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The Diabetic Cyclist

Take Your Shots

7/27/2016

2 Comments

 
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For the past month or so I have been thinking about taking a break from the insulin pump and going back to shots.  These thoughts are not from a dislike for the insulin pump but because of what I have seen other athletes doing with shots.  For the past seven years I have been afraid to try shots because the insulin pump always lets me know how much insulin is active.  That makes getting on the bike or going for a run a little easier.  For example if I want to go for a run at 12pm today I know that I need to set a temp basal at 11am, have a small snack depending on my blood sugar and make sure I have no insulin on board if my blood sugar is in range at 11am.  That may sound like a lot of work but it is all that I have known.  

When it comes to using pens and shots I don't know how much insulin I will have on board if I'm planning for a bike ride or a run at 12pm.  Of course using the Engine1 app makes knowing all of this information a lot easier which in turn makes going from the insulin pump to shots a lot easier.  Like anything the timing will never be perfect to make the change, with races planned the rest of summer and late into the fall I will have no time to quickly learn how shots will affect my blood sugar while racing.  Obviously talking to my endocrinologist and speaking to other athletes with diabetes that use shots will be very important.  As an athlete and as a person I have never felt better, the insulin pump works very well for me but I believe I can be better and going to shots seems the way to get better.

With an endocrinologist appointment set for next week the question about going to shots will be asked.  I believe in my endocrinologist and having an open and honest conversation will be very important moving forward.  Any knowledge that anyone would like to share is always welcome, if you have experience going from a pump to shots let me know.  As always time will tell what is best, for all I know shots might be a disaster but it might be great.  I won't know if I don't try and if I don't try I will be living with the worst question anyone can ask, what if?  I don't want to do that, I need to know what works best.
2 Comments
Stephen Schilling link
7/27/2016 08:28:15 am

I have only used pens, and have wondered about doing the reverse. However, I can say that I can pretty faithfully go out on a ride knowing my bg is in the 120-160 range and not have any problems. Using Lantus and Novolog, I can employ the 'standard' carb intake schedule used by non diabetics while on the bike (<70g/hr) and have no problems with blood sugar. I usually target about 45g/hr.

I have been able to do this for century/6hr rides without taking a pen with me. (A risk in hot weather.) If I don't eat anything and start within my range, I can expect to start to get a low after about 2 hrs, which is also typical of a non-diabetic.

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Brandon j. Baker
7/28/2016 02:17:07 pm

I held off on the pump (even though friends had it during summer camp sessions) because I didn't want to deal with tubing for cycling and running- although my journey w omnipod has been less than perfect, I believe there is no better way to control sugars for the (relatively) short amounts of time we are exercising vigorously, especially on Ultra-endurance type days- The big issue with Lantus is that it seems to take 2-3 days to recognize a moderate change in dosage- so if you don't want to eat a ton of Carb, or your stomach is off, you can get into serious low issues when relying solely on eating- I Love the fact that if I miss a turn and the adventure suddenly adds a few miles, I can turn off my pump if I run out of fuel- just my 2 cents- Bless you buddy and good luck with whatever works for you- "Life is short, I want to live it well, every breath is a miracle"-SF

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