GETTING BACK INTO THE POOL (after 2 years away)

Sports & Exercise
61

AT LEAST ITS NOT A CONTEST, EXPERIMENT#1:

well, I took a stab at which basals to lower. mistake #1 & 2 : I lowered my 8am and my 10am basals (only by 0.25U/hr) and 2.5 hours after bfast my BGs had spiked to 145 (WTF???) and by 11:30am I had .5U IOB and my BG had climbed to 160. I figured that if I left the house ASAP, by the time I got to the pool I would probably only have .2U OB and that would b more than just safe to swim. 15 minutes later, before jumping in the pool, I did a fingerstick and my BG had climbed to 171!!! OMG.

I swam harder than I have been, pushing myself, hoping my BGs would come down. When I got out of the pool they had barely budged (150) As soon as I got up to the locker room I bolused an immediate correction, showered, changed and all that and dashed like a complete lunatic all the way home. I figured my BG would remain the same (it usually does), but instead, it popped back up to 170. Holy moly. I bolused immediately for my shakes plus an additional .8 units to cover both the time off my pump and the usual .5U + .3U (read total .8U) all in total, I now had 4.4U IOB. (usually 3.7U OB)

now I am retesting an hour after my very first correction bolus, we’ll see if there is any downward movement, and then decide what to do from there.

Its super weird, bc I had the best BGs throughout the night and early this morning and before bfast. My pump was working fine, no air bubbles, fresh pump site, fresh insulin… mysterious. Such is the life of this disease.

However frustrated I am, its nice to know that I am NOT perfect!

A LITTLE LATER:

Just 1 hour after I bolused at the pool, my BGs jumped to 188! I called Eric in a panic, and he talked me off the ledge. I changed out my pump site anyway. He always tells me: “When in doubt, Change it out!”

Now its 2:20 and my BG is 114. I am drinking my shakes and then going out for a nice walk.

Ill b back in the pool on Friday. Hope things run more smoothly then!!!

signing out,

DM

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62

@daisymae, not trying to make fun of you, but if my son had to be talked off the ledge every time he hit 188, the cellphone company would ask us to leave. Glad you are back in the pool, and I love your commentary. Hope Friday goes better.

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63

absolutely. I totally get it. If my sugars go high and I cannot figure out any earthly reason for it, I go right into panic mode, which only releases more cortisol which only spikes my sugars higher. Its a lose lose situation.

fortunately, my BG came down to a nice 80 without any further assistance on my part (well, I did swap out my infusion site on my pump), No bolus corrections or anything. Just sheer patience and a nice neighborhood walk.

I am looking forward to Friday very much. fingers crossed that it goes more smoothly! :crossed_fingers:

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@daisymae, going from 171 to 150 and then back up to 170 and eventually up to 188 when you were done makes sense.

You swam very hard, and were between 171 and 150 while swimming. When your BG is that high during exercise, you are not getting sufficient fuel.

Not enough insulin means insufficient glycolysis. And that means insufficient ATP. It also means insufficient pyruvic acid which means insufficient acetyl CoA.

So basically your body does not have the fuel and energy it is used to having when swimming. What is it gonna do? It’s gonna spit out more glucose into your blood, thinking that will help.

Duh, body! I don’t have enough insulin! More glucose won’t help, it will only make things worse!

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65

Eric, I have absolutely NO idea what any of this means. Call me chemically limited, but I am not savvy with any of this.

I dont get what you are suggesting I do? This morning I reset and raised my basals to my former 8am and 10am settings and my BGs are perfectly back to normal. (perhaps I was too hasty about lowering those specific basals???)

DM

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66

We need enough insulin to make use of glucose as fuel. This is a really simple explanation that really doesn’t do what Eric wrote.

I’ve been following this tread, and I have been thinking about how you were basically inactive for, what, 2 years? Now you are getting back into regular physical activity, walking to and from the pool and the swim. Several things stand out to me that are all stress related, and stress increases insulin resistance.

  1. Pain - you are having pain, this will raise cortisol levels, increasing insulin resistance and increasing blood glucose levels.
  2. You are not it the great condition you were prior to your back issues. The regular swims you did in the past were probably more aerobic than anaerobic. High physical stress will increase cortisol, insulin resistance and blood glucose levels.

I suggest to give it a little time for you to regain some of the good condition you had in the past. This will bring about more stable BGs, perhaps decreasing basal needs, units per grams and correction factor.

I am in a.similar situation from a bout of Covid-19. I wasn’t able to exercise, my TDD increased by 33% while time in range suffered. Yesterday was my first hour on the bike and today i got in a bike workout plus a strength workout. The bike ride lowered BG while the strength workout increased it. That is to be expected.

