A two-juice-box night, in fact. This is what I saw on my nightstand as I was puttering around my room getting dressed this morning.
While I do recall having low blood sugar (BG 72) and drinking one juice box and then, 10 minutes later (BG 56), the other one, it didn’t feel so remarkable to me until I saw the evidence several hours later.
Since I started running in December, I’ve experienced more occasions of hypoglycemia, and I’ve simply been treating them in the moment. I’ve also been more hungry, and this I cannot get on top of. Physically, my body needs and wants more calories, but psychologically I’m still at my pre-running appetite. I have lost two pounds without trying to, and this is okay, but I really don’t want to lose more.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw the nurse practitioner/diabetes educator I see quarterly. Ann was thrilled that finally her dream for me has come true: I am exercising (running and skating) five times a week or more. She has Type 1 herself and was also sympathetic to my struggles with hypoglycemia, the occasional rebound effect, and the confusion about what and how much to eat. She recommended a next step that I am really looking forward to: on Monday I will meet with an exercise physiologist who specializes in people with diabetes. I can get advice from him on fitness, insulin, and food.
Often, I resist going to yet another diabetes health care appointment. (Can’t I just carry on well enough?) This one I’m looking forward to.
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And what’s that book my empty juice boxes are sitting on? I’m reading Guitar Zero, by Gary Marcus on music and learning as an adult.
I’ve worked out my blood sugar during and immediately after exercise by reducing my basal rate — sometimes by a little and sometimes by a lot, depending on various factors — but I’m having trouble later on, like many hours later on. I may need to eat more, or I may need to decrease my basal rate at some period of a 24 hr day if there’s a discernible pattern. Right now I’m logging everything to gather some data in advance of Monday’s meeting. If it’s any comfort, I did not exercise as much as this when my three kids… Read more »
A two juice box night. That’s scary. Mike has gotten much better control of the hypos since he started pumping. He reduces basal rate before runs and that seems to make a difference. It sounds like the exercise physiologist is a good idea for you. How great that you’re exercising so much! I wish I were.