Diabetic riding?

Well mighty Org, i know that one or two of you out there are diabetic, having just recently joined your ranks (type1 ) i had a few questions.

1. If it happened later in life did it affect your biking?
2. How stringent are you with blood checks ect, espcially when riding.
3. have you ever had it have a serious affect on your biking?
4. Is there any Diabetic forums out there and are you on any

I have only recently become Type 1 after hospital last year, i'm on a single daily inj, but supposed to monitor bs 3 - 4 times a day and always before driving / riding

I do ocassionally forget my inj, and am very lax with bs monitoring, not sure if its ostrich syndrome, laziness or something else, have found the level of info provided to be slightly less than excellent and trying to get an appointment with diabetic specalist dietician is like finding rocking horse poo.

Any feedback welcome.

[SoulKiss]

I'm Type2, my dad is Type1

He says the care and attention he gets at the Aberdeen Clinic is great, here in South London its carp.

I guess Northy would be the closest to you that I know of - tho Rictus would be worth PMing, as a Type2-ey I cant add much

ive got gestational diabetes just now and have been told to inform insurance company and dvla (have not quite got round to it yet)

i test bloods first thing and after meals. Im upping insulin every 2 days just now as its not working. saying that I have also had a couple of hypos lately. They come on very quickly and I feel really rough within about 10 min. Carry dextrose tablets with you.

northy and scooby drew are both diabetic and have lots of advice etc.

you certainly have been thru the mill KG, hope diabetes doesnt give you too much hassle.

Originally Posted by kitkat

ive got gestational diabetes just now and have been told to inform insurance company and dvla (have not quite got round to it yet)

northy and scooby drew are both diabetic and have lots of advice etc.

you certainly have been thru the mill KG, hope diabetes doesnt give you too much hassle.

I'm assuming yours is type 1 KK, otherwise there would be no need to inform insurance etc.

DVLA change your licence to 3 year renewal and remove a couple of sections, minibus and light van i think (memory not great.) Insurance company not bothered, as long as dvla say its ok to drive. But not telling them then trying to claim would probably invalidate insurance.
Is your permanent or do they not know yet?

Never had a hypo, despite bs being at 1.2 for several hours???, happened in hosp and diabetic doc called and could nt fathom it out, no physical or neurological effects??? so its kinda hard to watch for the signs?

hmm - not much help - mum was type 1 and only ever had one incident and that was brought on by the cancer.
she had to tell DVLA and renew her licence every three years(without test) - think thats becuase of the effect it can have on the eyes as well as checking for incidents
shhe was strict with herself re BS and injection - but we all nagged her
i check to see if you can self refer to the diabetic clinic in Stobhill - mum couldn't fault it.
otherwise - don't foregt your injection - that will not help matters
as for BS try and do it as regular as possible - its foryour own good so you know for the time being how you feel and so that you will be able to recognise dips and high in your blood sugar

HTH

Originally Posted by Kilted Ginger

Well mighty Org, i know that one or two of you out there are diabetic, having just recently joined your ranks (type1 ) i had a few questions.

1. If it happened later in life did it affect your biking?
2. How stringent are you with blood checks ect, espcially when riding.
3. have you ever had it have a serious affect on your biking?
4. Is there any Diabetic forums out there and are you on any

I have only recently become Type 1 after hospital last year, i'm on a single daily inj, but supposed to monitor bs 3 - 4 times a day and always before driving / riding

I do ocassionally forget my inj, and am very lax with bs monitoring, not sure if its ostrich syndrome, laziness or something else, have found the level of info provided to be slightly less than excellent and trying to get an appointment with diabetic specalist dietician is like finding rocking horse poo.

Any feedback welcome.

Have you only just been diagnosed as diabetic then? Despite our mighty powers of knowledge (the .org that is...!) you really should contact your GP and ask to be referred to a diabetic specialist etc... Check out the diabetes website which should be helpful

My mum was diagnosed as diabetic (type 1) late in life and she had to inform the DVLA. Nothing changed apart from having her licence renwed every 3 years. The same would prob apply to a biker? Rictus is a good person to ask, drop him a pm.

