no bolus IOB.
Ok, so there are some ways to work through that. But first, you want to stick with what you have done for a few times. Make sure it was not a fluke, make sure that was a good disconnect time period and everything is working right.
Then, the plan would be to either do a preemptive basal replacement. A small bolus about 3-4 hours before your swim. So you will have a downward trend a little bit during those pre-swim hours (which you correct with small amounts of food), and you will level out before your swim because your duration is 4 hoursâŚ
Or the other thing would be to adjust the percentages a bit. So maybe 20% for an hour, and 10% for the next hour and then swim. Or something like that.
Lots of ways to work through it. But donât rush. Letâs be diabetic for a while longer!
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iâve come this far; i might as well go the distance.
and PS: since i left the gym, my bgs have gone UP, despite my giving myself 1.7 units post swim. maybe i wasnt agressive enough? i gave myself the bolus 1.5 hours ago. i went from 143 to 166 in that period of time. how aggressive do i need to be with my dinner meal?
I understand, you just need to be sure of your adjustments. You want to know exactly what a 2 hour disconnect does. You have to do it a few times!
How about a pre-loaded syringe. You could take a bolus 30 minutes before finishing your swim. Like during your last BG check. I say a syringe because that is faster than reconnecting your pump!
Or you could use a pen if you have one. I am guessing you have a pen or syringes. Anyone with a pump should have something to use in case of pump breakdowns. If you donât have an emergency method of dosing, we need to fix that!
Get a syringe holder like this and pre-fill it with a 1/2 unit shot. Then itâs a 5 second break and back in the water!
I have a bunch of those 
i have both syringes and pens. (i think that the pen would be easier b/c you can micro dose w/ it as opposed to the syringe which is hard to negotiate. i love that idea.
BUT, for now i would just like to repeat todayâs success with tomorrows swim and see if gets me the same great results. patience, DM, patience. 
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Yep, good call!
Keep in mind, that small amount while swimming will be about 2-3 times more powerful. A small dose 30 minutes before you quit will make a big difference in your BG when you are done. You will still need to take a bolus to replace your basal, but this will help it get started much sooner.
i notice that when i only swim for 1 hour, i am able to do a manual bolus post swim and i dont rise significantly much. its the 2 hour swims that seem to make the difference. also, after my swim, i bolus right away, but then i detach again and go into the shower and the sauna; so that adds another 1/2 hour that i am disconnected. so i am totaling 4.5 hours w/out my pumpâs basal insulin.
Taking a little bit of insulin 30 minutes before you are done swimming will make a big difference. And it is safe, because you know you will be able to test and eat if you need to within 30 minutes.
Also, as I mentioned before, at some point (eventually) when you are comfortable starting your swim at 120 instead of 170, you wonât be as high when you finish!
this all sounds so exciting. now i just have to get my food/diet in sync. (have i mentioned that i have gastroparisis?) i fueled up well tonight, but i have to do it with smaller meals. carbs, protein, hydration.
i am really looking fwd to my swim tomorrow. i hope (fingers crossed) that it goes as well as today did.
This is GREAT!!!
Michel, thank you soooo much for your ongoing encouragement and cheers. its people like you that keep me going. i was stuck for so long. i felt like a victim of this D disease. and i felt trapped and frustrated. i felt limited and angry.
now i feel a new freedom. not that i dont still have fears. i do. its just that now i feel safe enough to take some risks.
my husband and i are celebrating our wedding anniversary this thursday. neither of us wanted to do anything romantic. no fancy restaurant, no broadway show, no giftsâŚwe just wanted to go eat at this burger joint in our neighborhood called BareBurger. its one of the few restaurants that i have mastered with the help of my pump and a years worth of experimenting. i know that i can go there, eat exactly what i want, and not spend my meal freaking out about âdid i bolus right? am i going to spike high or go low?â i know i can thoroughly enjoy every moment of our meal and every moment of our time together. i cant wait. and i am going to swim my way there to this enormous meal
and btw, my bgs came perfectly back into range after dinner : 84 ! yippie !
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Daisymae,
That is a lovely sentiment. I am so glad that you feel less trapped and frustrated. The anniversary and the dinner bg control are just icing on the cake. You are truly a lucky woman who is taking control of her diabetes in an unlimited way!! Congrats.
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i have been on my 0% basal for 1.5 hours now and my bgs have only come up to 133. i am waiting another 1/2 hour before getting ready to leave for the pool.
is 133 a safe # to dive into the pool with? or should i take a small bite of a Baby Ruth candy bar?
SOS. if you are out there, eric, please let me know what you think. of course, if there is anyone else out there with experience and an opinion i would greatly appreciate hearing from you. thx, Daisy Mae.
I think if you are 2 hours with 0% basal, you will probably be ok with the 133.
Best way to find outâŚDO IT!
You might drop a bit more than you want and have to take some sugar during your swim, or cut your swim short. But you have to try to find out. What if 133 is great, and you stay there the whole time?
If you are feeling it, I say go for it! Bring some sugar along and test at 30 minutes.
Go, DM!