JUST WANTED TO ADD:
there is a saying that I like a lot and figured I would share it with you:
"Pain may hurt, but suffering is optional." (I only bring this up bc now, several hours after my swim, I am in a significant amount of pain, but instead of suffering I am embracing every moment that lead up to this one.)
So glad you have your JOY back (we all need joy in our lives)!
Lisađ»
Wow, DM, Iâm so proud of you! You did amazingly well after your long sabbatical and pain ridden time away from the pool! As Iâve said many times before, you are amazing! We look forward to experiencing, virtually, your swim back to excellence!!
@daisymae I am so happy to read this! You must be absolutely delighted to have accomplished all of this! Ugh on the pain-- I am so sorry that itâs a part of it, but hopefully it will also diminish as you swim more and more. (I am just getting back to playing tennis after 3 years of shoulder pain and also know the joy of it all (and the PAIN!). But itâs getting better each time AND Iâm finding my old rhythm, which is also a joy.) Please keep us posted! Sending you my very best thoughts! Jessica xoxo
@daisymae, I am so happy for your return to the pool!
I know how eager you have been to get back to it, and I have been looking forward to this day for a long time too.
Donât worry about the BG or any of that stuff. All those things are issues for later. For now, just celebrate your day!
@daisymae Glad youâre back in the âswimâ of things! Hadnât heard any progress recently, but didnât want to invade. Working thru the pain, as long as it isnât too bad, strikes me as reasonable thing. Hang in there lady!
I am so glad you were able to get in the water, overcoming your (real) fears, and even coping with the lack of towels. You go, daisymae!
I quoted this line from you pep talk, because it reminds me of how I feel about bicycling. Not the same, but recognizable. Hereâs hoping that your confidence returns 110%. Oh and with the technical advice of Eric.
But somethings as you have pointed out Ms @daisymae are beyond even @Eric 's control -in this case, the humble towel.
Well played @daisymae , well played!
There is a McGyver in every diabetic somewhere, because deep down NO is not an option.
Hey, DM. Thatâs why we gave you a towel. 
MY SECOND GO AT IT:
Well this morning when I woke up, my BGs were 57. I took a Gtab (4gm) and waited 1/2 hour before bolusing for bfast. while I was waiting for my insulin to kick in, I spiked up to 121, so I added another .2 units into my pump for a micro correction. (I had even changed my ICR to give me more insulin this morning in the hopes that I wouldnât go high after bfast (this did not work as I had hoped).
When I tested again at 10:45, to my great surprise, I had gone up to 127 and I just knew that by the time I had no more IOB from Bfast, I would go even higher. I waited patiently another 45 minutes till I only had .2U on board, and said F-it and left for the pool. No fuddling with my basals or anything. Just 100% out of the gate. As Iâve mentioned before, its a 20 minute walk to the pool. I went as fast as I could, hoping to get into that water ASAP without my BGs climbing any higher. Phew, bc it worked.
at 12 noon, I was ready to jump into the pool. My BG was 138 (OMG HIGH), but I knew that I would only drop about 20 points for a 1/2 hours swim, and oddly enough, that was exactly how much I ended up dropping.
This swim was MUCH easier than last Fridays. No breathing problems. My pace was faster and less lopsided. I passed two other swimmers (it was crowded but thats probably bc its a National Holiday). However, midway through, I got a terribly painful muscle spasm down my back. I tried feeling around to make certain I didnt dislocate any of the âhardwareâ in my spine. Nope, it was all muscle both extremely tight as well as shocking (electric). I swam through it, figuring it would loosen up as I continued. (and it didâŠstill, this is all VERY painful, I remind you. Just getting out of my clothing and into my bathing suit is as much of a challenge as my swim!! No kidding.) BUT I DID IT!!! A FULL 1/2 HOUR NON-STOP. AND IT WAS FABULOUS, AND I FEEL EMENSELY PROUD OF MYSELF!!!
So, as mentioned, when I left the pool at 12:35, my BG was 108. I walked very briskly home. when I got home, my BG was 112 and climbing (I had already bolused 1:10 ICR for 32gms of my 2 Boost Shakes). While I waited for the insulin to kick in, I did another finger stick. my BG had spiked to 125. I gave myself a strong (for me) bolus of another .5U to hopefully curb the spike. (I was off my pump for a total of 45 minutes) This is exactly what happened after my last swim, so next time, when I get out of the pool, I will just hook up and bolus that replacement insulin ASAP without worrying about crashing. (I had this same issue when I used to swim, so I guess this is just what my body does. Dont know why I spike so fast after just 45 minutes off the pump. Ive gone longer than that when I go to the beach and never had this problem. Iâm certain that Eric will chime in and explain the nitty gritty of it all. I hope that he does bc I obviously need some sage words of advice.)
