Howdy from Sunny Santa Barbara,
How is everyone doing? Thanks so much for the great posts. If you ever have specific questions, please email me directly at phil@teamtype1.org cause I cannot reply to the blog comments directly. Thanks!
So last we were at a nice 17 units of Lantus on a rest day. This turned out to be... not enough. I woke up at 1am at 161 trending up on the Navigator, so gave 1 unit of Apidra. Woke up at 95 and was pretty happy. Tuesday worked for a while, did some acupuncture with Kathleen Zisser, who rocks, then went for a bike ride!! I was doing a good ride with my buddy/teammate Jesse Anthony for about 2 hours, when Jesse called it a day. I wanted to make it 4 so I rode the hills, getting a good 15 minutes of sub threshold in. Then went to ride more hills/mountains. At 2:45 of ride time, I decided to go visit Gibraltar, which is a nice, long climb. I started with a blood sugar of 106ish, and ate a bar, began to climb, spent 10 minutes with a heart rate of 155-162, was at 112, ate another bar, 10 minute later same heart rate, 102, ate another bar, and another 10 minute of climbing at same pace and was at 98. So it only took 60 grams of carbs for the 35 minutes of climbing to not go hypo... Funny thing was that I probably only ate 60 grams of carbs in the 2.5 hours up to that point. So maybe eating more before, would have meant less need for food on the climb?? Ride down into town, and then back home getting a solid 4 hours and 28 seconds... I love aiming for a 4 hour day, and just making it like that!!
Did my 7 units of Apidra, then took a 50 gm of carb recovery drink. 20 minutes later eating 140 gms of carbs from Pasta. The rest of the day I was floating at 80-100... Very nice. Then go hang with Jesse and Tim, go see my friend Howard Zisser to nail down what kind of research we are going to do on the team, and also comment on the game I am playing. He wasn't sure. I did 2 units for a HUGE turkey sandwich. Floated at 90 or so, and backed down to 16 units of lantus. Low and behold, I am hypo ALL night. Sitting at 60, get my alarm, eat 25gm of carbs, and then wake up at 50, eat some Dex 4 Glucose, and then 45...
Way too much basal, right???
Eat tons, and tons of food on my ride Wed. All in all, get 6 hours in, with a lot of climbing, and lot of hard work. Get home, bolus, recovery drink, pasta, later that night, more pasta, and a steak with only 2 units. Then since I went real low last night on 16 units, and did a 6 hour ride, I think 14 units would make more sense. WRONG. I wake up at 350 close to midnight, after going to bed at 93. What gives? I do not know... Did 4 units of Apidra, 1 more unit of Lantus and woke up, 27 years old, and at a blood sugar of 52.
Today- a 2 hour recovery ride, 6 units of APidra, and 140gms of carbs from pasta.
Doing 15 units tonight, and will have news to report tomorrow...
Tomorrow should be a good day, and then long hard days on Sat-Sunday. Who knows what the score to my diabetes game will be. I look for trends, and patterns, but right now it is more like a ping pong, which bothers me. But when it comes down to it, I am playing a game. I cannot win the super bowl each and every year, but I can recruit new tools, new players, new knowledge, and try to do it better the next time. I have a short memory when it comes to the diabetes game. I forget the failures, and use them as lessons, cause as long as I am alive, I have not failed, rather I have learned. So I will keep working, keep learning, and keep asking, and try to come up with a system that makes sense for all. That is the goal!
Have a great day, and thanks for reading.
Phil
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Diabetes Game---More insulin and the small world....
Howdy from Santa Barbara,
I hope everyone is rocking! Life on the west coast is good. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Atlanta, but being able to get anywhere in town in 5 minutes is quite nice. So I get out here, and it is 60 degrees and sunny, and like a fool, I go for a ride with new teammate/buddy Ken Hanson. Why like a fool? Cause I went out in shorts, and no leg warmers. The body is such a delicate thing, that having that extra chill, plus my whacked out position, caused a nice re-strain to the hammy. 3.5 hours that day. 15 units Lantus
Thurs am, go out for the group ride, and about 1 hour in, bam, that knife goes through my hammy. This time, instead of riding for 2.5 hours on it, I called my wonderful host Gina, and she came to Summerland to pick me up. I spoke with my Physical Therapist, Dianna Palmer, who could see me immediately. I head to Dianna's and she let me know that we caught it early, and all could be good. I did some ultra sound, stem, stretching, and walked out with some hot pink tape on my hamstring. You may have seen this on the Olympic athletes (not there yet:) but it helps to alleviate strain on muscles, and Dianna is a master at it!!!
