I was diagnosed as a T1 diabetic two days ago. I'm 34 years old and I'm a vegan athlete. I've played roller derby for 5 years now, and I'm on the all star team. Up until this diagnosis, I was on skates 10 to 15 hours a week. I ate quite a bit before as I consider myself an athlete and wanted to ensure I was fueling enough for my training schedule.
Now that I'm diabetic, I don't even know where to begin! I won't be working out for about two weeks, to stabilize. But what happens when I'm ready to go back to skating? Our practices can be three hours long. Do I try to begin workouts with a higher blood sugar? Help!
Hi Janie - everyone is different, so you have to test often and experiment. What I learned in the beginning that was most helpful to me is that generally there are two types of exercise. Endurance exercise drops your blood sugar instantly as you do it and you have to fuel as you go. Burst or adrenaline exercise uses stores within the muscles. When you do this type, your blood sugars may remain stable while you're playng, but you need a lot of carbs afterward because your muslces will basically try to suck all the glucose back from your blood stream. Some sports, like surfing, have both effects. You might find roller derby fits into this category as well. One important thing to remember for burst exercise is that afterwards the effect of your insulin will also be multiplied. This is because exercise increases sensitivity of insulin receptors. The result is that you get rewarded for your hard work by being able to eat a lot of carbs with a very small dose of insulin :)
I've only been diabetic for a year and a half and remember having a serious case of information overload at the beginning, so I don't want to bombard you. However, one good place to start is the book "Think Like a Pancreas". It's a quick read and very informative. Another good place to start is the 4-part video series here - http://www.1happydiabetic.com/apps/videos/channels/show/1499150-sports-and-diabetes
It's tough no doubt. I was in your position just a short while ago, but with experimentation and frequent testing things have gotten much easier. You've also come to the right place. People on these forums have been and continue to be very helpful to me as I attempt new activities.
These will get you started in the right direction, in terms of managing your insulin need and balancing exercise-diet-insulin. There are plenty of other books and program out there, but these two will get you going.
Best wishes for you as you begin this new journey.
Your life will defintely change in many ways but, luckily, your activity level and choice of activities don't necessarily have to. The biggest change is that, as you're beginning to find out, you are no longer on auto-pilot when it comes to activity and nutrition.
The only advice I have to give is that, whether you begin with a higher BG, or normal BG, always monitor your BG. Don't be hesitant to check your BG many times to see how the changes you feel physically correlate to the changes in your BG. Many people report similar experiences, but it really is a very personal thing for diabetics to know how they are feeling during a hypo, or during a BG spike, especially for athletes who are also experiencing all kinds of physical and emotional stimuli.
It will take diligence, a lot of trial and error, and a lot of constant reevaluation, but it is all worth it.
This site is a great resource but always remember that you have to filter everything through your own experiences and how your diabetes managment is working for you.
Good info in the other responses - keep in mind too since you are newly diagnosed - you may go through a honeymoon period where additional insulin required is minimal.
Test early, test often - and as you do monitor (track) what you're doing and what's happening (ex. ate ## of specific carbs 1 hour before workout, covered with ## units of insulin - workout = 15min warmup skate, 20 mins of sprint skate, tested BG=###, 30 min of whatever, 15 min cooldown, tested BG = ### - postworkout nutrition of ##g of specific carbs/protein/fat, ##u insulin, 2 hr post recover BG = ###, etc.) Bottom line see what's happening to you with what you're doing. Guessing that your training will be more like endurance with some bursts, and your events more like bursts (almost similar to a football practice vs. a game).
I am in a group called triabetes.org, we are triathletes and I personally love the tool called Dexcom, it is they best tool
I have ever used in my 22 years of trying to participate in athletics. The Dexcom warns me when my sugar is going high
Or low…before I was always stopping to check sugar, but now I can carry this in my hand when running or in shorts
During soccer…u should check one out
I'm rather new at this myself; still going through a honeymoon period 1+ years on after being diagnosed with Type 1 at 41. The advice you've been given ( and book recommendations) so far is really solid and I think you'll find that you can still do all of the same things but like someone said, not on autopilot. When I was first diagnosed I had no idea what it actually meant to be on a honeymoon phase but it what it meant in my case was that after the first few days I had to be super careful about taking less and less insulin each day because I was hitting dangerous lows. So test a lot and expect things to be kind of crazy at first.
For me, I find that it is absolutely essential to eat before long intense workouts or any workout that isn't competitive or strength-based. Even when I was taking no insulin (first part of honeymoon) and even if I started with a high BG I was dropping into potentially dangerous lows through exercise. How your body is going to react to your workouts is going to be very individual. You'll hear that a million times and it's true. Definitely read the books people have mentioned. I find "Think Like a Pancreas" the most approachable for getting the overall picture of things. Good luck.
This is all fantastic advice and I already feel so much better...like I CAN do this. I think that I've been afraid that I wouldn't be able to skate at the level that I was. Thanks SO SO much for all the advice and book recommendations.
Roller derby training is just as IMVic describes...endurance and short bursts/interval for training and then just short bursts for games. I'm a jammer as well, so it requires a lot of speed and short hard bursts of energy. I will definitely track my training religiously and test often. The league knows and I've already got people researching so that they will know what to do if I get low.
DanK's note about insulin reception is really great, I didn't know that and I'm excited to be able to eat more carbs after training...I'll want train so that I can eat!
