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Work spikes BG!?

hornplayer

Well-Known Member
Messages
983
I wonder if anyone else has this problem?

- as the screen name suggests, I am a musician. This evening, I was "depping" on a show. That means going in and playing in a performance so that someone else can have the night off. You go in with no rehearsal, often playing a part you haven't seen before, with a group of people you don't know. Needless to say that can be stressful. There is also the physical aspect to consider. Playing the horn is a very physical activity. - a bit like spending 2+hrs doing light cardio and a moderate intensity abdominal workout.

Tonight was the first time I've been in this situation since diagnosis (T2) so I was interested to see if it would have an effect.

I ate tiny snack meals today. No carbs. My BG this morning was under 7, then it began climbing. Before the show it was 8.8, at the interval 8.9 ( had a few nuts) and 8.8 at the end again. On the way home I ate some ham and some more nuts and 2 hrs later its 6.2 again.

Is this normal? If so, why? And any suggestions how to prevent it? - a lot of aspects of my job are stressful. It isn't something that meditation or something like that is going to fix, and I can't really get up and wander off mid performance!

Any ideas??
 

Perhaps I shouldn't say this, but I wouldn't worry too much about 8.8 at the end of the performance unless you suffered symptoms, which is unlikely. It's persistent (chronic) high bG that needs to be avoided. A drop from 8.8 to 6.2 two hours later sounds pretty good to me. If I test myself dead on 2 hours then 15 minutes later, there is usually a big drop, so I'm comfortable with the with the 2 hour (worst case) reading. I have found through experimentation (and quite a few test strips!) that my bG drops at a rate of about 1.0 every 20 minutes until levelling off, so, except for the rare occasion, I am back into the comfort zone fairly quickly.
 
Thanks. - I know I'm probably being paranoid about it, but I look around the forum and so many people seem to have readings of 4's and 5's all day long. I'm trying really hard to bring my levels down, so a rise up towards 9 seems huge. - I don't have my first DN appointment until July 2nd, and I'm terrified that if I can't get my BG right down. They'll try and put me on insulin. - they did that to my mum. :/


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I have had a couple of surprising spikes recently and my 'trend' has been creeping up as a result. I have no explanation as to these spikes ... half a small kebab doesn't seem much to me against my 250g (ish) carbs per day. Your daily/weekly average may tell you more than a spike. Mine is currently 5.97 including a 9.2 (2 hour test) rising to 9.4 after 3 hours. It would be interesting to know what happened on these occasions, but it hasn't happened for a few days now, and so I just think c'est la vie! I will still have the odd kebab now and again! Many people get surprise hikes, but so long as they do not become persistent then I'm sure you're doing fine.

Many people on this site are 'low-carbers' so it is not surprising that many have low readings. You have the choice of opting for consistently low readings or focus on keeping within the recommended safe ranges the majority of the time, eating in a way which fits in with your lifestyle. I doubt if you would want to carry kitchen scales and measuring jugs to your performance! Now it's time for me to drop my head below the parapet!! :evil:
 
Thanks. It helps to know that everyone gets spikes. I was beginning to think I must be doing something wrong. I was diagnosed at the beginning of May, but I kinda feel that I was given the diagnosis but not enough information about the day to day practicalities. I know I need to get my blood sugar down, and I'm doing it, but I don't know what to do when it goes up 'cept panic!

I eat very low carb, - well under 30g per day. - it's not such a wrench really as I haven't been able to eat gluten for years anyway.


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Provided you are back to normal between performances, I would just accept and live with the possibility of a spike when you are performing. I would also consider not testing post-performance and just get up the next day and carry on as normal. If your fasting bG is then what you expect then so what? I assume you don't blow and eat at the same time, otherwise there's no way I will be sitting in the front row. If I spent time investigating every single spike my life would be hell. I know this is no explanation. It could be, for example, that your blood sugars are low prior to the performance, due to stress, nervousness, driving etc, and so your body is overcompensating.
 
-if you'd seen some of the stuff I've cleaned out of small children's instruments you'd NEVER eat before playing, let alone during!! - there was this one child and a bag of cheesy crisps.....

Thank for the replies. I feel better now.


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My cousin plays trombone and once 2 earwigs (ALIVE) and a dead spider came out when she cleaned it. And someone in my orchestra as a kid got a juice bottle stuck in his tuba! I'm a wind player so food is a no no with the reeds etc. it's just gross....

Personally I find playing my clarinet lowers my BG. I think it's the concentration required. But I'm T1 so I've no idea if that makes a difference in this case. I shouldn't think so though. Everyone just reacts differently
 
One of my teachers had a live mouse fall out the bell of his horn once. Poor little thing looked stunned!

- reeds!?! I don't know how wind teachers do it! At least you can put a brass instrument in the bath if you have to!




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You would also have excuses for the large 'bubbles'. You could say the mouse was 'flugel-born'!
 

Sounds like she is not playing it often enough! Maybe your reeds are 'low-carb'? :mrgreen:
 
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