Pancreas catching up on year of insulin when doing sport

onlytwintip

Active Member
Messages
41
Hi,
I have been a type 1 for about 6 years now, I consider myself pretty controlled (HbAc1 < 7 all the time). I also consider myself quite sporty and I know the drill, do sport = eat sugar depending on intensity and duration. I've managed to find a pretty good balance over the years except that recently I have started road biking and I am very surprised at how by body seems to burn carbs. The best way to show you this is by example so here I go:
* Leave work - level 7.7
* Walk 20 mn to train - In train eat 50 g walkers (25g carbs) + orangina (34g carbs) + decrease basal rate to 30% for next 3 hrs (=0.33U/h)
* after 30 mn train journey + another 20 mn walk to home - at home with a level of 5.6 so eat a mars bar (35 g carbs)
* Leave for a bike ride - 45 mn in level at 5mmol so eat a Luco-gel (30g carbs)
* another 45 mn pass - Level is 3.5 so eat Another Luco-gel + 2 * 4g glucose tablets
* Another 30 mn pass - at home with a level of 10 (bit high but so I just injected 1.5 U)

The subject is actually a joke, I know my pancreas isn't kicking into life when I'm on my bike and catching up on years of forgotten insulin but it sure seems that way! Does anyone experience the same? Or have any ideas?

Any help/suggestions are hugely appreciated.

Cheers,

Harry
 

silvarbullet1

Member
Messages
18
Hi Harry,

I'm Dan, 23, Lantus/NovoRapid but hoping to start pumping soon.

It sounds like your initial stint goes ok, then you start to plunge a bit as your body is using up more of it's reserves? Although, you've already come down from 7.7 to 5.6 having had that Orangina, so maybe more carbs required after work?

Perhaps you need to have more carbs after a certain point in your exercise too:- perhaps after an hour?
These are going to be ideas for you to think about more than exact suggestions as I'm not sure how

So, your plan might look something like:

1 - make pre-exercise insulin adjustments (I'm not pumping and you know what works for you)
2 - eat pre-exercise carbs (perhaps here it would be good to get something more starchy if it's going to be a long ride? flapjack & gluco?)
3 - have 10g sugary carbs (glucotabs or jellybabies etc) every 15-20min for hour 1
4 - have 15g for hours 2 onwards, providing exercise level is maintained

Looking back, it's clear that although you've eaten each time, your levels were still dropping:
7.7 - 59g
5.6 - 35g
5.0 - 30g
3.5 - 38g
And perhaps this is where the adrenaline has kicked in? I saw you mention in another post you sometimes find you are actually higher after exercise?
10.0 - 1.5u

Hope this generates some ideas for you anyway :)
 

spideog

Well-Known Member
Messages
164
Try reducing to -40% instead and see what happens. You may not then need to eat so much during the exercise and so could help with the high afterwards.
 

Fallenstar

Well-Known Member
Messages
546
I would have a meal if you can or two slices of whole meal toast an hour before you go...a mars bar will take you up but probably not sustain you there.
Also I would start with sugars well into the teens, maybe 13/14 and dwindle them down a bit. That is the only way to do prolonged exercise without all the hassle of hypo.
Agree with silver bullet, you will be higher after due to Adrenaline but Cortisol also increases blood sugar and this is raised for quiet a duration after physical exertion.

Hope you get some joy...exercise is so annoying when it is interrupted with low's or you are always wondering where your BS is at