Sorry for butting in, Daisymae, I just don’t want you to get bummed out. You are a role model.

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67

Great explanation @CarlosLuis!

Don’t say that! Your posts are very much appreciated by everyone!

@daisymae, all I was saying is that your BG was high when you started. So your body couldn’t use fuel.

And because of that, your body just dumped more sugar into your blood, thinking that it would help. But more sugar only makes it worse when we don’t have enough insulin to handle the extra sugar.

And the point of all the microbiology mumbo-jumbo is just to illustrate how incredibly complex and complicated all of the fueling and energy processes of the body are. You don’t need to understand much of that. Just know that there is so much involved, that we fool ourselves thinking it’s nothing but trying to match our insulin and food with 2 simple numbers like I:C or CF. We are nowhere near as smart as the body’s design!

And CarlosLuis is also highlighting the fact that your swims now are much harder than what you are used to!

Remember I said this many days ago:

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CarlosLuis, Thank you so much for your simplified explanation regarding what the heck is going on in my body now that I am exercising.

I am NO WHERE near the shape I was in 2 years ago. Goes without saying. Also, I am still is a LOT of physical pain and my body is still very limited to what motions I can and cannot do. I try to make a joke about it and say that it is harder to put my bathing suit on than it is to swim. But this is 100% true. I have very limited flexibility and bending over is not only a tremendous challenge, but extremely painful. (similarly, getting redressed after the swim is just as challenging.) in addition, while I am swimming I am using my back muscles, and they get cramped up and very tight. I swim through the pain of it with grace but not with ease. :upside_down_face:

And yes, there is also much stress involved. And yes, I have been getting anxious before each swim.

Also, one other thing to note, is that although I am weening off of the opiod medication, I am still taking strong opioids . Im certain that this must contribute to the other issues. I mean, they definitely effect my pain receptors in my brain.

Anyway, im trying my best to stay positive and work as hard as I can no matter the circumstance. My doctors all encouraged me to swim, if only for 1/2 hour, so I am doing it. They all promised me it will make a dramatic difference in my recovery. I am committed to swimming 3 days a week and following medical “instructions.” I dont know if I can do anymore of what I am doing. I am just trying to go with the flow.

thanks again,

DM

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69

no kidding! All of that fancy Ivy League School education didnt help me much here :rofl:

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70

LEAVING FOR THE POOL WITH IOB EXPERIEMENT #1:

I dont know what’s been happening, bc this morning I had no anxiety, no heart palpitations, no reason for any cortisol spikes that I could think of. I was totally relaxed, had had a great nights sleep, excellent BGs throughout the night, excellent BGs yesterday. (But, yes, I must admit, Yesterday and today I have been in terrible terrible physical pain.)

at breakfast my BG was higher than usual but no big deal (103). by 2.5 hours after I bolused my BG had spiked to 144, and just a half hour later to 160. I had .4U IOB and decided to leave for the pool. I dont usually feel comfortable doing exercise with more than .2U OB but I figured , F-it, before my BG climb even higher, and by the time I get to the pool I should only have .3U OB.

Right before jumping in, my BG was 159. I swam for the usual 1/2 hour, and for that time I was not diabetic. I was Queen of my domain :rofl: . I focused on my form, my stroke, my pace, and made certain I didnt pull my groin (as I have a tendency to do).

When I got out of the pool, MY BG was 117. I had dropped 42 points!!! OMG. That little extra IOB really makes an impact! Holy moly.

as soon as I got up to the locker room, I bolused a correction for the 117 BG (.3U) showered, dressed and dashed home. When I got home my BG was 120. Not much of a change. At exactly 12:30pm I bolused 3.7U for my 2 Boost Refuel Shakes and an extra .5U to cover time off pump.

Today is my 3rd day this week swimming and I have had to lower my afternoon basals bc I have been having a lot of lows (not severe, just annoying) every day until bedtime. We’ll see what happens.

Because of the Holiday (and the weekend), I will not b back in the pool until next Wednesday. I am going to miss it terribly, but hopefully my body will have some time to mend and some of my back pain will abate.

I am truly wondering how long the process will take for my body to readjust to exercising after 2 years off. It is frustrating but I am trying my best to go with the flow and not be so hard on my self. (but in all honesty, I am being VERY hard on myself.) I have a terrible tendency to obsess over my BGs. I had a very dear Diabetic friend (she recently passed) who would always try and drill it into my head that "YOU ARE NOT YOUR NUMBERS!!!"

