Ragnar Relay

If none of you have ever heard of a Ragnar Relay then you should go and check it out here.
I just ended my long road preparing for one while trying to learn about how my body handles my blood sugar levels while running.

I am about to tell you that my body handles running better than stress when it comes to my blood sugars.
The stress of running a long race coupled with running it with people I barely knew added up to very high blood sugars, an inability to know how much insulin to take to bring the blood sugars into normal levels and an exponential increase of the stress of the two compounding to result in alot of fear.

My blood sugars a couple of hours before my first run were around 400 with no food. I hadn't eaten anything because I was too nervous. I was afraid to take as much insulin as my pump recommended because I had experienced a rapid drop in blood sugars during my running while I had been training.

I opted to take only 1/2 of the recommended amount and then check my blood sugars more often to make sure that I wouldn't go down too quickly.

Well that was a bomb, to say the least. My body reacted very well even to the reduced amount of insulin so that when I was ready to run my first leg, 6.9 miles total mileage, my blood sugars were almost in normal ranges. I got kind of scared because I knew I still had 1/2 of my insulin working in my system.

I don't normally eat very much when I am running because it makes me upset to my stomach so I had packed some licorice and asked the fruit provider to buy bananas because I had trained with these: WELL: Technically I trained with the bananas and the licorice was an emergency supply that I hoped I wouldn't lose my lunch when I ate it.

I didn't specifically train with the licorice because I love black licorice so much and I finally found some that didn't have "ugh" high fructose corn syrup or any kinds of partially hydrogenated anything "ugh"

I can't keep that stuff in the house because I will eat it so it is a catch-22 because I needed it during the big race but I can't train with it because I want to eat so much of it.--bad thing for high blood sugars.

Well: needless to say I battled with my blood sugars throughout the race and finally a couple of days after I called up my doc and got an appointment. I see the doc in a month and have emailed a couple of times. I got some suggestions that I will use to bring my blood sugars back in line ( I have to use these as I don't have a Sensor. See earlier posts for that story....)

running off the fat

I am finding out some very cool things about my body and running. My fear about running was that I would be running along and my blood sugars would drop dangerously low and I would be unprepared to handle that situation with a snack or something and then I would be hospitalized and die....or something like that.

I know--fear is not a reason not to do something and I was determined to face my fear head on and not hide from it anymore. I was also noticing my waistline was not getting any smaller and my thighs and hips weren't either; in fact, they were going very quickly in the other direction.

So, the first thing I did before starting my running was to tell my friends and neighbors and DOCTOR that I wanted to run a marathon. I checked books out of the library about running. I read all the books about running marathons--well, actually I only read two books. One was about Extreme Marathoners and the other one was Jeff Galloway's "Marathon, You Can Do It."

I read "Marathon, You Can Do It" first and then when I got an infection in my foot, I had more time to read the other about the Extreme Marathoner--Dave or Dan Kankarezes or something like that. Actually I just looked his name up and I was wrong on both counts he is actually called : Dean Karnazes and he is the 2009 UltraMarathon Man. You can read about him here .

Jeff Galloway got me running--he just told me I could do it and I believed him.

The thing telling everyone did for me was make me actually get off my butt and do it. How could I go back after not completing something I had told everyone I wanted to do and then have to backtrack and say it was too hard? I like my credibility too much for that and I have my pride to consider also. It won't let me say I will do something and then not do it. I will look bad.

I guess I was afraid more of looking bad than whether I would go low and DIE!

And the March goes on, and on; and on; and on.....

So I haven't posted since January 11: Wow: I haven't taken the time to even think about blogging. I have been focusing so much on running, helping put together a team for the Ragnar Relay and my diabetes that I haven't even thought about my blog. Thanks Debbie for leaving a comment on my last post. You should check out her blog: it is hilarious. I have it bookmarked in my folder called : Hilarious....

