Hey guys! I've only been running with T1 for about 4 months now and I have some questions.
So I take 25 carbs for every 15 minutes of my run and I have a sports watch so I can see the intervals at which I need to eat. The problem is that sometimes that doesn't quite do it. Other days it will work perfectly and other days I'll be dangerously low. I've had to stop my run twice because my blood sugar was in the 30's. The scary thing is that I never feel my blood sugar dropping when I run, and one of these days I fear I'm going to pass out on the ground.
Would a cgm (continious glucose monitor) help? I thought it would be very convenient to be able to see what my blood sugar is on the run so I'm not as scared to run anymore. I don't check my blood sugar until after the run and the workouts I do can be up to 45min-60min. I was also wondering if it could be positioned so that it doesn't jump too much while I'm running.
From my brief research of cgm's I've read that the reading of your blood sugar that's displayed is a tad delayed. This is the only con I could think of.
Indycar driver Charlie Kimball uses a Dexcom all the time. He uses velcro to stick it to his steering wheel. If he starts to drop during a race he can sip so OJ through a tube in his helmet other drivers use for water.
For me a lean easilly absorbed and digested protein is key to keeping blood glucose stable roughly 1.5 - 3 hours post ingestion. In other words Whey Isolate, concentrate if isolate is not available or too expensive. Dont buy the gimmicks of marketing. I have great results with the wal-mart generic. And I have used more than enough name brands to know they are 99.9999999999% marketing and 0.000000000000000001% results.
I don't find my cgm to be very helpful during exercise for the delay which you mentioned in your post. My blood sugar plummets during exercise and my cgm doesn't warn me of the lows in time. I have found that I must stop and check at least every 15 minutes. As far as positioning, my cgm and pump are the same device. I usually secure it in a pocket or in a thick elastic waist band if I have one on.... Otherwise, they make sports packs (sort of like a fanny pack) which you can belt around your waist.
During my workout my G4 is fine in the belt case supplied by Dexcom. When I need to reposition for various exercise movements I slip it into a pocket or keep it near my water bottle (normally a nearby windowsill). I'll add, my glucose should not drop suddenly without a Humalog bolus within the 3 hour prior to workout timeline. Bolus doses prior to or during a workout need to be adjusted to account for more efficient use of Insulin and increased use of glucose by skeletal muscle.
I don't have a cgm but have been running with diabetes for 32 years. On days that I run I take less insulin (injection) before my last meal before the run, usually lunch. I test before I run. If I'm under 200 I'll have a snack of 20 - 30 carbs before I go out. I run 2.5 miles in around 30 mins. I test again when I get home and snack or not accordingly.
Works for me.
I also carry a cell phone and wear a medical alert necklace in case I run into problems. Haven't needed it so far (knocking on wood).
I wear a CGM pretty much 24-7. One sensor can be spot on, all the time, and the next might have a twenty minute delay. Because of that, I won't rely on a CGM while exercising - I drop too fast for it to give me any warning. My best advice is keep logs, and do a fingerstick every 15 minutes to see where you are. After several days, you might notice a pattern, and you can adjust your insulin / carbs based on the pattern. If you know how delayed a CGM sensor is, you could use the sensor for patterns, too.
My other advice is, if you notice a pattern and are trying to troubleshoot, change one thing at a time and try it at least twice. If you change lots of things at once, it's really hard to figure out what works and what doesn't, and it's REALLY hard to keep track of what you did.
Good luck! You've inspired me to get out there for a run today. Thanks!