At this point, I am pretty bummed to not be able to train. Last time, this set me back 10 days, and to be honest, I can't spare 2 days right now. That afternoon I met with Dr. Howard Zisser (research master) and we discussed some great possibilities to help people with diabetes round the world. I love brain storming with scientist! Howard asked me to come watch the game at his place. So I go meet the family, Howard, Kathleen, Noah, and McKenzie. His kids were brilliant, and great musicians. Watched the Gators stomp OU, and in the process learn Kathleen specializes in acupuncture. She could see me the next am. Now I am doing 15 units of Lantus.
High blood sugar in the night- Do I need more, or do I need a new vial??
Friday:
Wake up- work, 100 emails or so, head to acupuncture. Kathleen agrees there is a light strain, and goes to work with the needles. She also worked on my massive scars from the surgery in May.
Next ride with Tim to see Dianna- more ultra sound, stem, exercises, and getting made fun of, which is one of the main reasons I love going to see her. Ride goes well, with no pain, and then off to see Kim, who does my massage. He is the best of the West, and really helps get the kinks worked out.
New vial of Insulin, 15 units Lantus, high blood sugar at night.
Ride in am with Kim, Ken, and Tim, who all say my seat position is wrong. Kim helped me make some changes, and then Sunday I get to test. Yesterday Kim, Tim, and I went for 4.5 hours over some mtns, through some valleys, and a good steady ride. My sensor for Navigator came off during yoga (2 hours till expiration anyhow) and so I went off feel for this ride.
I woke up at 60 (correction in night) did 3 units of Apidra, ate 80 gms carbs, then 15 minutes before leaving I was 170, and 3 minutes before leaving was 156. Slight downward trend. So I jump down to the coffee shop, and eat a scone. Early part of ride, eating lots. Stop 2 hours in, eat another scone. I felt like I was bonking on the latter part of the ride, and eat more... Quite thirsty though. I thought my BS was too low, so I over corrected with food. I get home, and what do you know, 296. Scrub hands, and 302... So I dropped 9 units of Apidra in my body, and 20 minutes later downing pasta. This 1 hour after a ride is crucial for recovery, so insulin and food are a must. Ideally, I would be at 150 when I got home, but ideally doesn't always happen in diabetes... But with the right amount of insulin, I was 105 1 hour after ride, and still eating.
I had also been sick of high blood sugars in the middle of the night, so I decided to make a jump. Recall 15 units Sat night, with only 3 hours on the bike. I said "screw it" and jumped to 17 units of Lantus after a 4.5 hour tough day... Too much. I was a little on the low side this am. Today I do no exercise, and I am going to go with 17 again, and should be good.
Thanks for reading the longest blog post of all time. I guess I could have summed it up by saying SB is a cool place, because I saw 3 therapist, and a bike ride in 1 day, without spending more than 7 minutes in the car at one time.
Have a great day. Until next time:)
Philpott
TeamType1.org
I hope everyone is rocking! Life on the west coast is good. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Atlanta, but being able to get anywhere in town in 5 minutes is quite nice. So I get out here, and it is 60 degrees and sunny, and like a fool, I go for a ride with new teammate/buddy Ken Hanson. Why like a fool? Cause I went out in shorts, and no leg warmers. The body is such a delicate thing, that having that extra chill, plus my whacked out position, caused a nice re-strain to the hammy. 3.5 hours that day. 15 units Lantus
Thurs am, go out for the group ride, and about 1 hour in, bam, that knife goes through my hammy. This time, instead of riding for 2.5 hours on it, I called my wonderful host Gina, and she came to Summerland to pick me up. I spoke with my Physical Therapist, Dianna Palmer, who could see me immediately. I head to Dianna's and she let me know that we caught it early, and all could be good. I did some ultra sound, stem, stretching, and walked out with some hot pink tape on my hamstring. You may have seen this on the Olympic athletes (not there yet:) but it helps to alleviate strain on muscles, and Dianna is a master at it!!!
At this point, I am pretty bummed to not be able to train. Last time, this set me back 10 days, and to be honest, I can't spare 2 days right now. That afternoon I met with Dr. Howard Zisser (research master) and we discussed some great possibilities to help people with diabetes round the world. I love brain storming with scientist! Howard asked me to come watch the game at his place. So I go meet the family, Howard, Kathleen, Noah, and McKenzie. His kids were brilliant, and great musicians. Watched the Gators stomp OU, and in the process learn Kathleen specializes in acupuncture. She could see me the next am. Now I am doing 15 units of Lantus.
High blood sugar in the night- Do I need more, or do I need a new vial??
Friday:
Wake up- work, 100 emails or so, head to acupuncture. Kathleen agrees there is a light strain, and goes to work with the needles. She also worked on my massive scars from the surgery in May.
