on the one hand, it makes more sense, b/c then i could avoid this last 1/2 hour spike; but, then how well could i trust the zero basal once i get into the pool? i mean, i could use Gtabs to treat lows, but is it worth it?
It’s a tradeoff.
You may drop a bit more initially when you start your swim, but you would have less of the spike when you walk to the pool. So the 130’s would be more rare.
By the way, one day if you are doing a 2 hour ZB, you might walk to the pool and spike from 90 to 115, and say, “Eric, I still spiked…”
And I would remind you of your twin PetuniaJune, who walked to the pool after a 2.5 hour ZB, and she spike to 130…
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PetuniaJune isnt the brightest bulb in the room.
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Think about trying a 2 hour ZB a few times, and see how it works for you.
perhaps i will try this out on sunday. there are no kids in the pool over the w/end, so its nice and quiet and peaceful.
and i will remember to bring the IM insulin pen with me to the pool, so i can dose right out of the pool in my swim suit. 
(i can use my thigh, which i prefer over my calve)
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OMG, I CANT BELIEVE THAT I DID THAT! EXPERIMENT # 1:
so when i began my swim prep my BG was 89 and i gave myself a pre-bolus of .5 units. Uh oh, too much insulin. i disconnected from my pump and waited out the 2 hours before i would leave for the pool. right before i left my BG was only 72; i was very anxious over such a low BG for my swimming, but off i went anyway.
when i got to the pool and was putting on my bathing suit, i accidently pulled out my pump infusion site. OMG . (luckily i had some syringes with me to dose for replacement basal right after i got out of the pool; phew )
well by the time i was ready to jump in, my BG had climbed to 89, so i felt safe about swimming. i lucked out; there were no children today and barely any grown-ups either. it was quiet and peaceful. i was able to shake off all of the mishaps that have been nettling me for the past week. (did i mention the terrible night with my new dexcom? nightmare 
? ) thank god for that pool today!!! i felt like God was cutting me a break (oh, poor DM; she had such a wretched night. i’ll make certain that she has a great time in the pool today 
.)
(yesterday, i started having absorbtion issues with my pump. i kept bolusing, but i wasnt getting the insulin i needed. my BGs kept going high, so i bolused an IM shot, but was so off the beam that i gave myself 2X the insulin that i needed, and when i realized what i had done, i went straight to the Oreos and milk; but then i rebounded and spiked.so then i tried bolusing through my pump, when i should have just changed it out. and the dexcom was alarming all night long with the WRONG BGs. i spent the night turning on the light, waking up my husband, putting on my reading glasses, finger-sticking, turning off the dexcom alarm, etc etc…i am certain many of you are familiar with this scenario.)
regardless…the swimming was a true gift today. it was exactly what i needed. it completely made up for yesterday, and then some. 90 minutes of true peace. glorious. and when i got home (i ran), i re-did my entire pump and was able to bolus for my chocolate shakes. yum.
here are todays stats:
1:20 BG 89 (took 1 Gtab)
2PM BG110 (took 1/2 a Gtab that i did NOT need)
2:30 BG 120
3pm BG 108
3:30 BG 82
not the best, but far from the worst. glad for my perseverance; for tomorrows swim, i am packing some extra pump supplies and syringes in my gym bag. i dont know why i hadnt thought of doing that before. silly me.
signing off,
DM
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Those numbers looks fine. Are you using your fancy new 1/2 unit pen that all the cool kids use?
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i forgot the pen today. and it would have been the perfect day for it, seeing that i accidently ripped off my pump while i was changing into my bathing suit 
(but i already packed the pen safely in my gym bag with other extra pump supplies for tomorrows swim.)
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Maybe not your best, but looks pretty excellent to me!! Congrats! Even with all the turmoil with pump suits and Dexcom!
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at least tomorrow is another day i get to try it all over again
tonight is another experiment with an ICR for dinner. my endo keeps encouraging me to experiment without judging myself if things dont work out the way i want them to. but we are trying to work on the crash that i get after dinner on my swim days. so, slowly, i give myself less and less insulin until i dont crash. of course, what goes through my mind is “oh no, i might spike” eegaadds!!!
(we are also working on overnight basal rates for around 2am. this would have been perfect if the darn dexcom did its job. but i just set my alarm and wake up to do finger sticks during the night)
On swimming days, try to make your dinner somewhat carb focused. Not only protein and fat, but a good supply of carbs as well. That’s really what you need to replenish!
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what percentage of my dinner should be carbs? 50% 60% more? i ALWAYS have carbs with my dinners, but i think i balance it a lot with protein and fats.
Percentages are tricky to use, because if you ate 200 calories, I’d want 90% to be carbs. 
But if you ate 360 calories, then 50% could be carbs.
Percentages are useful for other things, but let’s just say you should try for at least 45 grams of carbs with your dinner on swimming days.
If that seems like a lot, it’s only 1/2 (or less) of the total for what you are probably burning when you swim. Replacing it will help you not have as many drops, and also help you feel strong for your next swim.
I know you are bolusing for protein, but don’t count the protein in your carb totals. When I say 45 grams of carbs, I mean carbs.
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i am already doing this. exactly 46 gms for dinner tonight, sometimes more once you add in the snacking afterwards before bedtime.(but it was about an 800 calorie meal)
and just as a PS: i did the 1:17 ICR for dinner tonight and i only went down to 60 so far. so its much improved from a few months ago. i am making progress. tomorrow i will bump it up to a 1:18 ICR for the same meal and see how that works for me.
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BEFORE THE EXPERIMENT #1:
last night went very well. a nice surprise. the 1:17 ICR worked very well, but still went low; so, tonight i am going to try 1: 18 ICR and see how that works for me post swim.
also, went low after drinking my chocolate refuel shakes, so today in stead of bolusing for 50% of the carbs, i am going to bolus for 40% of the carbs. and we’ll see how that works out.
when i swim consequtive days in a row, i become even more insulin sensitive. i just want to be aware of that.
but so far today, i am on target with my BGs before my swim. i leave for the pool in 1.5 hours. i hope the pool is not filled full. will keep you posted,
DM
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LESS INSULIN POST SWIM EXPERIMENT # 1:
so as i said earlier, i am trying out taking less insulin for my zero basal replacement, as well as less insulin for my chocolate shakes. i am excited to see how it works out. 
great swim today. great flat line. aside from the children, the pool was empty and i was able to relax and enjoy myself. i swam hard (not particularly fast), and pushed myself so that my legs were burning. i felt strong today, despite the lack of sleep i’ve been getting. this was nice.
here are the stats:
1pm BG 85 (took 1 Gtab)
1:30 BG 91
2pm BG 98
2:30 BG 96
3:30 BG 86
i am planning on having the exact same dinner that i had last night to keep the variables in check. i want to see how the decrease in insulin (ICR of 1:18 ) effects my BG. i’ll let you all know how it goes.
i wont be swimming tomorrow, but i will be back in the pool for Sunday, monday, tuesday, thursday and friday. that should make for an interesting week
have a great weekend everyone!!
signing off,
DM
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Awesome stuff, DM!
See how smart you were to not take more gtabs after you started!
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i am learning. yesterday’s lesson
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Yesterday you emailed me and said you were an idiot. I don’t like those comments. You learned from yesterday, and that means you are smart.
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thank you kindly, sir 
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