Summer is here and I will be taking swimming lessons in June and wonder about the things that I need to keep in mind!
I know telling my trainer and everyone around that I have D and what to do. But what else?
Did you ever had an incident?
Swimming? Um, nothing I can think of that had to do with diabetes. My brothers tried to drown me a time or two though. You should be fine!
This probably won´t be an issue during your lessons because most lessons are given in heated pools, but just be aware that very cold water seems to drop sugar levels faster than the same activity in warm water. It is a good idea to test before you swim.
no matter what temperature a pool is for me i always go low. i remember one time when i was at diabetes camp and i was swimming very slowly and at times i would stop and just let myself sink. my counselor had to jump in the pool and drag me to the infirmary.
Swimming uses every muscle in the body – great exercise – but if you have Type 1, you must either reduce insulin or eat Ex-carbs for each half hour of exercise (we do both). We take off dn’s insulin pump, we make sure her blood sugar level is 180 before entering the water, we are mindful of any insulin on board left from recent boluses (exercise makes insulin stronger). We check every hour and adjust (usually her blood sugars run lower while in the water). But being disconnected from insulin pump for more than an hour is problematic. So, we take a break one and a half hours after swimming, reconnect and have a snack at the snack bar (bolus 60 percent for food). Repeat as before. Usually, after four hours, she has had enough swimming. At this point, even if her BS is normal, she will go high within the hour. Another snack, bolusing as normal and we replace half her basal for the last hour. This works for us. You will have to figure out what works for you. A lot of kids bolus half their basal every hour and a half, regardless of BS. We can’t do this. If on MDI, you must eat extra carbs. How many, depends on if you are swimming lightly, moderately or heavily. I would err on the side of highs till you get it figured out. You do not want to go low in the water.
Am sure he is your youngest brother! 
Watch your back
hmmm, didn’t know that! Thanks
Thanks for the advise and the details. I do exercise at the gym for like an hour and am controlling that well. But in swimming am gonna be disconnected from the pump and probably wont give any insulin prior to swimming, may be after if I was high.
Gary Scheiner has a great book “Think Like a Pancreas.” One of the most useful features is the excercise chart int he back of the book (I find John Walsh’s chart to allow too many carbs for exercise). Gary breaks down each exercise (and he does not leave out any), duration, intensity, weight of the person and calculates how many carbs the person would have to eat to cover the exercise, by half hour and hour. I find this to be spot on. Since she is disconnected, I just use the chart for the first hour (i.e., make sure she is at least 180 going into pool, and also covering all existing IOB). Then next hour, easy to do the calculations. He does discuss coverage for excercise using pump vs. MDI, as well.
Thank you all for the support and making my worries berries. Yesterday was my first lesson, I disconnected the Cozmo swam and then put it back my BG was 190 mg/dl.
Thanks again
Good for you, taking swimming lessons! I took them when I was 12, and didn’t learn much, I still can’t really swim. =)
LoL, well am 28 and during my childhood my parents never sign me to swim lessons, since they were afraid about the D!!! So here I am! And it is hard, my feet are heavy they keep drowning me!! lol