Next ride with Tim to see Dianna- more ultra sound, stem, exercises, and getting made fun of, which is one of the main reasons I love going to see her. Ride goes well, with no pain, and then off to see Kim, who does my massage. He is the best of the West, and really helps get the kinks worked out.
New vial of Insulin, 15 units Lantus, high blood sugar at night.
Ride in am with Kim, Ken, and Tim, who all say my seat position is wrong. Kim helped me make some changes, and then Sunday I get to test. Yesterday Kim, Tim, and I went for 4.5 hours over some mtns, through some valleys, and a good steady ride. My sensor for Navigator came off during yoga (2 hours till expiration anyhow) and so I went off feel for this ride.
I woke up at 60 (correction in night) did 3 units of Apidra, ate 80 gms carbs, then 15 minutes before leaving I was 170, and 3 minutes before leaving was 156. Slight downward trend. So I jump down to the coffee shop, and eat a scone. Early part of ride, eating lots. Stop 2 hours in, eat another scone. I felt like I was bonking on the latter part of the ride, and eat more... Quite thirsty though. I thought my BS was too low, so I over corrected with food. I get home, and what do you know, 296. Scrub hands, and 302... So I dropped 9 units of Apidra in my body, and 20 minutes later downing pasta. This 1 hour after a ride is crucial for recovery, so insulin and food are a must. Ideally, I would be at 150 when I got home, but ideally doesn't always happen in diabetes... But with the right amount of insulin, I was 105 1 hour after ride, and still eating.
I had also been sick of high blood sugars in the middle of the night, so I decided to make a jump. Recall 15 units Sat night, with only 3 hours on the bike. I said "screw it" and jumped to 17 units of Lantus after a 4.5 hour tough day... Too much. I was a little on the low side this am. Today I do no exercise, and I am going to go with 17 again, and should be good.
Thanks for reading the longest blog post of all time. I guess I could have summed it up by saying SB is a cool place, because I saw 3 therapist, and a bike ride in 1 day, without spending more than 7 minutes in the car at one time.
Have a great day. Until next time:)
Philpott
TeamType1.org
Friday, January 9, 2009
Diabetes Game- Thanks to all for advice
Howdy From Santa Barbara,
This place really, really rocks!!! Sunny, warm, and great riding. I have a great place here, staying with Gina, and her family. They have been very gracious to put me up. Gina is part of the team, as is her son Sean!! http://www.apidra.com/real_people/stories/Gina.aspx
Big thanks for the warm Welcome to Santa Barbara:)
Thanks to everyone for the solid advice and comments. It has been a fun game to play, and have been learning a bit. Believe it or not I actually enjoy the confusion. Why? I imagine that if I had to do the same thing each and every day, I might get a bit bored, and then what fun would it be? But with all these changes, it constantly allows me to learn more, and sharpen this little brain I am stuck with...
What are some of the new theories? Well, kind of like Kerry said, as well as my buddy Tim Johnson- the body changes. it becomes more efficient at using fuel, so may need additional help (insulin) to get the fuel to where it needs. After having dropped my basal from 15 down to 12 last week, I have now raised it back up to 14, and will do 15 units of Lantus tonight. Instead of 3 units of Apidra for my 150gms of post ride Pasta, I am now doing 7 units. Where as last Saturday, I could eat 200gms of carbs on .5 unit of Insulin, today, I am going to inject 4 units of Apidra for 60gms of carbs.
I have another theory too... I had been sleeping in an Altitude tent each and every night. When I first got in, I slowly started reducing total daily insulin requirements, as the body burns more at night while in the tent. For the past 2 weeks, over the holidays, I have been in and out, and mostly out. Could this have lead to the higher insulin needs? Maybe? I just ordered a new tent from Altitudetech Inc. le and should have by early next week. I will make sure to let you know how that effects my insulin requirements.
Training camp is getting closer, and it is somewhat the talk of the town out here. We are going to have some of the top endos in the country at camp, as well as the top 27 athletes (who ride a bike) with type 1 in the world (that we know of.) This is a very exciting culmination of 4 years of work to get to this point, and just the beginning for Team Type 1, and the super beginning for Team Type 2.
Also, I am starting to get learn more about Twitter. So as I begin to travel the world more, and spend less time from the computer, I will try to do updates. If you would like to follow that way, please check: http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
More news to come, as I figure this part of the game out.
Thanks for reading, and Have a GREAT day!
