Insulin Sensitivity on pump with light exercise

[sophc]

Hi all


I’ve been pumping since April and have been finding that even taking my dog for a quick 10 minute walk is making my sugars drop like a stone. Before when I was on MDI’s this never happened so I’m looking for some advice or guidance if possible.

I’ve had a dexcom for about 3 months now and it’s great to see the trends but I’m not sure how to tackle this issue that keeps happening. When I spoke to my nurse she told me to turn my basal rate down 2 hours before , but when I want to go and walk the dog varies and I can’t always plan that far in advance for a quick trot up the road with him l.

I’ve basal tested and my rates seem to be ok so I don’t believe that to be the issue. So for example my sugars were 9.3 and I then took my dog for a 10 min walk. Now I’m back they are at 5.9 and still falling but it was hardly any strenuous exercise. Does anyone find even a light walk has such an impact on their sugars and how they have overcome it? It’s not like I even went far so any advice would be appreciated!


Thank you

 

[dancer]

Sorry, I can't think of anything that wouldn't involve pre-planning, like the suggested basal reduction, or risking high blood sugars before walking the dog, by reducing bolus.
The only other thing is eating carbs before walking.

 

[tim2000s]

Realistically, you are in a position where the answer is "Eat a couple of dextrose tabs".

You appear to be very sensitive to the faster acting insulin used as basal in the pump, and for unplanned exercise, there's not a huge amount you can do.

 

[Colin of Kent]

I'm in a similar position: I'm on a pump with Humalog, I'm insulin-sensitive, and walk my dog for 45-60 mins every evening. Timing is fairly consistent but can vary a bit. Before I went keto, I would down a 200ml glass of orange juice (about 20g carbs) to cover it. Much easier and more flexible than messing around with temp basal rates. Obviously, you'll have to work out how many carbs you need to cover the exercise.

If you do want to use a temp basal, though, I'd suggest two hours in advance is excessive, especially if you're insulin-sensitive. I usually shoot for an hour ahead, but even 30-45 minutes can work well for some people.

(Now I'm keto, my BG doesn't fall as much as it used to, because I'm burning fat rather than carbs. Ironically, I now need the temp basal, to avoid ingesting more carbs than necessary!)

 

[sninge]

I agree with the' have some carbs before you walk', exactly what I used to do but as im now trying to lose a few lbs I have worked out a couple of other tricks that work! First I wait and have breakfast or lunch before i walk my dog (40mins -1.5hrs) and dont bolus for my meal ( about 15 carbs) or I make sure that its been over 2 hrs since I last took a basal. It really is trial and error, I use libre which has really helped.
Using a combination of pump and libre properly you will end up having your basals so correct that there is no room for error ( or change of routine ) If i end up sitting down for an hr when im normally up on my feet my sugars go up unless I plan ahead and put on a tbr and hr before!