Return of the Dexcom

I met up with my Dexcom rep yesterday for a nice little chat and a free sensor. I plugged myself back in immediately when I got home! She's working on getting the sensors covered by my insurance....and very optimistic about it too. Maybe this will help with all things...bg's(obviously), policing my eating....and my general mood. I love the control it gives me. I'm really hoping to get at least some of the sensors covered...anything would be a help. I'm thinking positive that this sensor will last me more then 7 days...a girl can dream!

Test Week Already?

Test week is here. Never look forward to the workouts, but I do look forward to seeing the results! I'll say it again...base is paying off...big time for me. My run test went great. My legs were a bit achy so I wasn't sure how it would go on Monday morning. I warmed up longer then usual because of it...which worked. With my iPod fully blasted, I did my 1 mile time trial in 8:13. Geeezzz....where did that come from??? Last month it was 8:34. Base, base, base I'll tell ya! I am so geeked about this! My running last year was very poor...so this is tremendous!

Tuesday was the swim time trial. 1000 meters at race effort. My swimming has been getting much stronger and I'm anticipating something good. Or just hoping for it! I warmed up with 400m, and took a quick break before I started. Oh how I wish I had a waterproof mp3 player. These swims would be so much more motivating! Got into my groove and started to count laps. Why is it I always loose track of that? I count by 100m now. That seems to be easier. The last 100m I tried to really light the fires, and the final time was 17:57. That was an improvement from the 18:25 last month! Base, base, base I'll tell ya!

I will never doubt base training again! It may be boring, but my muscles are loving the mitochondria!!!

Another Week...And Some More Snow

Yeah, it’s been a while again! Let’s go back to Sunday for the 2 hour trainer ride…again! I definitely feel like all the base work is paying off. Granted the 2 hours are boring, but it is getting easier to push the harder gears. This winter just seems to be dragging on and on, and all I want to do is get outside and ride…not to mention running. The ice has been killer! I’ve had a few spills on the ice in the past and it’s so not worth the risk. We can’t afford to have an injury!

The numbers were great for this ride! I’m getting to know how things are working for that same ol’ indoor ride. It went like this:

8AM-133
Ate 10 grams
Bolus .4 units…then off I went!
8:55-138
9:25-133…start sipping on that G2 I love so much now, and lowered basal rate to .25, which is 30% of my normal.
9:55-103…still drinking, along with lots of water.
End of 2 hours-104…basal rate back to normal.

I should really track how many carbs I’m drinking….I’ll do that this weekend! I’m actually curious about that. You would think I would have done that already.

By the way...this is what Casey looks like while I ride. Life is rough!

Why Is He Right??!!

Why is it the simple things drive me crazy? I try for weeks to lose a couple of pounds...not a lot, just a couple.....and Brent drops like 10 dress sizes? In my ever supportive way I tell him that it's great, and then underneath my breath I say why can't I. So of course he catches that and proceeds in a self-deprecating way to tell me that..."I sit on my ass all day and don't move...you are a freak(my words here not his)and exercise like crazy...your body adjusts...blah,blah,blah....AND you're pumping insulin...blah,blah,blah...AND you have to eat sugar for lows...blah,blah,blah....I hate it when he's right...but alas, I love him for it. I must have married him for his perspective. So when you think about it, it's a not so simple thing that drives me crazy. Actually pisses me off...but only when I think about it. I'm going to find the cookies he's hiding!

Ok, what workouts did I do yesterday?? Oh, yes...the swim....3400 meters to be exact. About 2 miles. I tried something new with the insulin. Thank goodness there were no people in the pool, they would have thought I was nuts. Nice thing about a long swim...a lot of people come and go while you are shrivelling up like a prune.
Looked like this:

5am-122
5gm-.3units
1hr. into swim, get out of pool,hook up for .2units
Total swim time-1:20
121-7:30am

Awesome...it seemed like the little something extra helped....but here's the kicker...2 hours after my breakfast it was 226. I thought about the wrong carb count, but I eat the same thing every morning...yes, the same thing...right boring...boring and predictable! So I'm thinking that it is still the basal lost from being unhooked from my pump for 1:20, or more like 1:30-1:40 when you factor in the shower after. As the wise Doctor Matt told me not too long ago....that's just not normal to be without insulin for that long.
No one ever said I was normal!

Ahhhh.....Triathlon Humor

Wish I Could Have Seen This Movie!

They are showing this movie again on Thursday night. Why can't they play it again when I'm not working!!! If you look in some of the footage you can see our local Hanson boys!

And This Movie!