Phil
www.teamtype1.org
This place really, really rocks!!! Sunny, warm, and great riding. I have a great place here, staying with Gina, and her family. They have been very gracious to put me up. Gina is part of the team, as is her son Sean!! http://www.apidra.com/real_people/stories/Gina.aspx
Big thanks for the warm Welcome to Santa Barbara:)
Thanks to everyone for the solid advice and comments. It has been a fun game to play, and have been learning a bit. Believe it or not I actually enjoy the confusion. Why? I imagine that if I had to do the same thing each and every day, I might get a bit bored, and then what fun would it be? But with all these changes, it constantly allows me to learn more, and sharpen this little brain I am stuck with...
What are some of the new theories? Well, kind of like Kerry said, as well as my buddy Tim Johnson- the body changes. it becomes more efficient at using fuel, so may need additional help (insulin) to get the fuel to where it needs. After having dropped my basal from 15 down to 12 last week, I have now raised it back up to 14, and will do 15 units of Lantus tonight. Instead of 3 units of Apidra for my 150gms of post ride Pasta, I am now doing 7 units. Where as last Saturday, I could eat 200gms of carbs on .5 unit of Insulin, today, I am going to inject 4 units of Apidra for 60gms of carbs.
I have another theory too... I had been sleeping in an Altitude tent each and every night. When I first got in, I slowly started reducing total daily insulin requirements, as the body burns more at night while in the tent. For the past 2 weeks, over the holidays, I have been in and out, and mostly out. Could this have lead to the higher insulin needs? Maybe? I just ordered a new tent from Altitudetech Inc. le and should have by early next week. I will make sure to let you know how that effects my insulin requirements.
Training camp is getting closer, and it is somewhat the talk of the town out here. We are going to have some of the top endos in the country at camp, as well as the top 27 athletes (who ride a bike) with type 1 in the world (that we know of.) This is a very exciting culmination of 4 years of work to get to this point, and just the beginning for Team Type 1, and the super beginning for Team Type 2.
Also, I am starting to get learn more about Twitter. So as I begin to travel the world more, and spend less time from the computer, I will try to do updates. If you would like to follow that way, please check: http://twitter.com/PhilSoutherland
More news to come, as I figure this part of the game out.
Thanks for reading, and Have a GREAT day!
Phil
www.teamtype1.org
Monday, January 5, 2009
Interesting game....
Howdy From HotLanta:
This will be my last post from the South, as on Wednesday I am moving to Santa Barbara for final preparations for the season. Will get to train with teammates, Ken Hanson, Jesse Anthony, Joe Eldridge, and a few other fast guys to get moving quicker...
A few answers to some questions from the last post:
Sandi: I like to have my blood sugar at around 150 for the start of rides. Does this always happen? No, but it is a good goal. I usually prefer an upward trend. To get this, I will not give any Apidra (rapid acting insulin) for 2.5-3 hrs before my rides. 30 minutes before walking out, I will eat a minimum of 60gms of carbs. That will get the arrow going up on my Navigator. Then in the first 10-20 minutes, I usually am eating food to level it off. If you are starting at 200, that is great. If you are dropping rapidly, then more food earlier would be a good start. Dex4 Liquid Blast, banana, or granola bar in the first 20 minutes will help. Eat a lot in the first hour, and see how it goes. Please keep me posted...
This past week has been very solid training. Did VO2 testing with Matt Russ on Tuesday. Numbers were good! Then a 5 day block of about 18 hours with intensity. Last week, I was riding tons, with next to no food and slowly increasing my insulin doses. More for basal, more for bolus. It was crazy. Then this week, another flip/flop. Obn Wednesday I ate the normal oatmeal pre-ride, went out for 3 hours, and had to eat. Thursday, I did 4 hours hard, and was eating lots. Basal was dropping, boluses dropping. I was now confused. Friday morning I was back down to 13 units of Lantus, with no bolus for breakfast, and a lot of carbs. Friday was 12 units, HUGE breakfast (200gms carbs) with only a .5 unit bolus, and highest blood sugar on the ride was 151.
I am awaiting call backs from my doc right now to try and learn what is going on. I am used to changes happening, but not so much the flip flop. But this is the game we all play, and no two days are ever alike. Better to accept that, and make the adjustments, than to wonder about the past. That is how I see it.
I hope all is well. Happy New Year to all!
Have a great day.
Phil
www.TeamType1.org
This will be my last post from the South, as on Wednesday I am moving to Santa Barbara for final preparations for the season. Will get to train with teammates, Ken Hanson, Jesse Anthony, Joe Eldridge, and a few other fast guys to get moving quicker...
