Three years ago today I was diagnosed with diabetes. My doctor said I had been diabetic for a long time, however I consistently rode a bike so much, it just didn’t show up until my pancreas quit producing insulin and the disease was not longer manageable by exercise alone. He also said I was the most fit patient he ever had and there was little he could do other than prescribe insulin for me.
How did he know I was a diabetic for a while? Because my first A1C number was 16.1. A1C also is known as glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and is formed by the attachment of glucose to hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying protein found in red blood cells. The percentage of glycosylated hemoglobin in the blood reflects the average blood sugar levels over the preceding 2-3 months. My A1C translated into an average glucose level of 443. For normal healthy people their A1C would be 6 or below and at any given time their glucose level should be below 100.
After my first visit and diagnoses, I set out to educate myself about this disease and found there is a wealth of information about how bad diabetes is, but little information is out there about diabetic athletes. Maybe this is because diabetes is different for everyone and nobody has it the same way or the disease changes over time. Fortunately for me I did not need to make many changes in my diet, but I did need to figure out how my body uses glucose and more importantly I needed to know how much energy I consumed while riding my bike. So how did I do this? By trial and error on my bike and at times it became interesting.
Getting low blood sugar (hypoglycemic) can be scary, even deadly and is easily accomplished by riding a bike because of the energy (glucose) your body uses during riding. Remember that trial and error learning I mentioned earlier? I found out quickly about being hypoglycemic, but I also learned a lot. So I started a new journey on learning what works for me. I now know how much glucose I consume and the difference in consumption rates between when riding my commuter bike and just cruising along, riding my go fast carbon fiber road bike, and riding my indoor trainer.
The biggest nuisance of diabetes is I can not carbo load for long rides, my recovery from long hard rides takes longer, and running out of gas (bonking) during a ride is a major pain in the ass. Although I have not had the need to be picked up and brought home, I have come close.
The best thing from diabetes is I am more fit and as my son puts it, I am “the most fit sick person he knows.” I ride more, work out more, and have significantly increased my fitness level. My morning blood pressure is 98/59, resting pulse is 49, body fat is in the low teens, and my A1C 5.9. That is a healthy persons A1C.
My lifestyle has changed a lot in the last three years. I start my mornings by sticking my finger to check my glucose (sugar) level and do this several more times during the day. I make a mental note of everything I eat or drink during the day, along with planning on how much to eat so it corresponds to the physical activity I am going to have during the day. I take my meter everywhere I go along with some kind of fruit as a backup in case my numbers tank and I pay attention to how I am feeling. I am one of the lucky diabetics who can feel the highs and lows of my blood sugar.
Three years ago today my bicycle journey turned onto a different and unexpected road. It reminded me life is not about the destination, but more importantly about the fun we have on the journey. Life is good and bikes make it fun.
Tags: bicycling, diabetes
Last night on the evening news there was story about UPS hiring bicyclists to make their deliveries by bike in the area. Apparently UPS is hiring 28 bike delivery employees to make deliveries during the holiday season rush. The company has purchased a small fleet of mountain bikes equipped with a 200 pound capacity trailer and lights.
When does discourse become complaining? I read a lot of web sites and blogs about bicycling, whether it be about commuting, fitness training, or recreational riding.