So I am home now feeling high as a kite. (âRunner Highâ) Adrenilyn pumping, drinking my chocolate shakes and enjoying every long slurp.
For my next swim, I cannot give you any predictions. Perhaps I wonât spike beforehand, and I will have to turn off my pump for an hour before getting into the pool. But for today, this is what it was, and it was a great success. I feel wonderful the way a child feels wonderful after winning a race while his/her parents are on the sidelines rooting him/her on. FUD is rooting me on, and I couldnât ask more from you. You are the greatest! (btw, I brag about you guys a lot to other Ds that I know, and I encourage them to join us, but for some very odd reason they dont. I cannot understand why ANYONE would not want a community like this to help guide them and nurture them through the trials and tribulations and successes of living with this disease. Its just beyond me.)
And before I go, I would just like to add that that wonderful âtowelâ that you guys sent to me was just a bit too large and too nice to carry to the pool, so I brought a ratty old towel and all things worked out just fine. Inconvienient, but just fine (you think you pay enough for these simple amenities they should have on hand as they once did. Its amazing how this pandemic has effected our lives in such different ways. You dont need to wear a mask in the locker room if you choose not to, but no towels??? Come on, please!!)
I will keep you posted on how the rest of my day turns out, and I will be back in the pool on Wednesday. Cant wait! This is all so exciting.
signing out,
DM
WhoooHoooo! 
Really glad you are back in the pool! It has been a while, and you have such a warriors mentality. Very inspirational. Loved the paper towel solution, but hard to believe they arenât comfortable managing towels to their guests. Maybe it was just a cutback because they canât get enough people.
Hmmmm⊠
Iâm still looking for the âspikeâ in your post.
125? Is that the spike?
Great job!
My advice is to be very happy with your 2nd day of swimming and being 125!
This is something I hadnât considered. In fact, despite how immaculate the environment is, I havent seen one single cleaning worker; the place use to be swarming with employees mopping and scrubbing and wiping down everything. Its now devoid of any obvious people. very odd.And whatâs weirder is that the cost went up considerably since it was just 2 years ago. My husband and I are on Social Security and get a very small discount, but even with that cost, it is very pricey (IMHO). And although the pool was mobbed today ( JUNETEENTH Holiday maybe?), the gym itself was surprisingly empty. Hummm.
But clean some towels for Christs sake! How difficult is that?
I think, though, that you are definitely on to something. Very clever.
Well going from 108 to 125 in just 20 minutes seems crazy, no? And as much as I accommodated with extra insulin, when dinner was ready to b bolused for, my BG had only come down to 117. I know im not supposed to b shooting for perfection here, but I am use to having lower BGs. So, what do I need to do to get there?
Not that crazy. Hard efforts can make that happen.
You could take more insulin immediately after you finish.
So DM mentioned to me in txt that she ended up going to 148.
Okay! Now that is something we can consider a spike! 
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So @daisymae, you are wondering how much insulin to take after you finish. Last time you took a total of 3.7 units.
Let me ask you something. What would happen if you took 8 units after you finished?
heartbeat:[quote=âEric, post:38, topic:12729â]
What would happen if you took 8 units after you finished?
[/quote]
If I took 8 units I would probably drop dead from hypoglycemia 
. I took 3.2 units to cover the 2 Boost Shakes, then another .5 units to cover the initial BG rise (however I did continue rising, I just hadnât done a finger stick to check it). So, almost all of that bolus was for the shakes (32gms carbs, @ 1:10 ICR).
1 U brings me down by 60 points. Perhaps I can take .8 units after my swim when I reattach to my pump ASAP. How does that sound?
I wait for your reply on bended knee. 
Okay, great! Thatâs the answer I was looking for! (And the answer I already knew. 
)
So now itâs easy for you. 3.7 units was not enough. 8 units would be too much. So you whittle away at the difference until you figure out the right amount.
Add a little bit to 3.7 and see how it works.
But understand this - You donât know how much adrenaline your body released from that swim. You donât know how much that adrenaline caused your liver to release glucose. You donât know what percentage your liver glycogen storage was at, like if it was full or half or what it was. You donât know how much cortisol your body released from the swim, and how that cortisol affected your insulin resistance.
You can try all you want with formulas, but they donât work because there is too much you donât know.
So instead of formulas, use⊠The Force!
One thing I can tell you. Whatever insulin you need now after your swim, in 3 months you will need much less.