Great news Ken!!

I had a bit of a blow yesterday. Despite all of my very tight control I have macular edema in both eyes which is being caused by retinopathy. I am scheduled for surgery on January 25. I post this as a reminder of why it is so important to keep an eye on this disease and get frequent retina exams.

Edited by Laurie_Ann on 12/14/2011 13:44:55 MST.

my eyes get blurry but has improved greatly since my change in diet...sorry to hear of the difficulties Laurie Anne...a life without sight is a tough one.




People really should consider the risks when it comes to diet, exercise and such. I am a living example of things not to do and I am now paying the price. With a terrible diet, too much drinking, and not enough exercise this is what can happen to you. Losing limbs, eyesight or having your life cut short by the increased chance of a fatal heart attack or stroke is nothing to play with. Laurie Anne and the others on here have been very helpful in helping me acquire the knowledge to deal with this. This is no walk in the park folks. Just imagine looking at EVERY label of food that you buy and reading it to see if you can eat it...everything becomes more serious because this is your life you are dealing with.

Ken,

Congrats on the 20 lb weight loss!

Your health is the most important thing, of course, but I couldn't help thinking what a great thing it is for you to lose 20 lbs out of your "skin-out weight" for UL backpacking, which should lead to easier hiking, which should lead to better health, which might let you carry even less as your body weight drops, which should . . . and on and on.

I'm sorry to hear about the problems with your eyes, Laurie. It's one of the giant fears of diabetes that diabetics have to live with everyday, but that is rarely apparent to anyone who doesn't have the disease. Good luck with the surgery, and I hope everything turns out well.

Ken, good job on the diet change and your getting serious about what is happening to you. One thing I like to tell myself to see something positive in the disease is, "Diabetes is the strictest, most bad-Ass coach you could ever have asked for. Absolutely NO leniency! You'll either get in great shape and be as healthy as can be, or you'll die trying!"

Last night I had to go in for an MRI to check if I have necrosis (rotting of the bones due to high, diabetic blood sugars) or not. I've had to wait three weeks for the MRI and I can tell you it's been one of the most harrowing three weeks I've ever been through. I was a total nervous wreck yesterday and haven't slept in days. I'll find out tomorrow whether it's necrosis or not. Fingers crossed that it's not. If it is, I'm in for an extremely bumpy ride. I might lose a leg or an arm, might have to give up my beloved hiking, or could possibly die. Not something I wanted to hear after all the hard work I've put into this. Just glad my family and friends are with me.

Wish me luck!

Steven exactly! I am looking forward to this a lot!

Miguel my prayers are with you.


Yes it is the biggest, toughest coach out there. I am trying as hard as I can.

Oh Miguel... I can't imagine how rough that has been. Hang in there - you'll know today. Sending you a ton of positive vibes for luck and a big hug across the ocean. Keep us posted.

Ken wrote "This is no walk in the park folks. Just imagine looking at EVERY label of food that you buy and reading it to see if you can eat it...everything becomes more serious because this is your life you are dealing with."

It's a proper pain in the rear end for sure, however, the label reading is something I feel every person should do. It's good to know what you are putting into your body. I will let you know that this becomes second nature Ken and next thing you know you won't even have to look at many things.... same with the portion sizes as they relate to carbs. I find that the glycemic index bit is starting to become ingrained in my brain now too.

The eye thing was definitely a tough one for me but we've caught it early enough that I shouldn't have vision loss other than a tiny bit of peripheral (and that is even a small risk). It may affect my night vision too. No biggie. The reason mine progressed so quickly was because of the pregnancy but I would not change that for the world. The key is that I am to keep as active as I can, watch the blood sugar closely, and really pay attention to my blood pressure too.

I think that there needs to be far more education about Diabetes too especially with people who are overweight and sedentary. I can't imagine what my health would have been like if I hadn't got into hiking and had been a sofa spud for the past decade or so. Getting my act together started way before I was diagnosed - being diagnosed keeps me on the right path because I am scared to death about the alternative. I also spent a lot of time beating myself up mentally for putting myself in this position. It was a bit of a roller coaster there for awhile. It was the support of GoBlue Hiker, GrinchNH, and Four Wheel Bob (all whom some of you might know from other forums) and Miguel that got me through a lot of it. I thought I'd never be able to hike again and this group of people gave me hope. I can't thank them enough.

What Miguel is going through is very scary. There are days I am very thankful I have type 2 and not type 1 as Miguel has. I've had the good fortune of being able to get off medication and control with diet and exercise because my body actually produces some of its own insulin. Type 1's aren't so fortunate. I think that's one of the reasons I want to do this Ford Race to End Juvenile Diabetes as my first running race.

I just wanted to say how awesome this thread is. The honest and heartfelt help and support given so freely by "strangers" about such a serious issue is amazing and I must admit that I come to BPL for much more than the latest tent review, if you know what I mean.

