radioactive man

I have been a triathlete for nearly 2 years now, but recently
contracted type 1 diabetes and started using insulin. One of the
consequences of using insulin is that I've become susceptible to
hypoglycemia during exercise, particularly swimming. For the
remainder of this year, I will be doing only sprint races (800 M swim)
and possibly olympic distance. From my training, I have found that 30
minutes of swimming triggers mild hypoglycemia, even with a carb
supplement immediately before hand. Thus, even for a sprint
triathlon, I would need a carb supplement again somewhere near the end
of the swim (figuring that my ***ulative swim time, including the
warmup, will be about 20 - 25 minutes). I know that taking carb
supplements during the swim is seldom to never done, but in my case it
is both necessary and beneficial, since I can swim, run, etc. faster
with normal blood sugars than low ones. Is there any product on the
market for carrying things during a swim that won't cause too much
drag, discomfort, etc.?

pmcdc

the following might work well until something better arises:
wear a skinsuit with a net gel pocket on the back---de soto has it and the
others probably do, too, at this point. put your gel(s) into a gel flask and
set it in the pocket. this will be greatly easier to get at than the
one-use/you-must-tear-it-open packet.
for a wetsuit swim you'll need to get a bit more inventive. see about
fashioning something like a net pocket, that would be on your stomach.
definitely not the spot for increasing speed, but maybe the least likely spot
to get knocked by another swimmer, and easily accessed by you. of course, if
you have a two piece wetsuit the problem would be fairly easily solved by
attaching some sort of retainer inside the top piece, somewhere near the left
bottom hem if you're rght-handed.
best wishes....
peggy

billmwallace

While I cannot suggest a method for carrying carb source during swim,
I would recommend looking at the cause rather than a solution as this
is probably the most dangerous time to experience hypoglycemia. I
have been racing with type 1 diabetes for 13 years and have
experienced just about everything except for the phenomena you
describe. What kind of blood sugar levels are you starting with?

From what you describe, it appears that you have short-acting insulin
(Humalog or Regular) peaking while you are in the water. First, I
would take a look at the insulin dosage you are taking before the
event or workout and adjust accordingly - reduce or eliminate the
short-acting dosage. If you are on injections, take only NPH and a
supplement with carbohydrate just prior to the start. If you are on a
pump, then set a temporary basal for the anticipated duration of the
event.

You should experiment in training by checking your blood sugar levels
at various times (Prior to a swim workout and at periodic intervals
during) to get an idea of what is taking place. Keep these readings
in context of the type of insulin you are taking and where on the
duration curve you are.

Hope this helps. Feel free to send me an email if you would like any
help with this.

radioactive man

On 14 Sep 2003 16:49:56 -0700, billmwallace@comcast.net (Bill M


Usually in the 100 - 120 range, and this is always at least 3 hours
after my last meal (and injection of Novalog, which peaks in 80
minutes and is mostly gone at 3 hours). At the last moment before I
begin to swim, I take a carb supplement, usually something like a
granola bar with 20 g in it.

As for the risk factors, I can easily recognize the beginning of
hypoglycemia (blood sugar in the 60's) by the quick loss of power and
jittery feeling, so I have never let it get to the point where I am
struggling to stay conscious and/or afloat. This holds true for
swimming, biking, and running. The loss of power becomes significant
when my blood sugar gets into the low 70's and extremely obvious when
it gets into the 60's or 50's.

I use only Lantus and Novalog injections.

I believe that part of my problem was that my dose of Lantus was too
large. I reduced it from 8 to 6 units and have been able to swim for
an hour without problems. The only downside to lowering the Lantus
dose is that I cannot eat as large or frequent snacks between meals.

I drank some fruit juice (~20 g worth of carbs), and then did a 19 mph
/ 23 mile long bike ride this afternoon and got a 73 at the midpoint,
ate a granola bar (27g carbs), and finished with a level of 69. This
was many hours after my lunch and injection. I guess I did not
realize how much exercise increased my tolerance of and need for carbs
until I tried this. If I planned a ride right before mealtime, I
could probably skip the injection altogether if I was eating something
low in carbs, like chicken and green vegetables.


Thanks for info.