Skiing with type 1

[Krisjan]

Ok, so anyone with type 1 being skiing lately, any tips, and how have they found it. I have skied a couple of times before, but just diagnosed recently, so i am interested to hear how other people have dealt with it, as I am a little concerned I won't be able to do it any more, advice please - thanks

 

[phoenix]

Of course, you don't need to give it up.
This guy didn't, he competes for the US as a cross country skier (far more energetic in my opinion than downhill)

http://content.time.com/time/video/play ... 57,00.html

You obviously have to be prepared as for any exercise. You will need your meter, some glucose in case of hypos and your insulin to bolus for lunch. (or if you have unexpected highs, this has never happened to me on the slopes)
The biggest problem is keeping the meter from getting too cold else it won't work and to be honest it can be fiddly to test on the slopes especially if it's in an exposed position (taking off gloves, inserting strip etc) I tend to keep mine either well wrapped in my daysac .I actually use a little bubble wrap bag and a scarf. If it's very cold , then I put it in an inside pocket but then there is the difficulty of getting it out.
I have had a couple of times when the meter hasn't worked through cold,(so I take some dextrose just in case). It seems to warm up and work quite quickly once you get inside.
I find that exercise always drops my levels, and the cold does so even more . If I've had to carry my skis any distance to the slopes, I'm often quite low before I even start skiing so I tend to eat something like a lowish GI cereal bar before starting.

I do exercise a fair bit anyway, if you don't it would be worth doing something before going skiing as then you'll have some idea about how your body copes with exercise (being fitter helps with skiing anyway).
This site is a good starting place to find out about exercise and insulin
http://www.excarbs.com/basic-facts/
This site has a lot more but is harder to navigate
http://www.runsweet.com/

 

[hanadr]

We haven't skiied for years [can't afford it nowadays], but T1 husband managed perfectly well in the past when we did go. We made sure he was never alone on the slopes and every member of the family carried mini Mars bars in their bumbags. and he carried his meter.
Hana

 

[Krisjan]

Cheers guys, thanks for the info

 

[Sarah69]

Why would it be any different after being diagnosed?

 

[Garr]

Insulin, exercise, hypos etc

 

[Dustydazzler]

Hi Krisjan,

Hope you are looking forward to your holiday. I have been T1 for 5 years now on an insulin pump. I went skiing for a week in February this year. When doing exercise I normally at least half my insulin. Thinking skiing was high energy and using lots of muscles I reduced as normal. What I didn't know before I went but found out by discussing with my consultant afterwards that the ability for the blood cell to carry oxygen and glucose at altitude is reduced - therefore I ended up with high readings all the time. I was worried about increasing my insulin but had too and found that I really was quite insulin resistant in the cold and at altitude, a lot more that I could have ever imagined. I just wanted to share my experience so if you come across this you don't wait ages before making necessary adjustments/taking correction doses.

I kept my testing kit in my inside pocket near to my body. It failed on me just the once due to being cold. I put it under my armpit to warm it up!

I bought a bumbag and kept fruitpastilles in it - you don't need to keep peeling the wrapper off - and thought I could eat one every half an hour or so but I didn't need them at all. I still carried my dextose and mini mars bars just incase but to be honest it wasn't difficult to manage at all and it was insulin not food that I needed. Happy holidays! x

 

[Dustydazzler]

Oh, don't forget to make sure your travel insurance not only covers your diabetes but also covers skiing.

I've found using Virgin Travel insurance great and have used the annual policy for two years on the run now. This gives me worldwide cover, skiing and for £11 I can cover my diabetes too.

 

[Krisjan]

Hi dusty,

Thanks for the reply, as a matter of interest, how long did it take you to get the pump

Cheers

 

[Dustydazzler]

Hi dusty,

Thanks for the reply, as a matter of interest, how long did it take you to get the pump

Cheers[/quote
That's a good question. After getting diagnosed I had to wait 6 months until I stopped honeymooning, then I attended a DAFNE course as I had to learn to carb count. I then had to wait 3 months to prove I could carb count and be stable and then had to wait for my funding to be agreed. All in all from being diagnosed to getting the pump was approx 1 year.