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Diabetes - Skiing With It

Tricia

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Some of you may know that I have a family history of Diabetes, and my father was recently diagnosed with Type 2. I do not have it but I was diagnosed with Hypoglycemia at 20 (bottomed out at 29 during the glucose tolerance test) and try to keep it controlled with diet, but I like to eat sweets and drink mojitos and......(you get the picture). When I eat poorly and drink, I feel an impact.
Recently I stumbled upon a blog that I had read a few years ago but forgot about by Kim Kircher. She is the Ski Patrol Director at Crystal Mountain, who also happens to have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 22.
Here is the blog post - Patient 13: A Possible Cure for Diabetes

Several years ago I was skiing with @UGASkiDawg and his daughter (how old was she at the time? It was 2009)
I realized the impact that Type 1 Diabetes has on every moment of every day, especially when you're a kid and want to have a cookie and hot chocolate during a ski break. :(

100_1477.jpeg
100_1484.jpeg

I know there are a few more skiers on this site who live with Diabetes and I'd like to have a better understanding of day to day and how it impacts your ski travel.

For anyone who wants a better understanding of Type 1 vs Type 2 go to this link.
http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/tc/diabetes-differences-between-type-1-and-2-topic-overview
 
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David Chaus

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I am a Type 1 diabetic and have been since I was 11. I just turned 54 on Monday, so that 43 years of living with this.

I have an insulin pump and use a continuous glucose monitor. When skiing, I'm always checking the monitor to see when my glucose levels are, and often adjusting the insulin basal rate. I also have a separate profile setting for the pump for skiing days, because I know I need far less insulin when I'm active. Before the pump, I carried an insulin pen in my backpack, as well as glucose meter. There are times when I did a finger prick and tested my blood sugar on the side of the slopes, then chugged some juice and waited until I felt OK to ski down. I always have some type of juice and other snacks with me on the slopes.

Yes, I have have had serious blood sugar crashes, in a variety of settings. Usually not on the slopes, because I've learned to be prepared. Don't always get it right.

It's another reason I don't do much apre activity, as in limit the alcohol intake, as well as desserts. However, eating regular meals is essential.

Also don't forget diabetes complications. I've already had cataract surgery, so my eyesight is way better these days; however that was just after the Jackson Gathering, so I was dealing with less-than-ideal vision while driving to and from Jackson, on my own. To make matters more complicated, I experienced a recurrence of diabetic retinopathy on my first day in Jackson, which means I had a micro blood vessel leakage in my left eye, causing my vision to get clouded up. I could barely see out of my left eye for the next few days. And it this was my first time at Jackson. So I was really glad to have guides and groups at the Gathering. So Tricia, when we were talking while riding on the lift, I was still having some problems with my vision.

But, life is good. I ski, I play, I enjoy life. I don't let diabetes define me. I just have to be prepared when I travel, have back up supplies, don't over-exert at first, and don't panic when sugar levels rise or fall.
 

bbinder

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Many of you have met my daughter Daria. She is a Type 1 diabetic (also diagnosed at age 11, while on a ski trip of all things). She is now 26 and also manages her diabetes with an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor. We are fortunate to live in an area where medical care is great, and her endocrinologist is world renowned. While I can sometimes forget about her disease, she never can. It is a challenge being a girl in junior high and high school when you are a little different, and this was no exception for my daughter. Many of her peers just could not understand why she needed to test her blood glucose and why she had to give herself injections. Some of her peers would react with disgust at these moments -- not in empathy, but as a reaction to being in the same building with her while she was performing these tasks. Needless to say, she grew up quickly and missed out on some of the care-free things that kids can do and get away with. She tried to not let it impede her activities -- she competed in gymnastics, skied all over the country on family trips, and played varsity soccer in high school; she travelled the world while in college on exchange programs. There were, however, constant reminders: the times that her blood sugar would go out of control just before a gymnastics event -- after weeks of practice, this would be enough to make her performance suffer; the phone call Marcia and I got at 4 am when she was in Australia and her insulin pump stopped working; the one time we let her insulin go through an airport xray and it was suddenly no longer effective -- her blood glucose went up to 700 while we were at 35,000 feet and her back up insulin was in the luggage compartment. And as anyone with a chronic illness will tell you, the list goes on. As her father, I am a little bit in awe at how well she turned out.

Like David, she does not let her diabetes define her. But it always there.
 

David Chaus

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^^^^^^ No kidding, you cannot take this for granted.

As it happens, for someone who prides himself on having good control, I was just in a therapy session with a couple, and my CGM was buzzing. I didn't want to interrupt their session, and when it was done (and I checked a couple of voice and texts messages from clients), I checked my CGM and my glucose level was way low, around 50 :eek::eek::eek:

So as I type this, I'm just in that recovery mode, where I've had some juice, eaten lunch, and I'm waiting for the headache to go away (rapid changes in my blood sugar does this sometimes) while I write some therapy notes and wait for my next client.
 

