Fall Colors and the Pump

The fall colors are in prime display right now here in the northland. The 2 bright red trees across the street from my house really glow at first light. The vibrant yellow-gold of the tree in second pic doesn't really come through in the picture, but is stunning in person. A lot of people from other areas never get to see such beauty. No bad for them.

Well, after my cortisone shot disaster, it appears my pancreas shut down. It's probably not coming back. So, after intense insulin therapy for the last few days, my glucose is coming back to normal. I'm off the Byetta, added before meal Novolog insulin, along with the Lantus basal insulin. I'll be going on the Omnipod insulin pump next week. That's a high tech wireless pump with no plumbing to mess with. The glucose meter acts as a remote control to set figure and set dosage. Very simple and ideal for active people. I'm looking forward to it. And to better glucose control.

Me And My Big Mouth

In my last post, I made the bold statement that things were looking up. One thing "up" in a non-positive way is my blood sugar. Seems the cortisone shot cried havoc and unleashed the dogs of war on my system. It has been known to happen. It happened last time I got one, but not to this extant. Last time it raised my fasting glucose about 50 points for a couple of days. This time, over 300. I called the diabetes nurse who is handling my case, and she put me on Novolog, a fast acting insulin that is normally take by type 1 diabetics. It works by taking it before meals to cut the rapid rise in glucose levels after eating. It sure is working. Small doses throughout the day and night brought it down to 170 this morning. Still much higher than normal, but at least well below the ketosis range of 242 and up. That ketosis is no fun. You get tired and loose all energy. You just want to sleep. Exercise is not recommended until glucose levels drop below 242, so you have to rely on drugs to get it down. Tough on the kidneys, too.

I've read several reports that cortisone shots can worsen type 2 diabetes to type 1 symptoms to the point that one has to inject before meals and be ever more diligent with monitoring and treatment. Hopefully, it won't happen to me. One thing I do know is that this episode has heightened my awareness of my problem. Diabetes is relentless. No days off. Everything one does revolves around it. So many systems can be effected by uncontrolled blood sugar. And so many terrible consequences. But, if I do end up having to take several shots a day, I won't be devastated. Look at team Type 1, bike racing on the international level with several type 1 diabetics on board. They make it work, looking at diabetes as just part of life, not something to mope about.

Taking The Needle

Visited the orthopedic surgeon yesterday for a cortisone injection in my ailing knee. It wasn't bad, pain speaking. He said it would be very painful, but it was just a little uncomfortable, at worse. The result was an @ 80% improvement almost instantly. It seemed to tighten up the joint considerably. So after work, I took the MTB out for a leisurely ride around the neighborhood. The knee held up just fine, and feels even better today.

This weekend, I plan on finishing one of my side projects, then I can get back to regular riding. I hate missing the fall colors being stuck inside dry walling. I'm finally going to order a compact crank form my road big, and have started a slush fund for a good cross/commuter rig. Things are looking up on all front, so it's nice to be able to get back on track.

Champing At The Bit

And I am. I don't know about you, but the cool weather changes my perception of riding. I haven't been putting in much saddle time lately, due to projects, family, and a nicked up knee. Talking to the surgeon this morning about the knee got me some answers. The X-ray and MRI didn't reveal any new structural damage, just more arthritis, which was aggravated by bowling. No more bowling, more bike riding. I will be getting a cortisone shot on Wednesday morning, but further surgery is out of the question for a while. A knee replacement is a few years down the road. A more aggressive weight loss plan will be put in effect, since less weight means less wear and tear on the joints.

OK, back to what I started to talk about, cool weather riding. Don't get me wrong, I love the hot weather. I'm very comfortable on 80-90 degree rides, the effort that results in a different type of suffering than in the cold. I find a base layer under my jersey keeps me more comfortable than just a jersey alone. Same in the cold. A good base layering system is the key to staying comfortable in all weather. I need to add a few items to my cold weather arsenal, but mainly for the extreme cold temps. The only thing I have problem with is my hands. Since becoming diabetic, I just can't keep them warm on cold weather rides unless I use chemical warmers. It must have something to do with the neuropothy, which effects my feet much more than my hands. I'm trying to add more blue berries and such to my diet, but that gets pretty spendy. All the good stuff one needs to eat healthy sure does cost a lot.