So I have been having some interesting results with the running. I got a GPS for Christmas and have been logging the miles on it; and checking my pace, and trying to time my run/walk/run sequence; etc,
but I am getting frustrated because I can't run as far or as fast as I see myself running in my head.

I have this sunny day, blue skies picture in my head where I am out on the road in this totally hip running outfit with shoes that are totally new but still very well broken-in; just running and running and running and I am not even tired.

That is so totally not me right now and I am beginning to wonder if that ever will be me; I am too impatient with myself, I guess.

Where else would I want to spill my deep down desires but the World Wide Web where there is no privacy-ever?

The thing that has really been bugging me about running and diabetes is if my Blood Sugars are not under 200--I will be higher, not lower, after giving insulin at 1/2 the recommended rate and then running for 8 miles or some other ridiculously high number like that--it is ridiculous to me because I am a beginner but I am working on being able to run 30miles so I am really worried about what my blood sugars are going to do. I can just see myself getting back from a particularly stressful long run of about 15 miles or so and I am not over 200 or 300 but over 500: THAT really scares me--I thought running or exercising was supposed to help my body metabolize the sugar faster and better not the other way around.

I guess a chat with the doctor will have to suffice for this dilemma. I just expected to have problems on the other end of the spectrum: having alot of low blood sugars, not high...........

I must be in the Twilight Zone

So I have this new pump. Now don't get me wrong, I think it is awesome qualified with one teensy, weensy problem that is totally unacceptable to me. The backlight doesn't work.

The backlight is the coolest thing because you can give yourself insulin or check an alarm in the dark. Except mine flickers and sometimes doesn't turn on so I think this pump is going back to the manufacturer to be replaced. I am assuming that is what they do for pumps that are only 3 days old.

Actually, what they will do is send me a brand new pump and a box to send their pump back to them. Then I don't have to be without a pump. They even pay for shipping. I love Minimed Customer Service.

Just know that Minimed Customer Service is second to none and that is why I keep going back. If I couldn't stand the customer service, I would have changed to a new pump company long ago.

There aren't alot of companies out there that make this equipment, but there are enough for competition and so it boils down to customer service and awesome people on the phone and internet. Thank goodness that the Twilight Zone doesn't insert it self into that part of their operation.

New Year, New Pump, but no Sensor

So I have been trying to set up some training for the new Continuous Glucose Monitoring Sensor that I was supposed to get as soon as it turned January.

Everything, I thought, was all set up and I couldn't wait. I called January 2 to order my Minimed 522 Insulin Pump and linked Continuous Glucose Monitoring Transmitter.

This pump is awesome and I can't even begin to explain all of the benefits to using a pump with a continuous glucose monitor so I will send you here to read what Minimed says about it.

Pretty awesome huh?

Well I got a surprise when I went to order it. I talked to Pedro(name has been changed to protect the innocent) at the supplier and he told me that the insurance had not, in fact, approved purchase of my Continuous Glucose monitoring system and it was not covered like they had ASSUMED it was covered.

I called my insurance company and they told me it is still "experimental" and until they have more evidence than just my say so that it is not experimental, my insurance policy excludes purchase of this system.

WHAT?????

What I don't get is something that has these BENEFITS and are backed up by this Study; which was completed more than ten years ago, how could it still be experimental?

So I am going to put a case together to get the insurance company to change its mind.

I guess I will have to call the Minimed trainer back and unschedule my scheduled training. I already know how to use the pump. I have been using their pumps for more than 10 years.

I will also have to call my doctor's office and cancel the appointment I had with him to teach me how to adjust my insulin usage based on whether my Blood Glucose was going up or going down and how fast, etc.

What a mess. Oh well. On to the battle to train for a Half Marathon in May and Ragnar Relay in June; ALL WITHOUT A CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITOR.....

I guess I will have to make more pit stops to check my blood sugars and gobble some sugar so I don't go in to a coma and die while running 13.1 miles or on the hardest leg of a Ragnar relay (at least in my state) 8.5 up and mostly downhill.

