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Long Distance Swimming with Insulin Pump

Racy Tracy

Member
Messages
13
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi guys and gals, I have set myself a challenge ... Swim22 for diabetes uk next year I am 52, I've been type 1 diabetic for 35 years and will be swimming with my son so we are going to swim 11 miles each, together, in a swimming pool, I've been training for sometime, physically it's going well, I'm up to 200 lengths but I'm really struggling with what to do with my insulin pump before I swim and what my sugar level should be pre swim, having glucose during swim .... And insulin during swim. The 200 lengths I achieved in around 2.5 hours, my sugar level was 14 when I started swimming after 50 lengths it was 8 and reducing ongoing throughout my swim and I was drinking a lot of lucozade .... 2.5 380ml bottles in total. When I had completed my swim I was very sick throwing up in the changing room, my sugar level was 15 when I came out of the pool, I put my pump on and had 1.8 insulin, travelled home and threw up a lot again after an hour my sugar level was 15.4, I had 1.2u insulin. I went to bed and woke up hypo with a sugar level of 1.5 so more lucozade! Any advice from anyone who has achieved similar long distance events over several hours with type 1 diabetes with insulin pump... If not does anyone know of a medical professional in the uk that is experienced with sports people and diabetes.
 
Do you use a reduced TBR for the exercise? So you start the swim with active insulin on board?

There's a book called type 1 diabetic athletes handbook that might be worth a look.

There's an animas sports weekend running in October that you might be interested in - https://www.animascorp.co.uk/SportsWeekend - I think Dr Gallen, who is attending/running the weekend worked with Steve Redgrave and runs the run sweet website - http://www.runsweet.com
 
Thank you so much for your very helpful reply I have ordered the book and the animas sports weekend is just what I need but it is fully booked, I am going to contact animas tomorrow as I need a new insulin pump and will explain my problems to see if they can put me on the waiting list or failing that I will try and get my diabetic consultant to refer me to Dr Gallen. Presently I don't reduce my basal rate at all before swim so I will try that in order to try and stop my hypos during my swimming. Many thanks once again x
 
Hey I'm a swimmer and this is what I do: swimming for two hours
Switch my pump of for about 1 hour before hand and give half insulin with my snack before I go swimming, so like a banana or something and have my paltinose drink (see below) Then half way through so after an hour of swimming and an hour to go I put my pump on, then I give normal insulin with my meal afterwards
Also sometimes I have to put up to a -40% on over night sometimes if I've done a hard session.
I can't stomach lucozade as like you it makes me sick, so I use cliff bloxs (have to be without caffeine) and they are amazing as they spike your blood sugar really quickly and actually don't taste that bad
You can also use something called paltinose which I have before I swim and that's supposed to keep your blood sugars constant, it's like a sugar drink which was recommended by Ian gallen - it sounds as though you need this
But honestly it's trail and error it took me about 6 months to be able to swim for 2 hours in the evening and the morning of the same day
 
Hey I'm a swimmer and this is what I do: swimming for two hours
Switch my pump of for about 1 hour before hand and give half insulin with my snack before I go swimming, so like a banana or something and have my paltinose drink (see below) Then half way through so after an hour of swimming and an hour to go I put my pump on, then I give normal insulin with my meal afterwards
Also sometimes I have to put up to a -40% on over night sometimes if I've done a hard session.
I can't stomach lucozade as like you it makes me sick, so I use cliff bloxs (have to be without caffeine) and they are amazing as they spike your blood sugar really quickly and actually don't taste that bad
You can also use something called paltinose which I have before I swim and that's supposed to keep your blood sugars constant, it's like a sugar drink which was recommended by Ian gallen - it sounds as though you need this
But honestly it's trail and error it took me about 6 months to be able to swim for 2 hours in the evening and the morning of the same day
 
@Racy Tracy - sorry to hear the Animas Sports Weekend is already booked - you mention that your 22 mile swim is next year - is it in the second half of the year? It's just that the next Animas weekend after the October one is in May, and if you register your email address with them now they will let you know the minute that one opens for booking.

I did it in May this year, and found it invaluable to explore the different options of a) carbs, b) reduced pre-exercise bolus and c) temporary basal rates, and how many of these options to use at a time, and what sorts of options suit me the best. One of the most reassuring things I learned was that yes we're all different and yes that's okay! (I'm often convinced I'm getting things 'wrong', you see, so this was good to hear!).

If I go for a run at the start of the day I reduce both my breakfast bolus and my basal. Mid morning running I decrease my basal to 50% an hour beforehand but then raise it after finishing, without having reduced any bolus insulin that day.

Endurance swimming I'm afraid I have no clue about as I only swim for about 20 mins at a time, so can't offer any advice on that specific question - I unhook my pump when I get to the pool, which is generally half an hour after I've had my porridge, for which I take only half my normal bolus. I finish my swim and am around 5-7, and then have to increase my basal rate for some hours afterwards.

Sounds like it might be worth trying a reduced TBR a while before you start your swim, so that a sudden drop is much less of a risk.

All the best to you and your son with the 22 mile challenge - it sounds brilliant!

