Active Diabetes Management - Please Forgive the Soapbox

I have had some questions recently from parents of kids with Type 1 diabetes who are active or are becoming more active. The question is usually, "How do we fix all these swings in blood glucose readings?". My answer usually starts with the benchmark questions of, "What was the last A1C?" which is the gold standard for how the diabetes is being managed. This question really gets to the core of Insulindependence and its foundation of ACTIVE diabetes management and not sedentary diabetes management. Before I started training really hard, I had NEVER had a low below 50 and now I am below that most days at some point. When I was first diagnosed, my brother encouraged me to force a low and a high while my wife was around and I had proper rescue foods and insulin nearby. He wanted me to experience it so that I knew how to deal with it. I could easily flatline my blood glucose numbers if I went to bed and got up the same time each day, ate the same food for my meals everyday and never did anything strenuous (sedentary mgmt). Is that really a life? Isn't that letting diabetes drive my life? I want and need to drive my life and I need an advanced degree in ACTIVE diabetes management and learn all of the techniques to keep my A1C under 6 while still living a full and crazy life which is currently being topped off by the peak of my Ironman training.

Here is a chart of my glucose readings over a 4 day period:

 
For a normal person looking at this, they would say that I am out of control. The reality is that I believe that this is good management because all of the highs and lows are quickly corrected. BTW, I have never had to be rescued by someone because I was too low and became incoherent.

Here are some interesting data points tied to my heart rate for the same period. This is the Carlsbad Half Marathon run showing corresponding heart rate and blood glucose readings for the same period of time. The race started at the peak of my glucose reading on the left and ended as it leveled out around 60.

Heart Rate during Carlsbad Half Marathon

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Here is more data from today's indoor base building ride. The first heart rate data is from my 4hr 30min ride and the second heart rate data is from a 30 min stepper brick. 

This is the associated blood glucose graph for the combined bike and stepper totaling 5 hours in duration. The exercise started at the peak from breakfast near the left side and ended at the red dot on the right.

So what, you ask, is my point in all this. My point is that this is not a flatline but it is good management and will hopefully result in an A1C under 6 at my Dr visit March 3rd.

Again, Insulindependence is all about ACTIVE diabetes management and living life to the fullest by dominating this disease. We want to Inspire diabetics to get out and live an active life, Educate diabetics about active diabetes mgmt and encourage them to get out and Explore all the possibilities open to them. This isn't 15 years ago when diabetics were considered frail and doomed to a variety of horrible outcomes. I am proud of my teammates and proud of Insulindependence for daring to push the boundaries to allow others to follow in our footsteps through mentoring from other diabetics who have been there and done that. For those living a sedentary lifestyle now, a brisk walk might drive you to a BG of 30. Just be prepared for it, turn it and keep doing it and the next thing you know it, you will be running, then cycling and then swimming and then becoming a Triabetes captain who now has the privilege to inspire others and the right to say, "follow me and I will join you in this journey!". DOMINATE DIABETES and LIVE!!!

All done now and stepping down off soapbox (up at 4:30am tomorrow for a 16 mile run 8-{ )

Brian