I am not Invincible

I am not invincible: a hard lesson to learn. I live with Type I, insulin dependent, diabetes a disease that requires me to administer insulin via injection based on how much fat and carbohydrate I intake and how much energy I expend daily. Through diet, exercise and medication I attempt to maintain a blood sugar level that is comparable to a person without diabetes, my desired level is 85-110mg/dL. Any time I eat food I inject insulin into my thigh, arm or stomach. Every night I administer another shot of insulin. The night time insulin remains in my body for approximately 24 hours - it works like a constant drip always maintaining my blood sugar at the desired level. Without this medicine my blood sugar would rise throughout the day leaving me thirsty, nauseous and in a position to have long term complications from my diabetes. However, it is because of this medicine that my new running regimen has become difficult.

Exercise decreases my body's need for insulin. My decreased need for insulin is normal and I should have anticipated it. I should have started taking less night time insulin when I decided to start running more. The problem is that I didn't anticipate my change in insulin requirements. I didn't really even think about it until today when it occurred to me why my blood sugar has been so low lately. *brilliant*

I feel extremely tired when my blood sugar is low. To fix the problem, I just need to eat enough food to compensate for my low blood sugar. Unfortunately, when my blood sugar is low my brain does not function at full capacity. And though I know that I feel this way because of my low blood sugar and I know how to fix my blood sugar my brain works on slow mode so I cannot convince myself to fix the problem.

I can spend hours in a daze. I develop an outrageous headache and a very short temper, but mostly I just want to lay down and take a nap, never mind my children.

Today my blood sugar dropped to 27. This is scary low. It felt awful. When I understood my problem appropriately, I compensated by eating a quesadilla and gobs of cookie dough.

It scares me to think of the day when I am unable to process my need for more food in time to fix my low blood sugar before I pass out - with two small children who are mostly incapable of assessing the problem and fixing it for me.

Earlier today I ate a cookie to increase my blood sugar and tonight a drank a sugar drink.

If I was exercising to lose weight diabetes would have certainly foiled that plan!

I have been waking up in the middle of the night as well, requiring food to maintain a normal blood sugar level. It's awful to wake up at 3am and realize you have to sit down for a meal in order to fall back to sleep without slipping into a coma.

I guess tonight I will begin to adjust my night time insulin hoping that I will find the right amount so that I will feel fabulous all day long while still enjoying running.

Today I walked 2.8 miles over the bridge and back and I ran sprints for 3.5 miles. It was really hard. I can't want to see if my decreased insulin fixes my blood sugar woes.