The major thing about cool weather riding is this: I don't look near as fat in cold weather gear than in spandex. One has to look good to feel good...

RICE

RICE. No, not the rice you eat, but the injury treatment method. I'm using it right now while waiting for the ortho doc to call me. The same knee I had repaired several months back, is banged up again. It feels worse this time. Very swollen and hard to put weight on, much less going up stairs. Now, I wish I had a cool story to tell, you know, some dramatic, heroic, sports related tale of triumph while playing hurt. It was a bowling injury. There, I said it. A bowling knee injury. How stupid does that sound?

Let's start by saying I don't bowl much these days. Once in the last 21 years to be exact. I used to carry a 170 or so average back in the day when I bowled leagues twice a week. Not bad, but not in the same rank of the better guys in this area. So when I was asked to be a designated driver for the camp ground bowling party, I obliged and hauled the soon to be intoxicated people from said campground to the bowling alley a few miles away. I don't drink much, being diabetic and all, so it was no big sacrifice. I actually like some of the group, anyway, and wouldn't want to see a car accident or a DUI ruin the fun.

Back to the mishap. I can't really even call it that, since I didn't slip, trip, fall, or bleed. One minute I was trying to recreate my old form, find the mark and groove. The next, my knee was tender. A few frames later, it was throbbing. The only thing I figure is the slide and twist motion must have popped something loose that shouldn't be loose. I couldn't throw stroke the ball without severe pain. My wife made the pointed comment on how she thought I was a bowler and now why am I not putting up big numbers. Well, you try rolling a 16 lb ball on one leg, see how it works for you, I replied.

The next morning, it felt better, I took some Aleves and went to work on my latest drywall project. i put in about 6 hours, doing mostly vertical seems and screws. It was a bit tender, but held up. Not so today. Any pressure, such as stairs, is very painful. RICE is the order of the day. Hopefully, the doctor will get me in later to check it out so I know what damage has been done. The swelling isn't going down, and that's what worries me. I just hope I won't need more surgery, knock on wood.

Up The Shore

I had to get out after work last night. All the crap of life get flushed with a good ride. I needed it badly, so I headed up the North Shore after work for an easy 2 hour spin. But as soon as I hit North Shore drive, the wind off the lake was cold and stiff. I rode an hour and 10 minutes out, 55 minutes coming back. There's is nothing like heading home with a stiff tail wind to make the hard effort into it worthwhile.

Another reason I had to get out was to find out if my erratic blood sugar reading are related to my inconsistent exercise regimen lately. I haven't been sitting around, mind you, but haven't been getting the hard multi-hour sessions in often enough. And, my readings have been taking a dangerous dive in the afternoons and evenings with no warning or reason. I can feel it if I get below 65, and the last 3 days, they have dropped into the 50's. No good if I happen to be driving. It has been waking me up in the middle of the night occasionally, too. Not good for the brain. I just may have to back off on the meds a bit and get back to a training routine to counteract this, but i feel the less synthetics injected the better. We shall see...

PS: the pics are from the new landing at Knife River. Very nice spot to launch a boat.

All In A Day's Work

Suffering. Do you enjoy a good old body beat down once in a while? I do. Saturday and Sunday was a suffer-fest, especially Saturday. The campground crew and I cut and split 17 pick-up loads of wood at a friends cabin. 55 degrees, drizzle to pouring rain mix of weather. Soaked, cold to the bone , heavy work. 8:30 am to 6:30 pm, a short lunch break, but mainly hard work. It reminded me of a couple of races from back in the day, when you were so miserable, but working so hard, you just couldn't quit. I followed this up on Sunday with a long day of dry walling. A bit sore on Monday, perfect today.

I had the abscessed tooth pulled out and the gunk surrounding it carved out last week. It's sure a relief to get that over with. Very little pain, but lots of blood. I sure hope with all the infection gone that my blood sugar stabilizes. It's been erratic, but so has my work out regimen. One more side project to go, and my time will free up a bit for more riding. It's fall, my favorite outdoor time of year, and I just don't want to miss it.