A few answers to some questions from the last post:
Sandi: I like to have my blood sugar at around 150 for the start of rides. Does this always happen? No, but it is a good goal. I usually prefer an upward trend. To get this, I will not give any Apidra (rapid acting insulin) for 2.5-3 hrs before my rides. 30 minutes before walking out, I will eat a minimum of 60gms of carbs. That will get the arrow going up on my Navigator. Then in the first 10-20 minutes, I usually am eating food to level it off. If you are starting at 200, that is great. If you are dropping rapidly, then more food earlier would be a good start. Dex4 Liquid Blast, banana, or granola bar in the first 20 minutes will help. Eat a lot in the first hour, and see how it goes. Please keep me posted...
This past week has been very solid training. Did VO2 testing with Matt Russ on Tuesday. Numbers were good! Then a 5 day block of about 18 hours with intensity. Last week, I was riding tons, with next to no food and slowly increasing my insulin doses. More for basal, more for bolus. It was crazy. Then this week, another flip/flop. Obn Wednesday I ate the normal oatmeal pre-ride, went out for 3 hours, and had to eat. Thursday, I did 4 hours hard, and was eating lots. Basal was dropping, boluses dropping. I was now confused. Friday morning I was back down to 13 units of Lantus, with no bolus for breakfast, and a lot of carbs. Friday was 12 units, HUGE breakfast (200gms carbs) with only a .5 unit bolus, and highest blood sugar on the ride was 151.
I am awaiting call backs from my doc right now to try and learn what is going on. I am used to changes happening, but not so much the flip flop. But this is the game we all play, and no two days are ever alike. Better to accept that, and make the adjustments, than to wonder about the past. That is how I see it.
I hope all is well. Happy New Year to all!
Have a great day.
Phil
www.TeamType1.org
Monday, December 29, 2008
Diabetes Game- Mild Confusion
Howdy From Hotlanta,
The end of the year is near, which will bring to close a great one on so many levels. For the time being things are slow, which is nice, but also boredom can set in. I am looking forward to that, as have had none of it in a long, long time.
So last week. Got to spend time with my brother Jack driving down to see mom for Xmas. It was really, really nice to have the family back together!!!
As for riding, 3hrs Tuesday, felt really tired. 3hrs Wednesday, felt good for 1hr, then really tired for 2.5 hours. Tired the rest of the day, tired all day xmas. It was kind of strange. So I took 2 days, where I just rode 1 hour to try and recover. Friday's 1 hour day was good. I have still been tinkering with this food and ride thing. I had gone up to 9 units of Lantus at night, which had been the highest in some time.
Saturday AM woke up for the WBL, winterbikeleague.com in Athens GA. I ate a big breakfast doing 2 units of Apidra (www.Apidra.com please check out, lots of cool new video of TT1 on the site,) which I rarely do before rides. Blood sugar started going up, and up, and up.... I usually like to sit in for the first part of these rides, and let the body warm up. But since the trend was going up on my FreeStyle Navigator kept going up, I decided to pull. I went to thr front with my buddy David Crowe, who has been punishing me for 8 solid years. Can't really believe I have been doing the WBL's for 8 years now... Lots of great memories of fun, suffering, more fun, and more suffering. So we pull for sometime which levels me off at 290. I am drinking water, and not eating. Then I slowly start coming down, and about 2 hours into the ride, I am at 240. At the store I drink a diet coke, diet red bull, and some water. Leave the store and get to the front with my boy Murph Dog (John Murphy) and he laughs at me as I pull. Pull for a while, get back in, then pull again, then sit, then pull... Oh yea, all this time on the front, so was John... He is flying right now, and prolly gonna impress some folks this year.
Pretty tired by the end of the ride, but so was everyone. Ate some good food, and saw Morgan Patton's new pad in Athens. She will like the town, as she can hang out/ride with people her age.
So the ride and food... 4 hours, pushed pretty hard, and 0 calories intake. Finished the ride at 190. So what am I thinking? I need more basal, and it would be better to eat. I do my 2nd dose of Lantus to 4 units to make it 13 total for the day, along with 6 units of Apidra to eat. Ate some food, stayed up there, and then did another 3 units in anticipation of a 2nd meal. We head to the GRit, no blous, but ate a salad, and some pita bread. Drive home, not much food, and then had 2 more salads, with Filet!!
9 units Lantus that night. Wake up high at 150 or so, bolus 2.5 units, eat oatmeal, go straight up, and then hit 180 before coming down. Ate 50gms of carbs for 3 hr ride, 6 unit bolus after, and 150gms carbs, 40 protein. Blood sugar on ride was 120-180, which was better. I decided I am going back to once a day Lantus, to test it out. To make the switch, I was doing a lot fo 1 unit boluses to reverse the upward trend. Did Yoga last night, and at 8:30 did 13 units of lantus, ate a bar, and went to bed. This am, woke up at 150, so I am going to do 14 units tonight.
