GETTING BACK INTO THE POOL (after 2 years away)

Sports & Exercise
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Oh well. I think of easy ways this could have been handled - especially by the lifeguard, who was the “authority figure”. He could have been a little more human and a little less despotic. But maybe that’s how he has been trained - ‘no exceptions to the rule no matter how silly that may be’.

I would have done the same thing as you did. I also would have been upset about it.

I am sometimes on the lifeguard side of this interaction - being the person who has to tell someone not to do something. In my case, it’s “don’t touch the sculptures.” I do get some dirty looks and protestations. And I can understand the anger - a lot of the sculptures practically ask to be touched. But rules are rules. (I am volunteering at a sculpture park).

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that explains a lot! I didnt understand, at first, why you had to tell people not to touch the sculptures. Now it makes 100% sense. Thanks for your reply. Now i dont feel like such a spoiled child.

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I’m glad you still had a great swim with great BGs despite the ignorance (to me) of the lifeguard.

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EXTRA INFORMATION GATHERING FOR SWIMMING; EXPERIMENT #1:

Totally new info; you heard it right here:

So this morning my sugars were unusually high. in fact, yesterday i went as high up as 354! I had a pump malfunction and had to go back to the old syringe method. Oy Vay. It scared me. I did a brief TB of 140% and my sugars came down nicely. But then, overnight my sugars were high (for me) They were in the 90s and low 100s (106) BC i have the FOTF problem, i knew my sugars were going to pop up quickly so i just gave myself .2 uits and bumped my TB up to 120% before jumping out of bed. At 7:10 my sugars bounced up to 141 anyway, and i did a correction of .4 u/h. After eating Bfast, my sugars spiked to 207. But from all of the insulin i had given myself, it brought my BG down nicely. Or should i say, a little TOO nicely.

Once i had Zero Bolus OB, i tested my sugars to get ready to leave the house. My sugars were on the low side so i turned off my pump and re-tested in 15 minutes. Well, instead of at least staying stable, they had gone down further (82) and i am not so comfortable swimmihng under a BG of 100. I waited and took a half Gtab. Nothing. I waited another 15 minutes.Finally, i thought i had been on ZB long enough to swim, so i left the house and dashed to the pool. When i got to the pool, i tested (as I alwasys do before jumping in) and my BG was still 82. I took 3.25 Gtabs and trusted that all that time on ZB would keep me afloat. I had a really nice, strong swim. but when i got out of the pool after my swim and tested my BGs were 61 !! I was anxious about dropping below 70, so i took a Gtab and then went to shower. I usually bolus right after my swims, but this time i was too anxious to bolus. But before leaving the locker room, i re-tested and my sugars had come up to 71 so i felt safe to bolus for all the time of ZB and while swimming off my pump. I bolused .4 u/h and went on my way. As i was getting close to my home, I bolused for my refuel shakes. I dont usually bother testing before i bolus for the shakes, but today i did (more out of curiousity than anything else) My sugars were 114. I gave myself an extra .1 unit.

However, when i got upstairs, i tested again, and my sugars had spiked to 178!!! OMG. I quickly gave myself another .2 u/h. But my BGs caame down fast.within half an hour my BG was 87. I drank my shakes and took a nice walk with my husband and visited my father.

All in all it was a good day. I chose courage over fear. Swam with my BGs on the low side, but it didnt disrupt a great swim or interfere with my day. I learned an invaluable lesson: Even if i am in my 60s when i get out of the pool, I should bolus for the missed basal and cortisol spike. My sugars may be low, but they will inevitably rise rather quickly. The bolus puts a stop to that spike.

today, stats are unimportant. I gave you all of it in this narrative already. I hope this info helps someone else who is confused or curious. Even though we may all b diabetics, our bodies respond differently to different situations and stimuli. This is simply my experience and my story. would love to hear your stories. I always learn something from them.

signing out,

DM

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427

So true. I appreciate the narrative more than the numbers myself. What really surprised me about your experience was the really high reading you had:

Wow that’s high.

I have one question that you may have answered before - do you notice it physically when you are going low?

I do notice it and usually my body will be ahead of the cgm - my body will be signalling that I’m going low while my cgm is still in a healthy range (although usually with a down arrow). So I don’t wait for the CGM to address the impending low. Like you, I’ve found turning off my pump is effective sometimes.

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Unfortunately, i am hypo unaware. I dont feel anything until either low 50s or 40s. And by then, im shaking and sweating and seeing double. I am blessed to have the dexcom to rely on, especially overnight! That DEX Alarm is loud and annoying but it has saved my life on more than one occasion…like last night, for example.

thanks for your post.