 
@izzyj09 I so agree with the trial and error thing - I've only been exercising regularly for a little less than 2 years and it's been such a massive research project.......!
 
hi there thank you very much for your help, what sort of time period do you run over? Yes I'm going to try and get on one of the sports weekends even if I have to delay my challenge swim Tracy x
 
Hi Izzy thank you for your help I'm a little confused though... Do you swim for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening? Tracy x
 
Yep used to on a Monday, Tuesday, Friday but I did used to swim for 2.5 hours on a Saturday morning
 
izzyj09 said:
Yep used to on a Monday, Tuesday, Friday but I did used to swim for 2.5 hours on a Saturday morning
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Great thank you ..... Fingers crossed trial and error I will get the hang of things x
 
@Racy Tracy I don't run for any more than three quarters of an hour or so, but normally a little less. One day I hope to cover more distance and indeed run for much longer but I've not been doing it for that long.

Endurance exercise will lower blood glucose, but if I swim or run for 20 mins rather than 40, I'll shoot up rather than go down.

So many factors, so much maths - and the need for a magic wand never does go away.....

 
Thank you I'm pleased to hear it's not just me that struggles with this whole juggling with sport and sugar levels! I've managed to put myself on the waiting list so fingers crossed they might find me a place in October or I might delay my swim challenge until later next year I am going to have another long swim tomorrow night reduce to 50% basal for 3 hours pre swim and have something carb about an hour before swim x
 
Although I do just want to say that there's nothing wrong with anything you do to be trying out different things to find what works for you, @Racy Tracy . I found the talks and workshops on the weekend very useful, but I found the reassurance (from listening to other participants' own incredibly varied experiences) I got for what I was already doing even more valuable, so don't hang everything on having to go on the weekend - what I'm saying is, don't let not going perhaps until May make you miss out on stuff.

Something you said about being very sick, and looking at how much Lucozade you'd taken on board, reminded me of something that the sports dietician said - I've had a look back, and she said that the gut can only cope with up to 60g glucose over an hour. More than that will upset the digestion - and it sounds as if that is what might have made you so sick.

All that Lucozade might've been a bit sledgehammer to crack a nut - but then again how do we diabetic squirrels ever quite know in advance what size and how firm the blimmin' nuts are that we have to crack, hmmmm? I guess this means experimentation is the name of the game!

I think trial and error and a bit of reassurance from fellow exercisers will all go a long way to build your confidence for such an amazing challenge.

I haven't read it (it's on my wish list!) but I've heard good reports of a book called 'The Diabetic Athlete' by Sheri Colberg.

 
Racy Tracy said:
I am going to have another long swim tomorrow night reduce to 50% basal for 3 hours pre swim and have something carb about an hour before swim
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Do report back, and do keep testing, and keep a log of all the factors, including how you felt.

It sounds like with such a long swim it might be a case of running higher than ideal for a while before your swim in order to have the reserves to not go low during it. I think a try it and see approach to all of it is a good option!
 

Thanks so much you've helped so much, I ordered the book at the weekend so I'm looking forward to getting that and yes I'm going to try and get my sugar level up to around 20 so I don't have to take so much glucose during my swim . I've also got my appointment with my diabetic consultant in a couple of months so I will have my bloods tested before hand to see if what I'm doing is having an impact on my long term control. Tracy
 

Also strangely enough I watched on bbc I player last night a programme about channel swimmers and the first girl who was filmed swimming the channel has type 1 diabetes .... More than half my age but it gave me hope that I will be able to achieve it with the hard work on everything .... I think I've found the girl, Georgie on FB so I've sent her a message to ask her advice
 
Ooooh, I saw that too - wasn't she amazing?!

I think I was told many years ago not to exercise if I was above 14, and I know I feel too grotty above about 11 to exercise - so I feel that starting at 20 would be too high for me - I might be tempted to go for a temp basal of 50% for an hour beforehand, and perhaps my 'standard' porridge made with 25g oats (or an alternative snack of 20g low GI CHO) - but then I can't imagine swimming half a channel - I know what you're tackling is way more than the 800m I achieve in one go! And I'm sure channel swimmers consume way more than a small bowl of porridge beforehand, never mind during - LOL!!!!!!!

Great idea to contact Georgie - she's in a great position of experience to really know what's what!

 
Good morning, what a beautiful sunny day we have, do you mind me asking how old you are? I'm 52, I'm not a regular athlete in any way but having stopped the naughty cigarettes a couple of years ago, I feel so,much better for it and I wanted to set myself a challenge hence here I am and thankfully I've found this amazing website with you, and other very kind guys and gals to help me along the way with your experiences. Have a good day x
 
Hi @Racy Tracy , it's gorgeous this morning although cooler. Perfect!

I'm 41 and a half but nowhere near a grown-up! Until last year exercise had never been on my radar, apart from being something that other people did! Determined to get and stay in good physical shape for the rest of my life (no pressure there, then!).

I have always, always NOT done stuff because of my diabetes.
But now - and it's taken 30 years - I'm pushing myself just to see what I can do, not just with exercise but with life in general. So far I've felt very comfortable that there ARE things I can achieve. Basically I haven't needed to stop yet!

They say life begins at 40 - well, I think that was the reminder I was looking for.

Have a look at this thread - http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/regular-moderate-exercise-log.83995/page-56#post-1225313 - there's a merry gang of regular exercisers spurring each other on with reports of all levels of moderate exercise, both short and long walks and runs and swims and gym visits and bike rides, steps logged on pedometers, that sort of thing. I find it inspirational, encouraging and a really lovely thread to hang out on!

Have a great day!

 
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