When I look in the mirror each morning to brush my teeth, I see a woman who is strong and passionate, honest, and courageous, and smart and silly. I dont see a diabetic. That is just not how I define myself. And FUD has helped make that huge impact on that definition of myself. Before FUD, I would wake up in the morning and everything was about my BGs and I would think to myself “Oh crap, another day with this God awful disease.” I would hate bolusing, I would hate eating, I would hate my body for failing me. You have all taught me the true meaning of Unlimited, and for that I am grateful. So thank you all. This community is priceless.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday weekend and enjoys barbecues and friends and family. :pray: :heart:

signing out,

DM

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71

You, too, DM! Sunday and Monday, Independence Day, look to be good beach days. Maybe a day at Jones Beach would be nice??

4 Likes
72

SWIMMING WITH IOB EXPERIEMENT #2:

I have to admit, that I am really enjoying my swim with IOB. At 11am, consistently, my BG is popping up to around 114ish. I still have about .4U IOB from breakfast, but I know that by 11:30, I will only have .3U OB and if I leave the house around that time, when I get to the pool and am about to jump in, I will only have between about .3U to .2U OB. So, if when I get to the pool and my BG has jumped slightly (as it almost always seems to do) to around 115/120, I can take 4gms glucose and jump into the pool safely without a worry in the world about sinking. Of course, as Eric is always reminding me/us that there is no secret formula that is guaranteed to work for us every time, I try my best to use The Force, and make my best decision possible. Today, I decided to take the 4gms before my swim, which would typically have shot me up to 140ish, but I swam harder and faster today (all those weekend holiday days of rest make a huge difference). I even cut more time off my laps. ( I am down to 1 minute, 5 seconds (both directions). thats 15 seconds faster than I was swimming just 3 weeks ago. Progress not perfection.

It was a wonderful swim. this hour of the day is magical fo me bc there is almost nobody in the pool, and instead of navigating the traffic of other swimmers, I have the entire lane to myself. Today I used the time to both meditate and pray. my mind wanders, my body feels strong, effortless. time doesnt exist. and now I get that wondrous swimmers high that makes everything in the world just right (and not to get too political , but thats saying an awful lot these days!).

IMPORTANT LESSON: from now on, when I get out of the pool, I am going to bolus my replacement insulin ASAP so that my BGs dont climb and/or spike. Its not a lot of insulin, but it seems to make an enormous difference in maintaining a level TR. I noticed today, that when I got out of the pool and my BG was 86, I thought I would just wait to bolus when I got home. But after that 20 minute walk and after the bolus for my Refuel (3.7U for 32gms), my BG jumped up to 127. I did an immediate correction, but it probably wouldn’t have been necessary had I let that insulin start sinking in right away instead of waiting. (Another thing Eric used to tell me to do, and I used to do it and it worked very well for me.) It can b deceptive that when I get out of the pool and my BG is 86 that I dont need any extra insulin, so I let it go. My next swim is Friday, and I will give myself that extra insulin ASAP when I get back up to the locker room. I’ll see what happens. Cant wait.

I know things will be changing as my muscles return to their healthier strength. I know that when I am given the “go-ahead” to swim for longer durations, I will have to begin modifying my routine. But for now, this seems to be going well, and the fact that it is easier to swim than it is to walk or get dressed continues to amaze me

wishing you all well!

signing out,

DM

9 Likes
73

Congrats on an awesome day!

I love this! great quote!

I am a big believer in taking insulin right away after you finish. What is the worst thing that can happen? You have to eat an extra piece of chocolate?

As long as you have access to carbs/sugar, go ahead and take the insulin right away!

5 Likes
74

Oh my, this sounds like absolute tourture :rofl:

4 Likes
75

ONLY WHEN I SWIM EXPERIEMENT #1:

I cant believe that this is due to cortisol or fight or flight anymore, because, and this ONLY happens on swim days consistently, after eating breakfast I am sooo exhausted that I take a brief nap. I sleep VERY deeply. No anxiety at all. And before my nap, after breakfast, my BGs are in perfect TR. Why the climb? Can my body release all this cortisol while I am that relaxed? Is my brain still pumping some unknown anxiety into my body?

Yesterday was a non-swim day. For the most part my entire day I spent in my 70s. There was a dip in the afternoon when I went down to 55, and the highest I climbed was 91. Same basal, same routine, just one day since my previous swim. Im baffled.

But I am certain some of you will know the possible answers and help me get through this. Not that its a huge deal, but just that it is peculiar and annoying.