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CONFUSED BY A LOW POST SWIM; EXPERIMENT #1:

Today felt like any other day in the pool. Nice tight BG numbers. Confident, strong swim.
However, when i got out of the pool and tested, my BG was 57 !!! I didnt know what to do so i relied on my best guess. Instead of bolusing for the usual cortisol spike, I took 1 glucose tablet, then showered, then when my sugars began to climb, I bolused at 72. On my way home i retested and my BG was 76, so i bolused for my refuel shakes. While waiting to eat, i washed my face and hair and moisturized. and, right before when i was ready to drink my shakes, i tested again and saw that my BG had come back down to 71.

I would love to have had a good Dexcom reading to rely on, but for the past 3 days since i have put it on i have nothing but crazy inaccurate readings (and after many unsuccessful calibrations I finally removed it.) What a PITA.

Now that i am home, i put on a new Dexcom, so i am hoping this one will work properly. Its the second one i’ve had to take off do to wildly inaccurate readings. I have had them replaced but now if this one doesnt work out, i will have to speak to the DEX supervisor (ive had too many replacement for the one month allotment.)

Just felt very dizzy and flashing spots in my eyes. Retested and my sugars have gone down to 46. I went into the fridge and through back some egg nog Yummy. I had 1/3 Cup, which counts as 7.5 gms of carbs (and the fat, OMG so many calories!!!) probably shouldnt have had something with so much fat in it (which i am guessing would slow down the absorption ) but so be it. Im just trying my hardest to make appropriate decisions, which, as you must know, is almost impossible when your BG is 46. I just opened the fridge and whatever appealed to me was the first thing i grabed. So this is a new swimming experiment for me. And ive been on a lowered TB for the past week (80%, which is probably not low enough so i lowered my TB down to 75% and hopefully that will help to do the trick.)

Anyway, now i am just waiting for my sugars to come back up. My hands are shaking and i am seeing spots before my eyes. I am feeling very uncomfortable; **I know that for some of you out there in FUD Land dont mind this type of low, but for me, not so. I just have to be patient and let it pass. Which i find hard because i want it to work right away and patience isnt one of my virtues. I could eat everything in the fridge :rofl: **

so thats what i’ve got to report for today. I forgot to post last week. Ah Well…

signing out,

DM

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430

I hope you are feeling better and not still singing the Hypo blues.

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Oh, no! Our favorite ruby red grapefruit juice would be quicker than egg nog, but variety is also healthy :yum: I have to admit, I rely on grapefruit juice way too often. :frowning: I hope you are feeling better!

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Inspired by @daisymae while waiting on a video doctor appointment that never came - “Hypoglycemia Blues”

(Chorus)
I got them ole hypoglycemic blues.
Oh yeah hypo - hypo, hypoglycemic blues.
I ate through the fridge and pantry too,
Nothing is safe hypo blues gotta go.

  1. I woke in a hot sweat
    Hands shakin’ rattlin’ like a jackhammer.
    I need a fix, something sweet you bet,
    Bottle empty not tabs, head doing a bammer.

(Chorus)
I got them ole hypoglycemic blues.
Oh yeah hypo - hypo, hypoglycemic blues.
I ate through the fridge and pantry too,
Nothing is safe hypo blues gotta go

  1. Riding up, rinding down on the sugar coaster,
    Head spinning like the tilt-a-whirl.
    I knows I done wrong, know I am toast, er.
    Stick a fork, no, make it a needle, girl.

(Free form freak out bu the band- total chaos)

(Chorus)
I got them ole hypoglycemic blues.
Oh yeah hypo - hypo, hypoglycemic blues.
I ate through the fridge and pantry too,
Nothing is safe hypo blues gotta go

  1. I got off that sweet bumpy ride to Hell,
    Maybe tomorrow I will feel fine.
    Right now I’m living in a sick room cell.
    Damn these Hypo hyper hypo blues kill my mind.

(Chorus)
I got them ole hypoglycemic blues.
Oh yeah hypo - hypo, hypoglycemic blues.
I ate through the fridge and pantry too,
Nothing is safe hypo blues gotta go

Anyone want to change this up feel free. The meter’s off and so is the rhyme. But hey, it’ll do when you have the hypo/hyperglycemic blues.

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I simnply adore this. dont think it was bc of how many carbs i ate, but bc i turned down my basal rate to 75% and just got seriously into the egg nog. Later i spiked to 183 and had a fever.

And just like last week when i came home from my swim, i got a fever with chills. Whats up with that pool???

and btw, i LOVED your song!!!

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btw, i am a go-to gal when it comes to Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice. Its usually my first choice. And it mildly low in carbs (1 cup is only 20gms)

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My pleasure, it keep me occupied while waiting on the doctor, again. I could’ve been stressing, but instead had a bit of fun.

