Low Blood Sugar

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More lows and highs

I was reading blogs this morning and thinking about conversations and experiences I have had this week.

New experiences with my blood sugar drops have been occurring all week. I am certainly not getting upset or anxious about it, but it makes me aware there is something new happening that should be addressed. Frankly, I am choosing to be kind of excited about it. I finished my workout this morning and tested in the locker room … 61. Out came the emergency grape juice, because it was just close enough to make me nervous about the short drive home.

Besides, my sugars have been consistently lower the past several months. I can afford a single can of juice. And I have an appointment with RD this afternoon to help me update my eating to try and avoid this.

But I cannot help being a little pleased as well as concerned. As a type 2 diabetic, I have worried more about the opposite problem and sugar numbers being way too high. It’s a new problem, seemingly more easily resolvable problem to have my blood sugar dropping into too low territory because of exercise. In my mind it means I am working adequately. In my mind it means I am somehow stepping up my intensity.

That thrills me to brand new heights.

If I had time this morning, I probably would have mixed up a protein shake for after my workout. That would have sensibly resolved the issue. But I was running late and we have guests, so things are a little off balance this week. No matter – half a can of grape juice in the car and a pear once I got home and I’m back in overall feeling good business.

One thing I’m absolutely certain of – my body will adjust. I am not working so intensely for such an extended period that I need to worry about fainting or worse. Besides, I am aware of the signs and heed them well before that happens, and in this I can absolutely trust the signals my body is sending (because there are no cookies or anything yummy I would voluntarily eat at the gym). But again, it feels like I have stepped up to a new plateau in the exercise and conditioning my inner systems to accept the new workload. Since my default position has historically one of retreat when things get difficult, I am amazed at my own resolve to charge on forward.

And that, my friends, is a system upgrade that I did not anticipate happening for me.

Lots of other stuff to talk about today in a longer post. However, this ongoing saga with blood sugar this week is exciting and was worthy of its own brief update.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

 

5 Comments Posted on My Life

Lows and highs

So I actually missed my morning gym practice today. Whenever I do something like that without advance planning it trips the guilt wire. Since I cannot plan for every potential incident, I am forcing myself to let go of the guilt and just make alternative arrangements.

I worked pretty hard yesterday in the gym. Walking away, it was another excellent session and yet another step in an overall positive adventure. My mind unfolds with all sorts of possibilities where I am actually good at this exercise stuff, and I figure out what, when, how much food to eat to continue the cycle. Simple things, really; my primary goal with all this stuff is not being thin and trim and looking fantastic so much as it is to stay healthy and do everything in my power to not have to begin taking the diabetes drug cocktail to keep my blood sugar in check.

Now, without medication, in 2 days I have had 3 low incidents. The first was Monday middle of the night, then Monday midday, around lunchtime, and then again this morning when my alarm went off, which was the worst of the 3. Hence my skipping the gym this morning in favor of going back to bed. That 49 is damn scary, and even with a banana and a can of juice in my system I was only at 88 a few hours later.

While I am not crazy about Kaiser the system, I do like my endocrinologist very much. I emailed him at 4:20 and he got back to me before 7. The combination of the HRT and the exercise is most likely culprit, and my system will adjust. In the meantime, he suggests eating a little more before and after workouts, ensure I have some stable carbohydrates in my system before I go to bed. Also continue to test throughout the day, especially after workouts. He is sending me a referral for follow-up with the dietician to help with my eating. If it persists, I have to go in to see him.

Sensible reassurance and advice, simple and to the point. I like that. The lows are uncomfortable and can be frightening. All the same, I’m encouraged. I actually sort of happy they happen when they do and that I now recognize the signs. And I am not giving up or cutting back on my exercise pursuits and have every intention of trying my best to keep up the pace, but I am going to have to continue experimenting and modifying my eating to ensure I stay fueled enough to avoid the crashing lows.

It could be so much worse, and trying to refine my eating habits is an ongoing project anyway, so this is just another layer to factor into my equations.