Such is life: Murphy always happens and if it can go wrong, it will; just not in the way you expect.

I don't hate Diabetes--Exactly

I have to qualify my first post where I said "I HATE DIABETES" in big capital letters(or at least that is what I was feeling like that day)

So many blessings have come into my life since I got diabetes that I can't discount all of the good that has come to me because of this diagnosis. I'll just name 5 blessings

1. I have better health than ever before. Since I have to eat more healthfully to keep my Blood Sugars under Control, the natural byproduct is better health. I also have to exercise and that is definitely a benefit for my body.

2. I have my husband. I had no intention of getting married after high school. I wanted to make my mark on humanity and I thought that was in the working world. I would never have moved to the town or frequented the places I met him if I hadn't gotten diabetes.

3. I have my children. I never wanted kids. I never liked babysitting other peoples and why would I want some of my own.

4. I have God. He was always there but I wasn't interested in what He had to offer, getting diabetes forced me to examine how I was living my life and what I wanted, really wanted out of life, and I realized that I wanted His help, and it was there for me....nuf said

5. I have friends. That sounds so contrite. I had them before but now I get to see their mettle, and if they are really my friends: the ones that stay long-term. Thanks you guys, you know who you are.....

Just one more

6. I have this blog: is it a blessing or a curse? I would never have started a blog of any sort, but diabetes gives me a platform that I know some small thing about; it allows me to be just different enough to satisfy my need to not follow the crowd.

I sweat sugar!!! Needs more tests

I just ran into something fascinating about my body that I wanted to share. I just went to the doctor and I have been waking up low, ie: 59 BG instead of the wanted 90 so the doc changed my Basal Insulin Rate from 2AM at .95/u per hour to 6AM at .95/u per hour.

The first morning that I had the new basal rate change: my morning score was 266 which is about 180+ above normal range.

I had my long run which is up to 5 miles so I gave 1/2 the amount of insulin and got dressed and ran on the treadmill. I did a run walk routine for about 70 min. to complete my 5 miles and then I checked my Blood sugars.

Just a note that substantiates my claim about sweating sugar: I had been sweating profusely and I had been wiping it off with my hands to prevent the sweat from getting in my eyes. I was literally dripping when I finished.

My Blood Sugar reading was 186 which for my response to exercise, was much higher than I was expecting. Considering that I had just exercised continuously for more than 1 hour, I was expecting that my Blood Glucose would be in the 50-80 range. I thought that was strange but whenever I have a reading that I don't understand and is substantially out of what I am expecting, I always go wash my hands and then check again.

When I did this: my BG was 116. WOW!!! And I am therefore led to believe that when I have High Blood Sugars, my body uses every tool at its disposal to get rid of the excess sugar; IE: I sweat sugar----SWEET!!!

Of course to substantiate my claim: I will have to redo the test again.. If my BG is higher than 250 tomorrow morning I will try the test again: run 5 miles and see if the same result happens. I don't think I want to do this more than once so I hope that I will prove my theory right.

Back up and Running

Is there ever a way to be back to normal? What is normal anyway?

I have been dealing with an infection on one of my toes. It started out as a hangnail that I just pulled off.
A week later it got infected and then I had to go through two rounds of Antibiotics and putting antibiotic cream on it twice a day. The doctor also ordered X-rays to rule out an infection in the bone. That kind of scared me because who knew how soon it would heal if the infection was there. He said I was doing the right things but the bacteria were just hanging on. 100.00 worth of X-rays later and I found out that day that my bones are clean and there is no infection.

I had almost given up hope that it would ever heal because I have to keep it covered to keep the germs and dirt away and every night, I would look at it and despair of it ever having that completely healed look. Thanks heaven I am almost out of the woods on this one.

It has now been two months, and a lost toenail later that I think it has finally healed. There is no more pain and that is all I can hope for. At least I can still feel my feet.

Since I have been going through this, I haven't been able to wear my normal shoe: a Saucony Running Shoe because they are the most comfortable shoes on the planet in my opinion.