:heart_eyes:

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BACK IN THE POOL AFTER MY STINTS; EXPERIMENT # 1:

Just if it matters, i havent been posting some of my swims, but i also havent swam in a while due to illness and another back ablation. The ablation was God-awful (but at least this time the anesthiologist put me under). But this ablation was done with IV Steroids, and OMG did that ever play havoc with my BGs. I had to put myself on a 240% TB for around 72 hours and it was still a challenge to stay in TR.

The holidays also reaked havoc on my BGs due to massive food consumption. I was basically able to keep my cool about it and be on top of it with insulin stacking and corrections. But was it worth it? DEFINATELY!!! ( i posted this on another thread)

It was an amazing swim since the stints were put in and my arteries all cleaned out. I could breath so easily!!! I never imagined. And i didnt realize that i had been struggling for so long beforehand. It was making me laugh.

I have been having terrible trouble with my BGs and my Basal rates for about a month now. It all began when i became ill with fever. I had 104.6 fever but without Tylenol (or anything else) my fever would go away during the daytime and only return in the evening. Weird. But ever since the steroids were out of my system and my fever completely went away, ive had to be on various amounts of basal. ( 70%, 80% , 100% ) and i have no explanation why. My pumps been working fine and sometimes i have had to change my infusion every other day. Perhaps due to a bad infusion site.

anyway, back to the matter at hand. Today was the greatest swim. I was looking forward to it for what like seemed forever. I’m high as a kite right now, and enjoying it tremendously. :rofl: :star_struck:

my numbers werent great or near as usual, but i am most pleased that i was able to just get into the pool and do my thing. I started at 136 BG and finished at 112 BG. I bolused .3 units to cover the impending cortisol spike the moment i got back up to the locker room. I got the “good” shower today. Really really strong hot water, which i believe was helpful for my back pain. Whether or not, it felt wonderful. I let the water pummel my entire back and it felt like a little bit of Heaven.

I saw my Endo this morning and he kept emphasizing that the problems i was having with my sugars and my basals was NOT MY FAULT. this made me feel much better about myself, bc i had been feeling very depressed about it and like a failure. He suggested that i i make a separate basal profile on my pump for a 20% reduction in my basal for a week and see what happens. My lows have been awful and barely manageable ( i keep getting stuck in the 40s and cant get my sugars to come up.)

Anyway, thats all the news for today. I’ll be back in the pool on Friday. I cant wait. I am filled full with Gratitude!!! :+1:

signing out,

DM

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437

I too am a swimmer (3x/week) along with Pilates and walking daily. But of course the past 2 weeks have been crazy with family.
What I find is if I’m on and off again with different exercises …like swimming a mile on Friday after not swimming for a week I fight lows for at least 24 hours which isn’t bad this time of year with the sweets available.
I can see why cross training is so good.

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For 20+ years cycling was my regular exercise routine. One day I was walking down my front steps when I had a blinding pain in one calf.I was lucky as it was only a minor tear. My doc referred me to physical therapy.

My PT commented, “Cycling is a great exercise, but you should consider cross training.” I heard CrossFit- “Noooo! Not CrossFit!” She said, “Not CrossFit, that’s our bread and butter, from injuries.” Cross training, where you exercise your whole body. Some resistance to build up muscle and strengthen bone.”

I used an insurance benefit and joined a gym. I was clueless as what to do, but I noticed this very tall personal trainer who really tailored workouts for each individual client, unlike most of the other trainers.

She has been my PT for at least 4 years. A treasure to be sure.

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BASAL CHANGES MAKE A HELPFUL DIFFERENCE; EXPERIMENT #1:

so ive made that new basal profile which is only delivering 80% of the basal i was normally getting. Dont know why i suddely need less insulin, but thats just that and when its broke, fix it. I posted on Tuesday about seeing my Endo, and his suggestions regarding the lows i have been having are related to my gastroparesis. This is why it can take up to 2 hours to see a healthy rise in my BGs after a low. It seems that the most effective tool in my toolbox is using Gtabs , which is pure glucose, or a Transend Gel (which really spikes me out of a severe low quickly (1/2 hour).

Todays swim was fantastic. Although there were 3 other people in my lane, and although they were rather slow swimmers, we swam in circles so as not to crash into one another. I kept passing the other 2 swimmers which was great for my ego and put a smile on my brain :rofl: .