11:20 BG 131 with .2U IOB Leave for the pool ASAP
11:45 BG 124 took 2gms glucose and jumped into the pool immediately
12:15 BG 92 Bolused .5U in locker room, showered, dressed, dashed home.
12:50 BG 102 (Home) bolused 3.2U for refuel
1:20 BG 90 Drank shakes (lots of water too)

It was a great swim. Everything about it felt wonderful. As I have said before in earlier posts, 1/2 hour of exercise just feels like a warm-up, but yesterday I saw my doctor and am still limited to 1/2 hour; no more yet.
So I will b patient.( I am looking forward to even swimming for 45 minutes!!) (that slight extra 15 minutes would mean the world to me!)

I’ll let you know how the night goes. I wish everyone a lovely weekend. I just polished off my 2 Chocolate Boost Shakes and now I think im going to have a very large Bialy with fresh butter and a dash of salt. :yum: :yum: :yum:

signing out,

DM

3 Likes
76

At what time did you turn off your basal?

2 Likes
77

I never turned off my basal, and I havent turned it off once since I began swimming. The only time I am off the pump is during my swim and when I shower after I swim. So essentially, I am only off of pump basal for about 45 minutes. during that hour, my basal rate is .475, so I replace it with .5U.

And today (a non-swim day) my BGs have been low and flat. I woke up with a BG of 71, skipped bfast, to repeat my basal test for that time period, and went down to 57 around the same time I have begun to to go high each swim day. I corrected with 6gms of carbs but only came up to 61 BG.

This is the exact same pattern I had last time on a non-swim day when I skipped bfast to test my basal for those hours when I spike on swim days.

2 Likes
78

Either

a. You are eating differently on the night before your swim

b. You are eating differently the morning of your swim (this might make sense because you might intentionally be taking in more carbs for swim prep)

or

c. It’s just a little bit of nervousness/worry/apprehension about your swim and your BG numbers.

You might not realize it, you may have no idea it’s nerves.

But I know you pretty well by now! You worry about your numbers so much. Anything like that can affect your BG.

We actually have an insight into so much about our health that other people don’t have. The 2nd time I had Covid (it was super easy, BTW, it only lasted 1 day), the reason I knew to check my temperature was because my BG was spiking, and I couldn’t figure out the reason. I checked my temp for that reason only! And my temp was over 100.

In this case, I think your BG is telling you about yourself. When you get back into the swimming (after doing it enough times again), and it becomes less of a “new” thing and a more ordinary thing, this spike will go away.

I say - relax, don’t worry about your numbers, and watch them go away.

3 Likes
79

He’s right. My story is this: I was at a location where they had a zip line, and I decided to give it a try. They had a rule of empty pockets so I left the Dexcom receiver with someone else. Queued for 10 minutes feeling no anxiety at all, went down the zip line, and the receiver showed I’d spiked to 170 while waiting in the queue. I would have sworn that I had no anxiety at all, but the CGM said otherwise.

5 Likes
80

DEFINATELY THE CORTISOL SPIKE EXPERIEMENT #1:

So over the weekend and two days last week, I repeated basal tests for the same hours that would cover my pre-swim time. My BGs were consistently low. (in the 50s). Then I did a test where I had lowered those basal times (8am and 10am) only this time I ate breakfast. My BGs were right in TR. Voila! Basal problem resolved.

This morning was my first swim after the w/end with the newly lowered basals, and I got the result I was expecting: higher BGs.

My overnight was perfect except 1 low at 2:30am. (Its so weird bc I only have 1.5 U of basal IOB at 12am midnight. I always go low at 2:30) Anyway, I took 4gms glucose and went back to bed. when I woke up my BG was 76. Perfect. By the time I bolused for bfast, my BGs had climbed to 96 (all on their own) I think that I still have a bit of that FOTF issue going on, but its not like it was months ago Thank God. 2.5 hours after I bolused and ate, my BG was 109. My heart was racing with anxiety. I felt it today. I dont know why I am still nervous before a swim. I LOVE getting into that pool and doing my thing. It is a huge source of pleasure for me…as you already know. so why am I getting a spike (or a swell)? I dont understand. Is it just from excitement?

8:30am BG 96 ate 1C Cottage Cheese
10:30am BG 109
11:15 BG 129 with .2U IOB left for the pool
11:45 BG 120 took 4gms carbs and jumped in at 11:50am
12:20 BG 86 bolused .5U for replacement insulin time off my pump
at 12:50 I bolused for my refuel, waited 1/2 hour, then did a finger stick
1:20pm BG 102 drank my delicious shakes. The long pre-bolus seems to have been working for this type of fast carbs and I let the insulin time to sink in before drinking it. its worked so far. Hope it works again today.

4 Likes