Posts
249
Joined
2/1/2018
Location
GB
Edited Date/Time
9/14/2022 2:03pm
Hey Everyone,
I have recently been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, it isn’t lifestyle unfortunately so I am on 500mg of Metformin 3 times a day with a possibility of it being Type 1 if that doesn’t bring my levels down which are pretty high at the moment.
My question is, how do I prepare for race day? Usually I take a few supplements which are carb based and have a decent night before meal and breakfast but trying to ride last week with no carbs I felt absolutely wasted after a lap. Should I be concerned if I see a spike on race day? I’m currently monitoring my levels 3 times a day but for some reason I’ve had a 2 day high and I’m not sure why.
Any help is gratefully received, need to make this work somehow as I love riding but not feeling like a husk!
I have recently been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, it isn’t lifestyle unfortunately so I am on 500mg of Metformin 3 times a day with a possibility of it being Type 1 if that doesn’t bring my levels down which are pretty high at the moment.
My question is, how do I prepare for race day? Usually I take a few supplements which are carb based and have a decent night before meal and breakfast but trying to ride last week with no carbs I felt absolutely wasted after a lap. Should I be concerned if I see a spike on race day? I’m currently monitoring my levels 3 times a day but for some reason I’ve had a 2 day high and I’m not sure why.
Any help is gratefully received, need to make this work somehow as I love riding but not feeling like a husk!
Congrats on checking 3 times a day. Keep this up.
Without out having insulin ---or your cells not able to process what insulin your pancreas produces--- can leave you high longer than you should be. Your cells need these carbs to energize you. When your levels are high, you're starving your muscles and peeing out the excess sugars. Hence, feeling husk like.
What does your doctor recommend? Find one you trust and is confident in this matter.
Learn all you can about this.
Remember too, that I'm not an endocrinologist, just a full on diabetic who loves motocross and raced for 26 years until I crashed too hard to continue.
Good luck, and did I mention learning all you can?
I really had to change my diet mainly , and I got it under control. I was on lantus insulin’s injections for the start as well
The Shop
Went from winning hare scrambles to barely making it through slow trail rides.
My a1c was 14.5 at time of intake diagnosis.
1000mg metformin twice a day and a statin to help out as well as a januvia.
I usually just have a good hearty breakfast a few hrs before race time and try to keep up with fluids to combat the heat.
During a hare scramble I usually get the halfway low.
Make sure my fluid bag is full of a 50/50 water, Gatorade mix.
You need the carbs when being exerted. And I can say I usually get a low after the race. So I follow up the extreme exertion and impending low after race with a decent amount of carbs just to keep me somewhat level.
I race hare scrambles and usually take my pump off for the race. I’ll eat a little bit before and try and shoot for a target BG of 180 when heading to the line. Usually i experience a decrease in BG when coming in after a 2 hour race (maybe 120ish).
The real BG drop begins to happen hours after the race for me. Obviously everyone is different, but usually right when im starting to wash the bike (3-4 hours after the race) is when the delayed drop starts to occur.
I know T2 is different, but personally i wouldnt overload on the carbs if you think it will cause a spike based on your current meds. I would check BG multiple times throughout the day and at key times so at least you can develop a baseline (i.e. first thing in AM, after practice, after a moto, before next moto, end of day, etc). Then you can adjust your preparation based on your readings.
In terms of highs that don't come down, if its an abnormality and not the typical behavior then just about everything under the sun can affect it. Illness, stress, something you eat, alcohol, etc. can cause sustained highs. But again, if its the exception and not the rule, it will come down eventually.
I would recommend discussing a CGM with your doctor. The best way to treat it is to have continuous information (BG readings) so you can react to highs (and lows) before they become a problem.
I got a blood glucose monitor today, I’m unsure what scale as there seems to be 3 but I’m using a momol/L and my reading this morning was 23.7. Although this is high, it’s actually lower than I have been and through today I have got it down to 16.7, my reading at diagnosis was 24.4 and I’ve had to have Ketones checked regularly too.
What’s really weird is I felt brand new up until this week when I started on Metformin 3 times a day, and now I feel like I did before diagnosis. I have an appointment with an Endocrinologist next Wednesday and I tried to join the Diabetes U.K. site but it had an error so will try again. So many things to get on top of and check which is a major lifestyle change for me, I’ve always been an as and when kind of guy with everything and having to plan like this is a massive change so hats off to you guys already doing it
Definitely keep your doctor in the loop, especially with those numbers. 23.7 is above 400 mg/dl and 16.7 is sitting right around 300 mg/dl. You definitely dont want to be living day to day up there long term. But the medication process is generally trial and error at first. They’ll get it figured out.
My A1C is now lower than my doctors, who was an Olympic runner, and I am off of all other medication I was on leading up to this (heartburn pills x2, cholesterol meds) and I dropped ~50lbs as well.
I strongly encourage anyone with Type 2 diabetes to consider a ketogenic diet and realize that your body does not need carbs to function or even thrive.