This morning, i went very low at 9am. I went down to 41. this has been happening every morning at the same time. I have been reducing and reducing my basal while concurrently raising my ICR for breakfast. So far not much of a change. But im on it. Still trying to fix the problem. By 10:15, my sugars had come up to 88 and i was very pleased. I got out of bed ( i always take a nap after Bfast cause i get up to bolus at 6am and Im very exhausted after i finish eating). I went and sat at my desk and played some trivia games, and once i had zero IOB, i did a finger stick bc i couldnt believe what my dexcom was reading (160 with an arrow going straight up. OMG!!!) My finger stick read the same, so i leaped up from my desk chair and dashed like a lunatic off to the pool. I figured i would swim off the high BG. Before i jumped in, i did another finger stick and my sugars had come down to 145. Phew for a little downward action! When i finished my swim my BG was 108. This is a little high for me at the finish of my swims, but hey, it was a heck of a lot better than when i jumped into the pool! (And for that I am grateful.)

I am still recovering from the spinal ablaytion i had 2.5 weeks ago, and i am in a lot of pain from it, but i am finding that i am more limber than i was just a year ago. I owe this to doing my stretching exercise (along with taking muscle relaxers). Also, my balance is returning, which is a real gift bc i can dress myself with better ease and more coordination.

Ive been using CarlosLouis as my inspiration for geting through each day. I am very glad that i am not going through chemo like he is, but he does it with grace and what feels like a smile on his face despite the fact that he is a cotrol freak with his BGs, which i totaly relate to. I am looking forward to his treatment ending and him returning to his normal life. I just wanted to add that piece of info bc its such a great example of what we all do here at FUD. We inspire one another and we never critisise. We are a fan club for everyone, and thats a cherrishable miracle to me.

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After 4 years of not swimming, I finally got back in the pool in December, with the support of a wonderful friend. It was because of you and this thread that I had enough confidence to give it a try. So thanks for sharing your experience and inspiring me!

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My trick, having what sounds like a similar problem, in those times when that low won’t budge, is to get that amylase in the mouth working on it. Even my childhood treatments of sucking a lifesaver, or putting sugar under the tongue, work quicker for me than chewing a gTab and swallowing, though if I can chew that tab just a little and keep it under my tongue or in my cheek for a bit, that also can help. Gel can easily be kept in the mouth, but at home I usually just use Karo Syrup. Leaving some of the syrup on the inside of my lips seems to be particularly helpful to working quicker, for me

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TODAY WAS A WEIRD DAY; EXPERIMENT #1:

I was on the low side this morning so i took one glucose tablet, which shouold have brough my BG up to my TR. It didnt, so i took another 1/2 tab about 45 minutes later. Still, no rise. However, at 11:15, my sugars started to rise (116) so i made my usual mad dash out of the house to the pool. Yet, when i got to the pool, not only were my sugars in the same range, they had risen to 136. I swam my heart out. And i was unfortunately surprised with my finishing BG (117) . I considered to jump bk into the pool and swim for another 15 minutes, but my back was in so much pain, i let it go and when i got bk up to the locker room i bolused for the potential cortisol spike, as well as a correction bolus of .1units. on my way home i stopped so that i could bolus for my Boost Shakes and i looked at my dexcom. I did a finger stick, too, and confirmed that my BG was rising, so i gave myself another small bolus. When i got home my BG had jumped to 134 and so i gave myself another .2units and drank my shakes. Within another moment my BG was 140, so i gave myself another .1unit. And now, an hour after finishing my shakes, my BG is 152. UGH. I hate the days that feel out of control.

I know that CarlosLouis will relate to this, as i am certain that a few other of you will as well. Some of us FUDs are natural control freaks and all it takes is one divergent from the “norm” and we start freaking out. I have to remember that this, diabetes, is a disease and not a discrace. I can only work with what i have to work with. I do my best, and then some. I do get frustrated but its not an everyday thing. But when its so out of my control, i hate it. In the end, though, i get through it. Its just a disappointment bc i’ve put so much of my energy and brain power into staying in range, that it just feels unfair when things dont go as i want them to. I mean, havent i earned that by now?

Anyway, on the Gratitude side of things, the pool was empty and so i got my own lane all to myself. It was a great, strong swim…the kind that gets you high as a kite afterwards. And now that I am done with my Ablations, and i am swimming regularly, i am going to try and increase my swim time. I know that I said that about a month or two ago, but so many health issues came up that prevented this. My pain levels are quite pronounced, and i wish i didnt have to deal with that; but it is what it is and i dont want it to diminish the quality of my life. I know that i am stronger than i give myself credit for. (at least thats what my husband and my dad keep telling me :+1: .)

signing out,

DM

PS, my BG is continuing to rise, so i changed out my pump infusion (even though i changed it yesterday) bc ya never know. Ive been pumping myself full of insulin and my sugars continue to rise. Hopefully this will help.

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