I signed up to run a 5K on Thanksgiving morning and then found out just yesterday that I haven't completed the sign up process. So I can back out if I want to: but I won't because my goal is to run a marathon. I think a 5K is a good start but I am a little nervous because all the time I could have been spending on training has been spent on healing. I will go out tomorrow on my long run and see if I can run 3 miles. I can't actually run more than a few blocks in a row right now but I am going to be working on building my endurance and using Jeff Galloway's Walk-Run routine seems like the best way to run without injury.

I just finished reading Jeff Galloway's Book on Running and he saved the injury section for last. I think it was because the description of them, not to mention the pain involved would talk me out of running in an instant. He spends the entire book educating you how to run so you don't get injured and encouraging you that it is within your reach and then gives the bad news at the end.

I wasn't fazed -That Much-- I really want control of my diabetes and I feel this is the way to get it and get all of the benefits of running combined. Plus I don't like taking insulin and I would love if I could reduce my habit to almost zero. That is control in my book.

I also want to live to see my kids grow up and graduate, go to college, get married, go on missions, etc. I won't be able to do that if I don't get a handle on this Diabetes thing.

I am just working out how I will control my blood sugars in a marathon or any other race for that matter. I tend to use all of my sugar and am more sensitive to the insulin than when I am not exercising. I wouldn't want that to happen while I am running. I don't think I have seen a drunk sailor running and that is what I would look like with low blood sugars if I don't collapse altogether.

Hallelujah Monday

I got a call from my supplier of Pump Supplies. When I called back, I got the whole rundown on upgrading my pump. The person also said they, meaning the Company, had already sent the necessary paperwork to my Doctor to start the approval process. I asked about the CGMS (AKA: Continuous Glucose Monitoring System) and said supplier said they had run the CODES and they had come back approved.

This is really cool because I had a conversation with my DOCTOR last week and he said he hadn't been able to get any approval on this item. This says to me that my insurance company is going to pay for CGMS!!!!

I am only so excited because the actual cost for this option and the necessary supplies run in the ballpark of:(don't let the air suck itself out of the room please, which would sound like a sharp intake of breath)

1500-3000 for the Sensor and 250-350 per month for the supplies. This is so I can have the A!C of a normal person which is currently 4-6% ( this is a whole math problem of the amount of sugar divided by the total amount of blood)

I don't know about you but that is a prohibitively expensive (do you think I could have used a bigger word?) amount of money each and every month.

Just so you know, I really do talk this way in real life and I am very excited about this because I think all of my efforts to keep my blood sugar levels under control will not go wasted on the whim of whatever is happening to me at any particular time during the day.

It's not Over till it's OVER.......

I have finally started and I know it is very early in the morning but I had to do this. Tomorrow I will start adding raw data about what I am doing to take care of myself.

I will do this every day so that I will have a record of what I did.

I don't know if this will include what I ate (do I really want to give that information?) or if I exercised; I think it might because it does fall into the scope of things here so bring it on.

(My Significant Other says: Bring it on and bring some caffeine!! Anyone who knows me will know: I don't drink that stuff and I would be a hypocrite if I did because I spend so much time telling everyone that it is bad for you and not to do it; and maybe I shouldn't blog what he says...)

I wonder what the Doc will say. Oh I know; he will just laugh and chalk it up to: that is Wife of Ski. Yes that is what I am calling myself (you didn't really think I would leave my real name here did you?)

I just have to say: I hate Diabetes.

There. That being said: I will never give up fighting to have a better life in spite of it; and I mean that, not because I think anyone will read this (which I don't) but because I want a better life, even if I throw my hands in the air, some days, and say, "I give up today because I can't handle the stress"; or something along those lines.

So now begins my JOURNAL; what a horrible word; of my struggles and triumphs with Diabetes. And maybe sometime, I will post something that happened in the past.

This is a work in progress, as is all life and it just isn't over until it is over.....