Excess Physical activity advice

[Dana_Heath]

I'm off on a 10 day sailing trip with College next Thursday and the shifts are 6 hours working, 6 hours off.
Anyone who's done sailing before do you have any reccomendations?

Them sugar tablet things make me sick (I will be taking prescribed travel tablets though) and I'll take a **** tonne of fruit pastels and breakfast bars/ biscuits/ etc.

I'll have my lantus eventually dropped down to 22 units at night from 26 as my doctor told me to do.

The teachers will take good care of me but j want to minimise the risk of anything happening.

Thanks

 

[Dana_Heath]

Alright @Galja I'll bare them in mind thank you - any idea what I should do if I'm constantly throwing up?

 

[AndBreathe]

Alright @Galja I'll bare them in mind thank you - any idea what I should do if I'm constantly throwing up?

Dana - I am an experienced sailor, but T2, so can't give you any guidance on your insulin or eating regimes. I'm extremely fortunate also never to have been seasick. I did feel very much like I might be once, but as I say, I'm lucky!

Many people I know who have suffered would say the following:

- Make sure you don't go hungry
- Drink plenty fluids, and don't get thirsty - Lots of tea is good.
- Try not to get too tired. When you are off-watch, then if it is suitable, get your head down. You will perform better at almost anything if you aren't shattered.

If you feel a bit queasy, try the following:
- Blow your nose. Believe it or not, your ears can become a bit wonky onboard, and if you are prone to that, blowing your nose can clear them and feel much better.
- Most people prefer to be in the fresh air, where they can see an horizon.
- Something gingery is said to help. The folks I'm thinking of are non-diabetic, so their ginger remedy of Ginger Nut biscuits may not be suitable for you.

If you have seasickness pills, don't mix them with alcohol. Pills, alcohol and seasickness isn't a good combo! Don't take more than the state dosages (common sense), and let someone know you are taking them. They make some people very drowsy, so your friends/teachers should understand that, just in case you are harder than usual to rouse for your watch.

Most of all, enjoy yourself. If you are learning, you will probably be too busy thinking about everything to wonder how your tummy is feeling, which would be a good thing.

As I say, unfortunately I can't advise you on your medication or eating regimes.

Do you know anything about the vessels you will be sailing upon?

I'm excited for you!

 

[copepod]

Take zip lock plastic bags to keep sweets dry in your pockets, so they remain accessible and edible when you're on deck. Polo mints are pretty robust, and mint can ease nausea. Chewing ginger root gives the medicinal benefits without much sugar. Or try glace ginger lumps, which are sugary and sticky. Longest I've spent sailing was 2 weeks with 3 others, Oban to Liverpool, round Inner Hebrides, Northern Ireland and Isle of Man, with just one night sailing, usually moored at night in coves or harbours, so occasional meals ashore in pubs. 3 days sailing from Hayling Island to Liverpool with 2 others meant more night sailing and watches. Hope you have a great time.

 

[copepod]

Hyosine or scopolamine patches can be good, as long as you check with pharmacist, as they're available over the counter - reapply every 3 days. See http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/motion-sickness/Pages/Introduction.aspx

 

[RuthW]

I'm a Type 1 like you and I think the breakfast bars etc are a very good idea. The wrappers make them very handy to carry and easy to handle when you are hypo. If they are foil wrapped they will be good in watery conditions. Nuts are no use at all to a Type 1 when you are exercising, so don't waste any time or pocket space on them. Dried fruit is good for hypos, but not easy to calculate how many carbs you are consuming, not easy to carry around and usually not wrapped well. Try taking a few sports drinks with you too. I suspect you may need to reduce your insulin more than that. If you have a very energetic patch coming up in the three hours after a bolus for a meal (that is inside your "insulin action time"), it can be good to reduce the bolus too by about 50%. Of course, you can just eat your snacks instead, but you may not want to be shoveling down hypo aids while everyone else is all-hands-on-deck and having fun. So keep watch on what is happening to your blood sugar in the first couple of days and adjust to suit.

 

[Dana_Heath]

Update: it was amazing thank you all so much for the help turns out I was the only one who wasn't sea sick and so ended up working like mad with the official crew members AND nursing everyone (inc the teachers) haha. It was the best experience I've ever had but I may not be allowed to go next year because I've managed to get severe land sickness (marvellous -.- ) x