Not sure what my body is burning for fuel on the rides right now, but it is not carbs. I am curious if i have gone ketonic on the rides, and thus would be burning fat. Does it take 4 weeks of exercise for the non-diabetic to do this too??? Studies to come.
Happy NEW YEAR! Time to make next year the best year ever! What are your goals? I have a few...
Ciao
Philpott
www.TeamType1.og
The end of the year is near, which will bring to close a great one on so many levels. For the time being things are slow, which is nice, but also boredom can set in. I am looking forward to that, as have had none of it in a long, long time.
So last week. Got to spend time with my brother Jack driving down to see mom for Xmas. It was really, really nice to have the family back together!!!
As for riding, 3hrs Tuesday, felt really tired. 3hrs Wednesday, felt good for 1hr, then really tired for 2.5 hours. Tired the rest of the day, tired all day xmas. It was kind of strange. So I took 2 days, where I just rode 1 hour to try and recover. Friday's 1 hour day was good. I have still been tinkering with this food and ride thing. I had gone up to 9 units of Lantus at night, which had been the highest in some time.
Saturday AM woke up for the WBL, winterbikeleague.com in Athens GA. I ate a big breakfast doing 2 units of Apidra (www.Apidra.com please check out, lots of cool new video of TT1 on the site,) which I rarely do before rides. Blood sugar started going up, and up, and up.... I usually like to sit in for the first part of these rides, and let the body warm up. But since the trend was going up on my FreeStyle Navigator kept going up, I decided to pull. I went to thr front with my buddy David Crowe, who has been punishing me for 8 solid years. Can't really believe I have been doing the WBL's for 8 years now... Lots of great memories of fun, suffering, more fun, and more suffering. So we pull for sometime which levels me off at 290. I am drinking water, and not eating. Then I slowly start coming down, and about 2 hours into the ride, I am at 240. At the store I drink a diet coke, diet red bull, and some water. Leave the store and get to the front with my boy Murph Dog (John Murphy) and he laughs at me as I pull. Pull for a while, get back in, then pull again, then sit, then pull... Oh yea, all this time on the front, so was John... He is flying right now, and prolly gonna impress some folks this year.
Pretty tired by the end of the ride, but so was everyone. Ate some good food, and saw Morgan Patton's new pad in Athens. She will like the town, as she can hang out/ride with people her age.
So the ride and food... 4 hours, pushed pretty hard, and 0 calories intake. Finished the ride at 190. So what am I thinking? I need more basal, and it would be better to eat. I do my 2nd dose of Lantus to 4 units to make it 13 total for the day, along with 6 units of Apidra to eat. Ate some food, stayed up there, and then did another 3 units in anticipation of a 2nd meal. We head to the GRit, no blous, but ate a salad, and some pita bread. Drive home, not much food, and then had 2 more salads, with Filet!!
9 units Lantus that night. Wake up high at 150 or so, bolus 2.5 units, eat oatmeal, go straight up, and then hit 180 before coming down. Ate 50gms of carbs for 3 hr ride, 6 unit bolus after, and 150gms carbs, 40 protein. Blood sugar on ride was 120-180, which was better. I decided I am going back to once a day Lantus, to test it out. To make the switch, I was doing a lot fo 1 unit boluses to reverse the upward trend. Did Yoga last night, and at 8:30 did 13 units of lantus, ate a bar, and went to bed. This am, woke up at 150, so I am going to do 14 units tonight.
Not sure what my body is burning for fuel on the rides right now, but it is not carbs. I am curious if i have gone ketonic on the rides, and thus would be burning fat. Does it take 4 weeks of exercise for the non-diabetic to do this too??? Studies to come.
Happy NEW YEAR! Time to make next year the best year ever! What are your goals? I have a few...
Ciao
Philpott
www.TeamType1.og
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Diabetes Game: Exercise Resistance?
Howdy From Atlanta,
The game has taken a twist. If you recall, about 10 days ago I would have to eat everything in site, and then some on rides. Insulin was being cut drastically. I think that was my body being inefficient at fueling on the bike, as a major switch has happened.
I have had to increase basal a touch, and think I am going to get it up some more. The past 3 rides I have done, eating the normal goods before hand, oatmeal, my blood sugars have skyrocketed. I have been getting up to 250 on the rides, and then a slow drop down to the 180's, and if I eat, BS goes right back up. Yesterday for example, I had a total of 40 grams of carbs on a 3 hour ride.
I think my body is now becoming more efficient, and I may be able to add some additional basal, or I may need a very small bolus (.5 unit of Apidra) with meal before ride. Today I am driving home to see mom, and should be on the bike by 11am for a 4hour ride. I am going to eat my oatmeal, with .5 units, and see what the reaction is. I do enjoy not having to stuff my face on the rides, however, I would much rather be between 140-180, than 180-220.