Relieve The Boredom

Backtrack to Sunday morning......
Cold and icy here in Michigan...which means another day on the trainer. I really do like the DVD's that I have, but the music...oohhhh the music is just awful!!! The nice thing is that you can do the workout without the music. So my new set up for a 2 hour ride goes like this:
Small computer speakers...volume high
Ipod....volume high
And one long extension cord
1 gel
Gatorade
Nalgene filled with water in between the aerobars (I refill once during too)

With only a few interruptions from "that darn dog"....who I really do love to pieces....workout was great. As great as and indoor workout can be. Here is how the bg's looked. Yes, I actually kept track of them this time!

8am start-128
10gm of carb -bolus.4u
45 minutes into 113-lower basal 30%
sip on Gatorade
1:15 minutes into-127
Still sipping on Gatorade
105-after 2 hrs. of riding

Last ride I used a gel because I was going a little lower then I would have liked. This day seemed more stable to me...so the Gatorade did the trick. It was the new Gatorade...G2...lower in carbs...so I sipped a lot.

I can certainly say that having my own music was way more motivating then the crap they have on there. I realized part way through that my heart rate was creeping up to the high end of zone 3.....a heart rate I don't want in base phase of training. I can only attribute that to the music.

So, today was a run day. That darn dog was up a lot again last night...he heard something again. Good thing he decides to have those nights on my days off. I hit the snooze button WAY too many times and missed my early AM workout. I woke up and ate breakfast with less insulin for the anticipated run later. (Don't want to be chasing the sugars again...re:post Feb. 11) Drove the Brentster to work, stopped off a Target for a few things...including Sport Beans as a "just in case"...then onto the gym. I tested while I was in the car and it was 132. So I lowered the basal rate, ate a few beans and a Pria bar...22gms. I picked my treadmill and set up all my crap. I'm probably the only one who brings everything but the kitchen sink to the gym...AND has it with them at all times. What must everyone think when I test my sugar??? Or fiddle with my pump??? I do pick a treadmill in the corner in hopes that someone doesn't pick one next to me...but not today. (Does everyone have President's Day off? Isn't it a Hallmark day???) I can test pretty secretly...but still...I still get a tad self-conscious about it. I drank only water and the bg's stayed in the 120-150 range, but after 1:15 min. I was at 105.
I need to copy and paste today for another day!

It's Better Then Halloween

Really...it is. Valentines Day is about candy too...but mostly chocolate. But isn't dark chocolate good for you? That's my rationale and I'm sticking to it! I really only had a piece or two of a very mediocre quality. Thank goodness it wasn't Godiva, or some great European brand because I think I would have ate a whole box. I've said it before and I'll say it again...it's God's cruel joke giving a diabetic a sweet tooth!
So, the bigger temptation are the Tagalongs that Brent brought home from work. Not just one...but 2 boxes! I've managed to keep my grubby little hands off of them, and trying my hardest to keep them out of my mind. Do the diabetic visualization of watching my meter numbers go up. Or the very visual junk in the trunk when I look in the mirror. Take your pick. Either way...I'm staying away from that stuff I call crack.

So, let's go back to the beginning of the day shall we? Pretty uneventful, which in my world of training is a big plus. I like the days that are predictable and smooth. Although I did wake up around 2AM sweating like a pig again from a really nice low...a 49. Evidence of wet PJ's in the morning is proof I've slept through them before. Not sure why I woke up this time, but very glad I did. I drank that juice box I keep next to the bed, sweat some more, ate half a granola bar, sweat some more, and fight the urge to eat more. Then I finally fell back asleep. The alarm went off in what felt like 2 minutes, but was really 3 hours later. Man...what are the bg's gonna look like this morning??!! Pleasantly surprised at the 158. It could have been way worse. Because I know this bod of mine, and it likes a little more insulin in the AM....I bolused .3 units and made my way through the frozen tundra to the pool. Not a terribly hard workout today..only 3000 meters...and I can't believe I just said "only". There was a day when that seemed impossible...and now I say "only"...that's funny! Blood sugars ended up at 137. Nice!
Now on to something else.....
My Dexcom rep called the other day...out of the blue. She asked how things were going...and I gave her the run down on not using the monitor. The cost mostly. Anyway, long story short...she says that Blue Cross here in Michigan has covered sensors for some patients. I'm getting the forms and they do the rest. I won't hold my breath, but it's worth a shot. I'd really like to get back on a continuous monitor soon. I think my A1C will go back down...not to mention with the extra training I'll really benefit from it. All that said...I really want the Minimed one. I love Minimed, I love Minimed, I love Minimed, I love Minimed....etc. Good Karma my way please!