Bathy: thanks for your warning about the honeymoon period. I didn't know exactly what that meant, but I'll be extra careful over the next few weeks.
glad we're being helpful. just a clarification in increasing insulin sensitivity - this may also occur from non-burst exercises. it generally occurs when there's some sort of increase in phyisical activity. If you're always training hard, there might not be any increase in sensitivity. However, this is something I even experience when I go on vacation and I'm walking around from place to place all day. last time i went on vacation my insulin requirements were cut in half.
for me, I don't exercise every day, but i usually do at least two strenuous activities a week like soccer or ultimate frisbee, and more recently surfing. on these occasions the difference in my food/insulin requirements is tremendous. i remember after the first time i tried surfing i had 1 piece of lasagna for dinner with only 2 units of insulin to try to compensate for this increased sensitivity and refuel (normally i wouldn't touch lasagna, or i'd need about 8 units to have some at dinner). I tested a half hour later and was already almost going low. I wound up eating 3 pieces of lasagna to cover the 2 units of insulin! it was amazing, one of those small moments only a diabetic can enjoy :)
Continuous Glucose Monitors like Dexcom are being covered by more and more insurance plans. If yours doesn't automatically cover it, then you can submit a letter of medical necessity. Dexcom has been willing to help with that in the past. I am a Dexcom user. There are other CGMs out there. It's possible your insurance would want you to use a different one.
Hi, I am definitely not an expert, but I ran a 7 mile race. My adviser had me cut back on my meal time insulin and my night time insulin just by one unit. For my morning meal I had 1/20 instead of 1 insulin to 15 carbs. I hope that makes since to you. I am still rather new to carb counting.
Hello friend....I say that because you sound a bit like me. I am very athletic...at least I think I am. I run, workout with weights, do a little Krav training - and I just discovered a few months ago I have type 1 diabetes. Well, actually I think they call it 1.5 from what I'm reading. Now that my levels are somewhat stabilized, I'm back to my regular workout routine. I check my levels before I go workout so that I can make sure to take in enough carbs to get me through the workout. I have had levels drop almost 100 points with a really hard workout so making sure I have enough in me is vital for me! I prefer a protein drink before I workout and that's usually enough for me. Then I make sure to eat after. I also keep glucose tablets handy, just in case. On my runs, I carry the tablets and also have made sure that a couple of friends on the course know to help keep an eye out for me. So far, I've had no problems. I even find that I'm doing a LOT better on my runs and workouts than I was before. I have the stamina to finish and had gotten to the point where I just ran out of gas, so to speak. I'm sure there are others that can give you better advice - who have been diagnosed longer than me. Since your workouts are 3 hours, I'd make sure to keep at least a 1 carb snack that I could eat quickly if needed. I'm looking forward to the day when this is all second nature. Looking forward to learning from others on this site! Donna
Donna, this is really great information! It's good to hear from someone else who is new at this. It seems so overwhelming! I did go skate yesterday for a couple hours, but I was really taking it easy...not my usual punishing pace. It felt great. I drove my BS up a bit beforehand and surprisingly, it continued to rise throughout my workout. I'm not skating the next few weeks, so I'm going to take that time to experiment with running, to see what my body does with varying levels of exertion.
And I'm thinking that once my body recovers a bit (and stabilizes) I'll be feeling tons better while skating. I can't wait for that. The past month has be SO exhausting!
I can't wait til it's second nature too. I was so paranoid about getting a low during practice that I brought a veritable feast for my first workout back...and tested every chance I got! It may have been overkill, but it gave me piece of mind. It's crazy, I play roller derby and get knocked around quite a bit, but I think this diagnosis makes me feel a bit more fragile. I'm looking forward to overcoming that feeling.
My first Krav workout, I think I tested about four times - I wasn't sure what was muscle fatigue and what was low sugar level. Now I'm much more comfortable with it. I work out HARD and that's when I see the levels drop. I think it helps keep me stay within my range too. I am on a low dose of insulin and mostly control it with diet and intense exercise. I can usually tell when I've reached a level of exercise that is good for me - I sweat like it's summer time! If I don't break a good sweat, levels aren't going to change much. I keep a one carb snack handy. I quickly discovered that when levels drop too low I am tempted to stuff my face with too much. Eat one carb and wait 15 minutes...if you need more, do it again. Taking in too many too quickly can send your levels up too high. But you probably already know this. Like I said, I'm new at this - but I plan on staying active for a long long time. You'll find me running a marathon when I'm 90 if I have anything to do with it. ;)
Hi Janie, I had trouble controlling sugars in my triathlons and it took me a while to figure things out. So here is what I know: 1. gatoraide and poweraide are too sugary. I used GU and Hammer products. They are carb based and have all the nutrients and salt you need just not the sugar. I ate 1 Gu Gel before a race - then one every 45 min and ate something after. 2. Watch your sugars closely the day after - I always lowered my insulin the day after just for that day so that I wouldn't crash. 3. You can absolutely keep up your activity - you just need to figure out what the signs are when you are low while exersicing. I used my practice runs to do that so that during races I knew what to expect and when a sypmtom happened I could eat to correct for it. Jelly beans are easy to eat while running if you are low so I suspect they will be easy enough skating too. 4. Since you are a new diabetic and an athlete I would recommend seeing a dietician just to sort out what to eat and ask for a sports dietician specifically - they will understand your needs better. I loved mine - she was great. I considered her as important as my Endo. 5. what worked best for me was to start a race with my blood sugar at 12 - a bit high I know but any lower and I would have problems. Starting at 12mmol or a little higher worked best (for my American buddies normal is between 4 and 7mmol not sure how it would work with your system) 6. You are diabetic - but that doesn't mean you can't do something - you can do anything in the world, go anywhere, just remeber to check your sugars and continue on your way. I'm 34 and was diagnosed at age 5 - trust me you will be fine. Ask any questions any time - that's what this forum is all about. HUGS!!