It is great having the FreeStyle Navigator, so I can really monitor these adjustments, and know immediately if I made the right call.
Although, I initially thought this is crazy, thinking back it happens every year. Insulin drop, drop, drop, and then all the sudden, add, add, add... If I can keep the training going without interruption this will be very helpful for racing, as I won't be stressing about low's.
It is also good for training, and my pockets won't be so stuffed full of food, and bars for my rides.
This is the start of week 4 of training post hamstring break. It took 2.5 weeks for the switch to happen. Could this be the same for non-diabetic metabolism? Has anyone out there with diabetes had similar experience with fueling?
Also, working with some top docs on potential research studies, and trying to find out more info for you. More details to come!!!
Very exciting step for me here, now time to fine tune it a little more to ensure I am at the best on the bike with both legs, and blood sugars.
Have a great day.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, and Happy New Year to ALL!!!
Phil
The game has taken a twist. If you recall, about 10 days ago I would have to eat everything in site, and then some on rides. Insulin was being cut drastically. I think that was my body being inefficient at fueling on the bike, as a major switch has happened.
I have had to increase basal a touch, and think I am going to get it up some more. The past 3 rides I have done, eating the normal goods before hand, oatmeal, my blood sugars have skyrocketed. I have been getting up to 250 on the rides, and then a slow drop down to the 180's, and if I eat, BS goes right back up. Yesterday for example, I had a total of 40 grams of carbs on a 3 hour ride.
I think my body is now becoming more efficient, and I may be able to add some additional basal, or I may need a very small bolus (.5 unit of Apidra) with meal before ride. Today I am driving home to see mom, and should be on the bike by 11am for a 4hour ride. I am going to eat my oatmeal, with .5 units, and see what the reaction is. I do enjoy not having to stuff my face on the rides, however, I would much rather be between 140-180, than 180-220.
It is great having the FreeStyle Navigator, so I can really monitor these adjustments, and know immediately if I made the right call.
Although, I initially thought this is crazy, thinking back it happens every year. Insulin drop, drop, drop, and then all the sudden, add, add, add... If I can keep the training going without interruption this will be very helpful for racing, as I won't be stressing about low's.
It is also good for training, and my pockets won't be so stuffed full of food, and bars for my rides.
This is the start of week 4 of training post hamstring break. It took 2.5 weeks for the switch to happen. Could this be the same for non-diabetic metabolism? Has anyone out there with diabetes had similar experience with fueling?
Also, working with some top docs on potential research studies, and trying to find out more info for you. More details to come!!!
Very exciting step for me here, now time to fine tune it a little more to ensure I am at the best on the bike with both legs, and blood sugars.
Have a great day.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, and Happy New Year to ALL!!!
Phil
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Diabetes Game- closer to the solution
Howdy from Atlanta,
How is everyone doing? Great question from Stella's mom, about why I wasn't back on the pump. In diabetes, there are a million ways to skin the cat. I had raced for 6 years on Lantus, and made a lot of mistakes, but more importantly learned a lot of lessons. So when I was on the pump, I found I was having a lot more lows on the bike, and then off the bike too which was causing me to eat way too much food. With Lantus, by making a 1 unit adjustment of Lantus/day, I can essentially make a .05 unit/hr basal adjustment, which is a big deal. I change my basal daily, and doing this on the pump for me is too much manual labor. I have done over 50,000 injections in my life, so 5-7 more a day, to me, is no big deal.
Also, why does exercise = less insulin: When exercising, the muscles become more sensitive to insulin, both basal and bolus. The body will naturally burn more calories per day, which means less basal needed, and the muscles are much more sensitive to insulin post exercise which = less bolus/meal. Not sure if there has been a science experiment, and I could be wrong, but that is my guess, and I have not had a doctor argue yet...
So the diabetes game: Last weekend I cut it a bit, and on Sunday was good. Blood sugars were up in the 200's, and I was eating a bit, but felt good. I have decided to start doing my 2nd shot of Lantus after my rides. So it is kind of a temp basal. Lately I have been doing 6 at night, and 3 in the afternoon. Tuesday I did that, and went pretty high on the ride up to 257, before I started trending down. I only had to eat about 400 calories on a 3 hour ride, and I was flying. Wed, I had a bit more basal, 7 units night, 3 in am. I went up to 220, before dropping to 150, and was eating a bit more. 800 calories on a 4 hour ride. After that ride I kept dropping, so I that night I dropped Lantus dose again to 6 units. Had to do a small bolus of .5 unit of Apidra in the middle of the night. Thursday was a 3 hour ride, and I can't really remember what was going on...ha Lots of activity this week. I have done yoga on Tues-Thurs, and Sunday this week. Stretching every am. Friday I only road for 1.5 hrs and was real tired, then Saturday did a mountain bike ride with my buddy John Martin!!! I figured this was going to be hard, and slowly rose my BG to 200 at the start. Within 20 minutes I ate a king size snickers, and 15 minutes later some other bar. Blood sugar was 220 trending up said the Navigator! So I began to drink water, until at some point I saw 287. For the last 2 hours, I did nothing but drink water, and dropped to 215. These #'s are a bit higher than I would like. I am obviously under insulinized, so I think the switch needs to be 7 units at night, and then 3 after ride of Lantus.
