Diabetes Game: Game Changes...

Howdy from Atlanta,

Yes, I said it, from Atlanta. These past few months have been nothing short of crazy, but awesome at the same time. I am in the middle of an 11 day stretch at home. Out of curiosity I took a look at the calendar, and prior to this stretch, I have only had 11 days at home since Aug 11, however I have got to take 32 different flights to who knows where. Lots of exciting trips, big planning, and hopes to make the team bigger, better, and stronger, and change the world at the same time.

So I last said my program for heading over seas. To do this I would take my basal insulin in 2 doses, and then do an increase of rapid. Out of laziness, it has taken some time to get back to my normal 1x day basal. For some reason or another my morning dose got to be bigger than my night dose. This was good for a while, but then sometime last week, I started going into the 160-180's at 4am. I had taken a break from Navigator, just to go to make sure I still had the talent via BS testing. Brutal reality is that I don't. I had more highs, and more lows than I have had in the last 4 months. It is just challenging to have full control when only seeing snap shots of where you are. The thing I like most about the CGM is that it is a movie, and it tells you a bit about the future, so that you can make these adjustments before there are issues. So I get back from Montreal and immediately put Navi back on. I see that it is 4am where the trend goes up. I try increase in basal, and no avail. My doc Bruce Bode told me I was having some growth hormone spikes in the night. No simple suggestions other than to get up and do a shot at that time. So on Sunday, I was slated to do the 100 mile Spin for Kids Ride. I backed my basal off by 3 units in the am to prep my body for the beating it was not prepared for. To make up for it that night, I did an increase of 3 units, and what do you know, perfect BG all night. Two possibilities here.
1. Bike riding is very good for blood sugar, and the increase in metabolism helped this happen.
2. Basal increase at night was the factor.

So to further this study, I took a few days off the bike, and kept the insulin constant to see. Granted, the metabolism stays hot for a few days after riding, but taking the time off should do the trick. So the next night, perfect BS again, and then the same again last night. So I am now working towards getting back to once a day. I will stay 2 days on this current dose, and then do a decrease in the am, and increase in pm. I should be back to once per day by Sunday, and I am hoping to get 2 good rides in this weekend.

I know I mentioned Montreal earlier, but I did not speak of the sense of accomplishment I got for getting there. In my world of not knowing where I am, I tend to forget some small things from time to time. This time, not so small. I get to the airport with 1hr 15 minutes to spare, which is plenty of time, only to realize I left my suits at home. I call Delta to learn that the next flight is in the am, which would mean missing some very important meetings with great people. So I begin the race home, grab my suit bag, and with 43 minutes before my flight (33 minutes before they close the door,) left buckhead to head to the airport (Mapquest says 25 minutes.) I somehow get parked, and get to the check in with 23 minutes pre-flight, get my ticket with 21 minutes to go, and take off in a sprint. I get to the long line at security, and pulled a Tommy-Boy yelling EXCUSE ME... The wonderful people in that line let me cut, I got through, and then a full sprint to A30. As I get to Gate A24, I cracked. I was winded, dead, and back was killing me from running with 3 bags. I dug real deep, and resumed the sprint seeing the door at A30 closing... So I scream from 100 yards away "Montreal, Montreal, Montreal!!!" only to see a hand come through and the door open, and I got on my flight. My buddy Christian of Dex4, put all bets against me, knowing I would never make it, so it was high fives all around. My door, to my seat on the plane in 33 minutes, which I believe is a world record that will never be seen in Guiness... I felt about as good as one could feel in that moment, and it really did set the tone for the entire week.

So back to that diabetes game. I think the lesson to be learned here, is that we are always going to change, and we always have to adapt. You have to try new things to get the control you want. It is important to look for the trends, and then find a way to get ahead of that trend. My problem was 4am, and it was either going to be play with my basal, or to get up at 3am and bolus. I am kind of partial to my sleep, so decided to play with the basal.

All in all, great to be home for a few days, and glad to be back on the bike. I really can't put into words the good feeling you get from spending a few hours out there with your buddies, and going into that hurt box. It may sound sadistic, but the pain on the bike turns into stories later, and a overall great feeling. So I am back on the bike, loving it, and will continue to ride for fun.

Have a great night, and thanks for reading!!

Phil
@philsoutherland