- Messages
- 992
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Total non-sequitur post, just a quick update in the realm of "is it food or is it hormones"
So - I do a little paddleboarding - I live near a river that's well controlled, and a couple of years I stumbled on the idea of doing the obvious thing - I have some years of experience of kayaking, so I just took to paddleboarding and I've been hooked ever since - "graduating" to a full race board that I try to get out on about once every other day - through the year.
now, safety has... just has... to be something you take seriously, around any watersport, but especially if you plan to be on the water during the winter in northern England. I spent the first year planning, and then this summer I was thinking again, could I be safe on a board designed with speed over stability in mind... I'd never fallen off, though I'd taken a spill on my beginner board a couple of times, but clung on each time.
Anyway - to cut to the chase; today I had my first serious test of all the preparations I'd made in the event of... There was a large rock under the water that I'd just never noticed before, and my fin caught it solidly - the board just stopped and I was catapulted off the front. I have a vague memory of grasping at the bow and realising that the rest of my body was still moving forward - this time there was no escaping; I was going in, and the temperature of the water was near freezing.
Some part of my mind is always "right - so now, you've kind of asked for this, what are you gonna do?"
It knows I'm too busy to answer, but it's kind of always right there, waiting for the opportunity. **** brain...
So, I tried the way everyone says is the easiest - pull yourself onto the back of the board - but no joy; my life jacket is just too bulky for that. I'm vaguely aware that my coffee flask is floating away, and I just register "floating, not sinking, that's good..." and then try on the side. One missed attempt, then I drag myself up and over the edge of my life jacket (PFD to be more precise, but it's quite a bulky, expedition affair with pockets and everything; life jacket is close enough). Onto the board. Out of the water. Step one. I get onto my knees and realise that my balance is not quite right; my hands are shaking - that'll be the adrenaline then. I have a mad second of wondering if I should continue, before I realise how stupid that would be - my entire safety protocol is based on getting warm and dry inside of 5 minutes; so I paddle to my paddle (I power down the heated gloves first - no point in trying to heat up the water in the gloves now, and they are too expensive to mess about with). Once I get to my paddle, sure enough I only really feel warm - that cold shock that you get that you only feel as warm; and my heart beat is coming back to normal - but - I'm going to feel **** cold once the adrenaline wears off, so I better stick to plan A.
All my clothes are massively heavy - wasn't quite expecting that for some reason, but I got back to the car, and fished the full-body changing robe I keep in the boot out, and got all the soaking layers off..
all good; no thermal shock, no real worry, back home and under a warm shower in about 10 mins. All my stuff in the washing machine, and I thought - I bet my blood glucose is high...
This is about 11am, and I haven't yet eaten. Morning blood was 4.4 and with very high ketones.
So - I measure again, and blood is 8 mmol/L - higher than I've measured in, well, nearly a whole year - Even wearing a CGM, I never got near 8 - this is really a load of glucose (for me, for right now.. where I am on my journey)
So - long story short, just another reminder that the liver, even with precious little glycogen around, is impressively capable of generating glucose when you need it.
I have to admit - I was buzzing ...
So - I do a little paddleboarding - I live near a river that's well controlled, and a couple of years I stumbled on the idea of doing the obvious thing - I have some years of experience of kayaking, so I just took to paddleboarding and I've been hooked ever since - "graduating" to a full race board that I try to get out on about once every other day - through the year.
now, safety has... just has... to be something you take seriously, around any watersport, but especially if you plan to be on the water during the winter in northern England. I spent the first year planning, and then this summer I was thinking again, could I be safe on a board designed with speed over stability in mind... I'd never fallen off, though I'd taken a spill on my beginner board a couple of times, but clung on each time.
Anyway - to cut to the chase; today I had my first serious test of all the preparations I'd made in the event of... There was a large rock under the water that I'd just never noticed before, and my fin caught it solidly - the board just stopped and I was catapulted off the front. I have a vague memory of grasping at the bow and realising that the rest of my body was still moving forward - this time there was no escaping; I was going in, and the temperature of the water was near freezing.
Some part of my mind is always "right - so now, you've kind of asked for this, what are you gonna do?"
It knows I'm too busy to answer, but it's kind of always right there, waiting for the opportunity. **** brain...
So, I tried the way everyone says is the easiest - pull yourself onto the back of the board - but no joy; my life jacket is just too bulky for that. I'm vaguely aware that my coffee flask is floating away, and I just register "floating, not sinking, that's good..." and then try on the side. One missed attempt, then I drag myself up and over the edge of my life jacket (PFD to be more precise, but it's quite a bulky, expedition affair with pockets and everything; life jacket is close enough). Onto the board. Out of the water. Step one. I get onto my knees and realise that my balance is not quite right; my hands are shaking - that'll be the adrenaline then. I have a mad second of wondering if I should continue, before I realise how stupid that would be - my entire safety protocol is based on getting warm and dry inside of 5 minutes; so I paddle to my paddle (I power down the heated gloves first - no point in trying to heat up the water in the gloves now, and they are too expensive to mess about with). Once I get to my paddle, sure enough I only really feel warm - that cold shock that you get that you only feel as warm; and my heart beat is coming back to normal - but - I'm going to feel **** cold once the adrenaline wears off, so I better stick to plan A.
All my clothes are massively heavy - wasn't quite expecting that for some reason, but I got back to the car, and fished the full-body changing robe I keep in the boot out, and got all the soaking layers off..
all good; no thermal shock, no real worry, back home and under a warm shower in about 10 mins. All my stuff in the washing machine, and I thought - I bet my blood glucose is high...
This is about 11am, and I haven't yet eaten. Morning blood was 4.4 and with very high ketones.
So - I measure again, and blood is 8 mmol/L - higher than I've measured in, well, nearly a whole year - Even wearing a CGM, I never got near 8 - this is really a load of glucose (for me, for right now.. where I am on my journey)
So - long story short, just another reminder that the liver, even with precious little glycogen around, is impressively capable of generating glucose when you need it.
I have to admit - I was buzzing ...