"2. How stringent are you with blood checks ect, espcially when riding"

ALWAYS check your blood before riding. Dont be lazy about it..its for your own good and safety as well as others. If your levels are about 3 or below, you shouldnt ride/drive...stuff your face with sweets / drink lucozade or have dextrosol (spelling?? these a basically sugar tablets). Riding on low levels means you increase your chances of having a hypo (and crashing god forbid..)

This is especially important if you are going on a long ride because it requires energy. so ideally, you'd want your blood levels to be a tad higher so you dont risk dropping too low.

Im not a diabetic myself by the way, just have this experience with my mum. When shes been naughty and driven on low sugar levels, Ive had to go and pick her up and drive her back because she felt crap in terms of concentration etc

Maria

[northwind]

Yeah, you know I am Doesn't really affect me much, I do bms before i ride and on a long one I'll deliberately cut my dose or take a little extra food just to spike it up a little, get some margin for error. Not exactly a recommended tactic but it's effective, I'd sooner run my hba a couple of points higher and not ride under a truck. I use the same approach for other sports, and big crowd situations etc. Going hypo in the middle of a crowd at a big gig would not be clever.

The pen regimes are so much better for real world living than the old 2-a-days, I'm not really familiar with yours though. But I couldn't get my head round your situation when we chatted about it at aviemore. Then again, it was about 5am and I was falling asleep under haggis's bed, so. I would have thought that if you're missing a 1-a-day injection, it should completely **** you up, it certainly would me.

1) Early in life, 7 years old, so I'm pretty much used to it.

2) Pretty stringent. Not quite a model patient but I get pretty heavy reactions to going far off the recommended levels- fairly heavy long lasting hypos, and really generally unpleasant highs. So I pretty much have to. When riding, 100%- I can barely walk with my bad hypos, and my onset symptoms aren't as good as they were. And highs affect my attention span quite a lot. And unlike some folks, I can't just fix a hypo quick, they take ages to shift.

3) None at all, to be honest. Well, other than the extra work needed to stay on top of it.

4) Nah, I used to be in the diabetic clubs when I was wee, to be honest I hate this sort of thing now. I probably would join some sort of forum or site if I was new to it but to be honest these support groups drive me nuts. And I don't trust the internet for medical advice either.

Speaking of which- don't trust the internet for medical advice What clinic do you go to? ERI one is pretty good, I've been seeing some of the same doctors for about 20 years now. They have some very good nursing support too, more real life than most treatment centres I reckon- they pioneered the current system for dealing with diabetics in custody frinstance. And I remember one appointment when I was about 16...

"So, Andrew, do you smoke weed?"
"Er..."
"OK, don't answer that. But if you do take weed, don't smoke it! Crumble it into a yoghurt, diabetics shouldn't smoke. Also, it gives a slower more mellow high."

Originally Posted by Kilted Ginger

I'm assuming yours is type 1 KK, otherwise there would be no need to inform insurance etc.

I think what I have is a form of type 2 (dont really know)

Is your permanent or do they not know yet?

I will be tested after I drop sprog but they think I might remain diabetic as this is my 3rd diabetic pregnancy.

Never had a hypo, despite bs being at 1.2 for several hours???, happened in hosp and diabetic doc called and could nt fathom it out, no physical or neurological effects??? so its kinda hard to watch for the signs?

ooh tricky. I feel hypo coming on at 4. but that might because my blood sugars are fairly high rest of time. Im injecting insulin before meals and bed and correcting after most meals. Have to up insulin levels every 2 days today I will be taking a minimum of 66 units.

I would just check before a ride and during ride when everyone stops for smoke. Hope it doesnt restrict you too much, especially as you have just got back in the saddle regularly. take care x

Originally Posted by northwind

But I couldn't get my head round your situation when we chatted about it at aviemore. Then again, it was about 5am and I was falling asleep under haggis's bed

Not quite asleep, but getting there.....



Haggis however, was very, very, very definately asleep (and deaf!)



Given his state of health at the time, KG was looking OK though.



The same can't be said for Kit Kat's PJ's. Sorry KK, but that picture is going to haunt you forever!

I can add anything constructive to the diabetic question I'm afraid (awaits the Birminghamers Neb Oot comment! )

burn it please - like I did to original PJs on way to meeting point lol