My prayers and best wishes to all of you!

Thanks Travis, very kid of you to say.

Very, very well stated, Travis.

Learning how folks face, and cope with, this disease is a very valuable education for others, and a great deal more. It is an inspiration.

I join in wishing all the very best for a full and rewarding life.

thank you Richard for the kind words.

Add me to the list of those who are sympathetic and fighting the same fight. There are a handful of us I've seen on BPL, and I'm guessing many more with the same challenges.

Just saw this thread, I'm a type I Insulin Dependent and have been for a few years so I'm not sure how much of my experience is directly applicable but I do have some favorite foods.

Nuun is great as a no sugar electrolyte drink on the trail. Gummy bears hold up the best to both heat and cold so I use them as my low blood sugar treatment. I've found that it is essental to get a good amount of protean in the morning. Toast with peanut butter or an egg sandwich keeps me even through the day, granola makes me go high.

Also be aware that certain types of exercise (generally anaerobic or stressful stuff) can cause a spike in blood sugar due to the release of glucagon while more sustained exercise like hiking makes insulin more efficient and can make you go low.

I also always try and have a fair amount of extra food and find partners who understand that need...I climb and some climbers are willing to carry less food and fuel to go light and rely on their ability to tough out unplanned bivies and suffer without food but that just isn't an option for me.

thanks everyone.

the aerobic vs anaerobic is something I'm still trying to wrap my head around (and I'm not sure where the running fits into that)... backpacking is pretty straight forward with the blood sugar control for me now. Where I am having difficulties is with this training to run bit. Generally my blood glucose is about 5.5 to 6 mmoL pre-training session and post is about 3.8 mmoL (sometimes 4.2 ish). However, today it was 3.8 mmoL. I had a very small lunch (25 grams of carb) and 4 hours later I was at 8.9 mmoL (and that's really high for me as I don't usually let postprandial go above 7.2 mmoL). I'm going to keep an eye on it but it has me a little bit confuzzled. I'm only doing about 3 km a session right now but within a few weeks I'll be running a full 5 km. Anyone have experience with a weird rise like that later on in the day? I've had that from eating something fatty like egg or pizza but never that high.

Edited by Laurie_Ann on 12/16/2011 07:01:51 MST.

Laurie Ann, what is mmol and the numbers next to it??? Is that a different way to gauge glucose?

Yes... I forgot you all are in the US and the American system is different. Converting mmoL to mg/dL is done by multiplying by 18.

Here are the equivalents from my post in mg/dL (so it will make more sense now).

Generally my blood glucose is about 96 to 108 pre-training session and post is about 68.4 (sometimes 75.6 ish). However, today it was 68.4. I had a very small lunch (25 grams of carb) and 4 hours later I was at 160 (and that's really high for me as I don't usually let postprandial go above 129.6).

That is a HUGE swing upwards. I thought it might have been the Canadian way of doing this. Your blood glucose is low. I wake up and it is 140-150. Post workout 115-125 and it usually goes down as the day progresses. I wonder if dehydration during the evening makes my numbers spike

That would still be considered good control for a T1 but 68 is pretty low and it is possible you got so low soon after that it triggered a glucagon release form your liver causing a "bounce."

In my experience, running makes insulin more effective and the effect lasts for a bit so you may find that the day after a run is more similar to a day you are hiking then a purely sedentary day at least until your body adapts to it a bit.

Waking is usually between 80 and 90. My first A1C (at diagnosis) was 17.1. A1C since then have been consistently between 4.2 and 5.4. The doctor had me on insulin and then glucophage and I was basically having to eat to keep from going low which meant weight gain. Finally, I made an appointment and told him I wasn't needing medication anymore. He's a fabulous Doc but a little puzzled by my need for understanding of diabetes and my unrelenting control. I probably would have lost my mind if I was T1 because I've heard it is so much more difficult.

My lowest low was on a wilderness canoe trip with about 12 km of portaging on the first day. My numbers dropped to about 2.4 mmoL or 43 mg/dL. I think that is the worst I've felt. There was quite an emotional bit that went with it. Crying. Disoriented. From a physical standpoint I was acting like a drunk person and had extreme shakes with nausea. Bryan, darling spouse that he is, caught on right away and got me some jelly beans. It was a pain because we (he) also had to un-hang the food. That was the day I learned that I had to watch the numbers more closely.

Did I mention before that the lightest/smallest accurate meter I've found is the One Touch Ultra Mini? If it is really cold though - put the battery inside your coat. I find it flattens quickly in 20°F weather.

One person mentioned granola. I've found that using amaranth or quinoa flakes will up the protein a bit and slow down the spike that most granola will give. Hope that helps.

I also adore roasted chickpeas as a diabetic friendly trail snack that's a little lower carb than trail mix. I usually add a few nuts in too. I can post a recipe if anyone wants it.