To be worn out is to be renewed
-Lao-tzu

Chasing The BG's

"Chasing the blood sugars" is a term we diabetics use when you just can't bring them up. No matter how much sugar you eat, drink, and be merry with.....those numbers just want to stay low. I don't know why it happens sometimes, but today I knew. It started with sleeping in and eating breakfast before I drove the lovely Brent to work. The plan was to stop at the gym on my way back from dropping him off. All was good until 1 hour after I ate...that's when it all began.....blood sugars were 70. Not terrible, but not great if I want to run 7 miles in another hour. I ate a bar....22 gm of carbs., (By the way...nothing worse then eating when you don't want to!!), and lowered my basal rate on my pump. That seemed to do the trick....until....I got to the gym and I was still at 70. What the heck!!!??? So now I ate my stash of Skittles from my gym bag and decided to start off with a fast walk on the treadmill, then 10 min. in started to run. Hill work today. Which means intervals...which usually means the blood sugars will go up......which means good for me!! I was feeling a little lack of energy and tested again, and now I'm 68. Besides eating when I don't want, the next thing I hate doing is chucking a workout because of the blood sugars. Hate, hate, hate that!!! So more determined then ever, I head off to the vending machine for Gatorade. The whole bottle is 30 carbs...if memory serves. I chugged down about half and continued on running....all the while sipping on the Gatorade. Next BG check I was 97. Awesome! Finished...but only did 6 miles...I'll try not to beat myself up about that....sometimes the body doesn't agree with the mind.

It boils down to this.....2 reasons for the lows. The first and obvious is too much active insulin. In other words too much with breakfast....write a note to self on that one. That's the easy one....and I can't believe I forgot. I mean, I do this all the time and I still forget the easy stuff! The next and slightly more complicated is the 2 hour ride on my trainer Sunday morning. Yep...that can effect the bg's the next day. I'll have to call the friendly Dr. Matt on that one. I'm going to go longer and longer as the big race approaches and I'll need to figure this stuff out. It can be done and I will do it!!

Why Shoveling Heavy Snow and Swimming Don't Mix.....

....because your arms may fall off. Enuff said!

A Long Hot Winter Indoors

I think I've mentioned in other posts that riding a trainer in the winter is BORING!! Too bad it is effective training. You can control the intensity and environment. Which is good for a diabetic. It's easy to check blood sugars and correct if needed. Just press pause on the DVD...again thanks to Spinervals....and then get back to work. This morning was 1.5 hour ride. Easy aerobic ride....yeah right! Nothing like seeing 5 inches of snow out the window and be sweating like a pig. (Do pigs sweat?) But a good ride. No complaints. I think I rode around 28 miles. That makes it sound even more boring doesn't it!? I woke up ready to go too...which was nice. My blood sugar was a nice 105, so I fueled up and bolused for around half of the bar I ate. Then surprise, surprise...I dropped to 74 only 40 mins. into my ride. That's not sarcasm either...I really was surprised. Drank some carbs and continued on...all the while multitasking...I was getting the ingredients into my breadmaker. Who says I can't walk and chew gum?? When the ass kicking ended my blood sugar was at a perfect 102. Big smile on my face!! Why can't I get that to happen on a race day? Hopefully it will be a good blood sugar rest of the day.

Who Needs A Car?!

This is what it looks like when I walk home from work in a snow storm. Brent got held up in traffic coming to get me, so I started walking and he found me on my route. Then he laughed at me when I opened the car door. He saw me taking a picture of myself with my phone....I bet that looked funny!!

Running When You Don't Want To

So, this is test week. I have a series of tests to do in each discipline. The swim was to find out my current 100 meter pace in the pool. The bike is kind of hard indoors as my computer on my bike is set on the front wheel, and that doesn't move when I'm on the trainer. And yesterday was a run time trial. But the problem is it's a "I don't want to get out of bed to run" morning. I got enough sleep, so I wasn't tired. I was just not motivated...at all! My schedule was telling me to do a 30 min. time trial...(to find out my current lactate threshold)........ and mind you I had already done a 1 mile time trial on Monday. I knew it was going to be hard...harder then the 1 miler. I wasn't in the mood to do "hard". But, I dragged my butt out of bed and went to the gym. I loathe the treadmill, but it's a good for controlled workouts. I warmed up for 5 min. or so...then got the good playlist going on my iPod...and off I went. It went better then I expected. I was still never 100% motivated, but I made it through. I averaged a pace of 8:30 minute miles. I can say, that is the fastest I've done that time trial. So, obviously something is working in my training. As for the blood sugars? I thought they would spike like crazy with the anaerobic nature of the run. They were surprisingly great...even with some strength training after. So that was nice!

The next time I don't want to get out of bed, I'll try to think of the progress that's been made.