I have been lifting weights now since March of this year and just this month I have adjusted my routine to where I am putting more muscle mass than I have ever had. It apears as if I need to bolus twice as much insulin than usual and I cannot determine whether it is because of the location of my pod (behind my upper arm above the elbow and upper leg above the knee) or whether insulin absorbtion and muscle do not go hand in hand very well. I am getting somewhat irritated at the high blood sugar levels especially considering that I am trying to maintain a healthy way of eating well and working out. Any advice would be much appreciated.
I’ve found the opposite, as I gain muscle and lose fat I need less insulin, which would suggest that it has something to do with the delivery, either pod placement or possibly old insulin. You should experiment with different spots to figure it out. At least that’s what I would do.
Same happend to me, I lost 64 pounds. Before I was using from 55u lantus whent down to 25u, and the boluces where 25 with each meal now 9, well that was when I was on MDI’s. Now with the Omnipod my overall insulin intake daily is around 50u total including boluces. Nic the problem must be site absortion, when I put my pod on my leg or on my arm but in the side, my numbers don’t go as smooth as when I put it on my abdomen or at the back of my arm.’
I might try location…I just got the new PDM too so I might not have transferred the settings over correctly either. I’ll go over all the calcs again to see if I have them correctly entered, perhaps create different bolus programs for diiferent locations? I’ll have to play around some I guess…
If you’ve only noticed it recently, have you tried a different vial or batch of insulin? As Mat suggested, old or deteriorating insulin could be a factor.
I know that any intense work out raises my blood sugar temporarily, but I assume you are talking about increased insulin need all day. Have you started any new supplements? I remember reading here that some vitamins and supplements can raise blood sugar levels. Congrats on seeing results of your hard work.
I thought through the bad insulin thing and the location. I ran into the dreaded: “Occlusion detected” on the pod this evening and noticed a lot of leakage so I am hoping that with a fresh pod in a fresh location with newer insulin will make for a better day tomorrow…I was doing supplements but thought better of it recently and am starting to try ‘au natural’…just to see, so hopefully that is the way to go.
thanks all for your comments…this site rocks!
My endo also told me that intense exercise raises my blood sugar for a few hours and then it comes back down? This is annoying! Do you know why and anything to prevent it??
I just bolus a bit more if I am eating before strenuous exercise or check during and bolus a small amount if it is going up. Sorry…not very scientific, I know. I’d guess it has something to do with stress.