But the higher blood sugars are making me feel very, very good on the bike. But I don't want to completely sacrifice a good A1C for performance. If I could raise it to 5.8-6.0, I would be happy. Higher... not so sure. But that is me.
Yesterday a good friend got some great news, and I am happy for her. I got some bad news, and it was a rough day. All will be ok in the long run... The work week was pretty stressed. But the thing is, making time every day to ride, really, really helps. No matter how much crap is piled on, I have not given an inch when it comes to my riding, and yoga. So for anyone out there if the stress seems to pile up, I would encourage you to get out and ride a bike, take a walk, or bit the gym, as it puts everything else at ease.
Thanks for reading, and sorry for the jumble of #'s.
Have a great night, and Happy Holidays!!!
Phil
How is everyone doing? Great question from Stella's mom, about why I wasn't back on the pump. In diabetes, there are a million ways to skin the cat. I had raced for 6 years on Lantus, and made a lot of mistakes, but more importantly learned a lot of lessons. So when I was on the pump, I found I was having a lot more lows on the bike, and then off the bike too which was causing me to eat way too much food. With Lantus, by making a 1 unit adjustment of Lantus/day, I can essentially make a .05 unit/hr basal adjustment, which is a big deal. I change my basal daily, and doing this on the pump for me is too much manual labor. I have done over 50,000 injections in my life, so 5-7 more a day, to me, is no big deal.
Also, why does exercise = less insulin: When exercising, the muscles become more sensitive to insulin, both basal and bolus. The body will naturally burn more calories per day, which means less basal needed, and the muscles are much more sensitive to insulin post exercise which = less bolus/meal. Not sure if there has been a science experiment, and I could be wrong, but that is my guess, and I have not had a doctor argue yet...
So the diabetes game: Last weekend I cut it a bit, and on Sunday was good. Blood sugars were up in the 200's, and I was eating a bit, but felt good. I have decided to start doing my 2nd shot of Lantus after my rides. So it is kind of a temp basal. Lately I have been doing 6 at night, and 3 in the afternoon. Tuesday I did that, and went pretty high on the ride up to 257, before I started trending down. I only had to eat about 400 calories on a 3 hour ride, and I was flying. Wed, I had a bit more basal, 7 units night, 3 in am. I went up to 220, before dropping to 150, and was eating a bit more. 800 calories on a 4 hour ride. After that ride I kept dropping, so I that night I dropped Lantus dose again to 6 units. Had to do a small bolus of .5 unit of Apidra in the middle of the night. Thursday was a 3 hour ride, and I can't really remember what was going on...ha Lots of activity this week. I have done yoga on Tues-Thurs, and Sunday this week. Stretching every am. Friday I only road for 1.5 hrs and was real tired, then Saturday did a mountain bike ride with my buddy John Martin!!! I figured this was going to be hard, and slowly rose my BG to 200 at the start. Within 20 minutes I ate a king size snickers, and 15 minutes later some other bar. Blood sugar was 220 trending up said the Navigator! So I began to drink water, until at some point I saw 287. For the last 2 hours, I did nothing but drink water, and dropped to 215. These #'s are a bit higher than I would like. I am obviously under insulinized, so I think the switch needs to be 7 units at night, and then 3 after ride of Lantus.
But the higher blood sugars are making me feel very, very good on the bike. But I don't want to completely sacrifice a good A1C for performance. If I could raise it to 5.8-6.0, I would be happy. Higher... not so sure. But that is me.
Yesterday a good friend got some great news, and I am happy for her. I got some bad news, and it was a rough day. All will be ok in the long run... The work week was pretty stressed. But the thing is, making time every day to ride, really, really helps. No matter how much crap is piled on, I have not given an inch when it comes to my riding, and yoga. So for anyone out there if the stress seems to pile up, I would encourage you to get out and ride a bike, take a walk, or bit the gym, as it puts everything else at ease.
Thanks for reading, and sorry for the jumble of #'s.
Have a great night, and Happy Holidays!!!
Phil
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