Type 2's should look into using the Dexcom. Takes all of the worry of where your levels are at because all you have to do is open up the app on your phone and voila. Plus if you go low or high when you are sleeping you can set a threshold alarm that will wake you up to correct.
Because of my age at the time (29), my doc was unsure whether it was T1 or T2 so put me on metformin type meds until I saw a specialist, it was only for 3 or 4 days but I felt shocking while taking them.
Where abouts do you ride Ben? Maybe we could have a diabetes mxers day out.
As far as what to eat, I usually will have a yogurt and a bunch of fruit an hour or two prior. I always make sure to have Clif Shots or Clif gummies in my hydration pack.
I’m based in Coventry, usually go to VIP, Apex, Moto 101. I’m currently racing Kensworth, BSMA Nationals and a few Northampton club races too. Always happy to go riding, when I’m not feeling half dead haha
Last week I had nothing in the tank but this week I have a 2 day race at Culham and I’m dreading it to be honest
Pit Row
I started riding before my 5th birthday and I am 52 now, and I watch MX and SX no matter what. I work for a company trying to commercial such therapies, but we don't work in the diabetes space, so I hope to remain impartial here. Keep hope alive! It's real.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/27/health/diabetes-cure-stem-cells.html
And, for you guys with SCI, I know it's slow, but we learn more every day and there are armies of people that work hard to make the discoveries we need. Believe and invest in science. We can figure things out, but it takes more than prayer: it takes money and time for us to design and test the things that we need to do.
I'll see her again next Thursday and will take a better pic with my brand new phone that I haven't a clue how to use properly, yet.
My A1C was 6.3
Been a type 1 for 19-years.
As I type this - I have a big black-eye because I had my first low moment a couple of days ago.
I am insulin resistant.
Woke up right after I smashed out our bedroom wall - hence the black-eye. Lots of fun.
My only advice would be drink lots of fluids and monitor, monitor & monitor......
NEVER ride alone and always carry a sugar emergency supplement with you.
Mine of choice is honey packets from KFC - they do not spoil and do not freeze....
Moto On
food and meds. You should get a referral to a nutritionist to help you plan. A KETO diet or leaning that way will help.
Luckily for me I am well controlled. I'm rarely over 130 in the mornings and I generally know why.
In the beginning I tested..
When I woke up.
After a no toast, oatmeal or cereal type breakfast. This is when I take my first dose of Met.
1 hour and 2 hours after that. Then an hour after lunch.
An hour after dinner and my second dose.
If you are racing moto you should probably test after practice, fuel up if you need to and then test/fuel after each moto.
Think of it as plug reading during the day. After a while you will know how to manage without 8 or 10 sticks a day. I just test now in the morning and know what to do the rest of the day to have a good test the next morning.
So far I haven't had any problem with bottoming out. That won't happen until you start running numbers that put you on the needle because then your pancreas won't be putting out enough insulin to use any of the sugar in your body.
If you do have Type 1, as an adult it seems that there is far less education given than when a younger person is diagnosed.
My oldest child (daughter) was diagnosed with Type 1 at 14. She was admitted to Seattle Children's Hospital for a week, mostly for education on how to manage going forward. We learned more about my wife's diabetes then that we had ever known.
If you are Type 1, the first year or so after diagnosis are going to be terribly frustrating because the pancreas doesn't just stop making insulin cold turkey. The 'honeymoon period' is horrible because there is very little consistency in what to dose for, etc. My daughter was a pretty good athlete but she only played for a year after diagnosis because she just didn't feel like it was easy enough to manage her diabetes and compete at a high level. She could have done it, but she didn't love basketball and track enough to do it. I am sure that if she loved those like most of us love riding, she would have been able to make it work!
And you probably know this pretty well by now, but generally the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 is that Type 1 is when your body stops producing insulin, Type 2 is when your body develops resistance to the insulin that it produces. That's how we always tried to explain it whenever people would tell my 5'8, 105 lb daughter that she should be able to control her Type 1 with diet and exercise......!
Moto is such a cornerstone of my life, I was determined not to let diabetes get in the way. Of course, it absolutely does in reality.
For me, hot and humid days are the hardest. I have to overload on carbs to raise my BG enough to not go low through a moto. During Cool days in the spring and fall, I almost feel normal again.
I use a Libre CGM, mounted on my side. No pump. Everything attached to your body will fall off when you start hitting sand whoops.
Regarding your prep, you are going to want to migrate away from carb-based drinks. T1 is different than T2 in that everything you eat must be highly controlled for, but it is my firm belief that any diabetic will benefit from a keto-centric diet.
Diatribe.org and runsweet.com were two valuable resources for me in the early stages. Best of luck, and reach out if you need help. We are out there.
Im ok with this as at least i know, i think it changes my diet options moving forward and if i can manage it ok i should be semi normal maybe?
Has anyone ridden with a pump/sensor combo? They are available over here on our NHS system but i need to go through a period of self management first. I have to go back to hospital Thursday for a training thing about injecting and they are covering sports, on a race day is there a safe level to go to? Should i still avoid hi GI foods and aim for slower release?
Honestly, this whole thing is mind boggling and the last few months have been really rough
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