Riding with Type 1 diabetes

[danfz07]

Hello All, 
 
Just wondering how many of you ride that have been diagnosed with diabetes?  Little less than a year ago I was diagnosed with adult onset type 1 diabetes.  Actually now they call it type 1.5 as I have symptoms of both type 1 and type 2, which means that not only can I not produce insulin, my body has built a resistance to it also.  What all this means for me is that I now have to monitor my blood sugar with pin pricks in the fingers 4 to 8 times a day, always have my rapid acting insulting pen with me while also carrying some form of glucose gel or sugar if my blood sugar dips too low.  It is quite the lifestyle change for me as my blood sugar has seen some serious swings while I try and get a handle on this disease.  Due to all of this, I have been quite hesitant to take those long rides up in the mountains.  Last thing I would want to do is be on the side of the road injecting insulin in my belly.  When your sugar spikes, its really hard to explain just how it feels but I really don't want to be on a bike when it happens.  Just wondering if there are any other riders out there that share this challenge and what you do on long rides?
 
Thanks
Dan

[faffi]

I believe I can share some information with you on this topic, as my 21 y.o. son has had Diabetes 2 for almost 20 years - and he rides.
 
What we have learned is that his blood sugar tend to stay pretty static for fairly long periods while we ride, something we believe to come from chemicals released by the body to stay alert under mild stress - riding a motorcycle demand high levels of attention.
 
Before a ride, my son eat a low glycemic meal (food that make for low rise in blood sugar and long lasting effect) if his blood sugar is normal. If he is a little low, he will add a glass a milk to bring the level up. If his blood sugar is a little elevated, he will not eat, but rarely take insulin since that can make things complicated. Instead, he will stop within the hour and measure his levels again to determine further actions. If in doubt, he invariably stop and measure his blood sugar level. Better 10 times too many than one time too little. Other than that, he stays well hydrated and so far there have been no issues at all over 25-30,000 miles.
 
If you want to discuss specifics about other things you can do in general to lessen the stress on your body now that you have a life-long diagnose to live with, please feel free to PM me.

[danfz07]

I believe I can share some information with you on this topic, as my 21 y.o. son has had Diabetes 2 for almost 20 years - and he rides. 
What we have learned is that his blood sugar tend to stay pretty static for fairly long periods while we ride, something we believe to come from chemicals released by the body to stay alert under mild stress - riding a motorcycle demand high levels of attention.
 
Before a ride, my son eat a low glycemic meal (food that make for low rise in blood sugar and long lasting effect) if his blood sugar is normal. If he is a little low, he will add a glass a milk to bring the level up. If his blood sugar is a little elevated, he will not eat, but rarely take insulin since that can make things complicated. Instead, he will stop within the hour and measure his levels again to determine further actions. If in doubt, he invariably stop and measure his blood sugar level. Better 10 times too many than one time too little. Other than that, he stays well hydrated and so far there have been no issues at all over 25-30,000 miles.
 
If you want to discuss specifics about other things you can do in general to lessen the stress on your body now that you have a life-long diagnose to live with, please feel free to PM me.

Thanks for the advice and for the compassion.  It has been a rough road so far but I have accepted that I am way too tough to let this get me down.  I have taken this as a challenge in life.  I am almost an anomaly to be diagnosed with this and it just shows you that it can happen to anyone.  I'm 43 and a retired 23yr vet.  I always took care of myself and am very physically fit.  I can still whip the pants off 20 year olds in a 3 mile run.  This is just another thing that I have to do in life and I don't plan on letting it slow me down.   
Dan

[faffi]

That really is an anomaly - the vast majority who is hit by what you now have are unfit and overweight. Most of them again can live for decades without meds if they change what they eat, lose weight and start working out. Sounds like that's already taken care of when it comes to you. Basically, all you can do is blame your parents as hey gave you poor genes regarding this issue. But with your background you should be resilient and with time learn to manage your condition well.
 
One thing I forgot to mention regarding my son - when he rides, he will keep his blood sugar slightly above the maximum for a healthy, non-diabetic individual. We use a different scale here - healthy individuals will typically have a level between 5 and 6, with the normal range going from 4 (low) to 8 (high during stress test). My son prefer to stay around 10 during rides and will eat again when he drops below 8. This is just to be absolutely sure he won't go into shock. His long term blood sugar is about 7, so he is well managed, but do prefer to stress the body a little in order to not risk making fatal errors.
 
You can also get instruments today that will monitor your blood sugar level continuously, but they are rather costly in use.

[avanti]

A few years ago I developed a different problem but with some of the same effects, so I have a feel for ya.
 
First, prep as best you can, as suggested, and don't ride alone, just to be safe. Stop and take stock often. If any problematic symptoms rear their head, STOP. It is far better (with my issue, at least) to be sitting beside the road with my bike on its stand than any of the other options. Use caution and common sense, err on the side of safety... for yourself AND others. All the best, and stay safe! I'll be thinking about ya.