skibob

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Many of you have met my daughter Daria. She is a Type 1 diabetic (also diagnosed at age 11, while on a ski trip of all things). She is now 26 and also manages her diabetes with an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor. We are fortunate to live in an area where medical care is great, and her endocrinologist is world renowned. While I can sometimes forget about her disease, she never can. It is a challenge being a girl in junior high and high school when you are a little different, and this was no exception for my daughter. Many of her peers just could not understand why she needed to test her blood glucose and why she had to give herself injections. Some of her peers would react with disgust at these moments -- not in empathy, but as a reaction to being in the same building with her while she was performing these tasks. Needless to say, she grew up quickly and missed out on some of the care-free things that kids can do and get away with. She tried to not let it impede her activities -- she competed in gymnastics, skied all over the country on family trips, and played varsity soccer in high school; she travelled the world while in college on exchange programs. There were, however, constant reminders: the times that her blood sugar would go out of control just before a gymnastics event -- after weeks of practice, this would be enough to make her performance suffer; the phone call Marcia and I got at 4 am when she was in Australia and her insulin pump stopped working; the one time we let her insulin go through an airport xray and it was suddenly no longer effective -- her blood glucose went up to 700 while we were at 35,000 feet and her back up insulin was in the luggage compartment. And as anyone with a chronic illness will tell you, the list goes on. As her father, I am a little bit in awe at how well she turned out.

Like David, she does not let her diabetes define her. But it always there.
Its unfortunate that she had peer issues with it. One of my daughter's best friends is T1. Her school teaches her class at the beginning of each year to recognize low blood sugar symptoms and be sure to bring them to the teacher's attention immediately. She is only 4th grade this past year. Hopefully her environment stays as supportive when she gets to jr high.
 

bbinder

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Its unfortunate that she had peer issues with it. One of my daughter's best friends is T1. Her school teaches her class at the beginning of each year to recognize low blood sugar symptoms and be sure to bring them to the teacher's attention immediately. She is only 4th grade this past year. Hopefully her environment stays as supportive when she gets to jr high.
Sorry to hear this about your daughter. We did the same thing with her teachers. The nurse in jr high was awesome, the high school nurse - not so much. Some of the teachers did not fully understand the repercussions of the disease -- once, in high school, she became hypoglycemic and her gym teacher sent her to the nurse by herself -- she became confused and started wandering outside. Fortunately the jr high nurse was returning to the school and found her and, ahem, rectified the situation. You can be sure that after being double teamed by my wife and this nurse, no one in the school made that mistake again. Curiously, she is not the first T1 diabetic to go through this school system, so you would think that they would have been better prepared.

Hopefully, her dx at such a young age will allow her peers to look at her management as 'no big deal.' However, teenage years are tough for any girl, so ...
 
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Tricia

Tricia

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One of the things that has piqued my interest in this, besides the blog from Kim Kircher, is a Facebook post from @UGASkiDawg's wife about the things that they were packing and preparing for in order for their daughter to attend a ski camp at Mammoth.
Its pretty incredible to be a young skier who happens to be Type 1 diabetic and venturing out on your first big trip. Its got to leave the parents in a very anxious state for the next few weeks.
 
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scott43

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My aunt had islet cell replacement some years go here in Canada. She went from a 5 needle a day diabetic to a 2 needle a day diabetic. However, I don't think the effect has stayed. I believe she has regressed since that time. It's a tough go and I hope that they do have success with this new islet plan.
 

UGASkiDawg

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Some of you may know that I have a family history of Diabetes, and my father was recently diagnosed with Type 2. I do not have it but I was diagnosed with Hypoglycemia at 20 (bottomed out at 29 during the glucose tolerance test) and try to keep it controlled with diet, but I like to eat sweets and drink mojitos and......(you get the picture). When I eat poorly and drink, I feel an impact.
Recently I stumbled upon a blog that I had read a few years ago but forgot about by Kim Kircher. She is the Ski Patrol Director at Crystal Mountain, who also happens to have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 22.
Here is the blog post - Patient 13: A Possible Cure for Diabetes

Several years ago I was skiing with @UGASkiDawg and his daughter (how old was she at the time? It was 2009)
I realized the impact that Type 1 Diabetes has on every moment of every day, especially when you're a kid and want to have a cookie and hot chocolate during a ski break. :(

1924303_115768895017_9251_n.jpg


1924303_115768930017_800_n.jpg

I know there are a few more skiers on this site who live with Diabetes and I'd like to have a better understanding of day to day and how it impacts your ski travel.

For anyone who wants a better understanding of Type 1 vs Type 2 go to this link.
http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/tc/diabetes-differences-between-type-1-and-2-topic-overview


She was 7 in 2009....My how time flies.
 
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Tricia

Tricia

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UGASkiDawg

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One of the things that has piqued my interest in this, besides the blog from Kim Kircher, is a Facebook post from @UGASkiDawg's wife about the things that they were packing and preparing for in order for their daughter to attend a ski camp at Mammoth.
Its pretty incredible to be a young skier who happens to be Type 1 diabetic and venturing out on your first big trip. Its got to leave the parents in a very anxious state for the next few weeks.


You can say that again and again. She just finished her last day of skiing at Mammoth and is driving back starting tomorrow and arrives at Copper sometime on Friday. Everything has gone relatively well and she has learned a lot about how much work it takes to take care of herself. When she's at home, it's pretty much left to her mother and I to think about it, plan etc. For the last two weeks she's done it all herself and is exhausted and grateful for us for possibly the first time. I wish more than anything every day that I could take that burden from her shoulders and carry it on Mine forever. I never get tired of telling people that she is my hero for what she faces everyday since she was 2 years old. She knows nothing different. I can't wait to see her!:thumb:
 
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Tricia

Tricia

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You can say that again and again. She just finished her last day of skiing at Mammoth and is driving back starting tomorrow and arrives at Copper sometime on Friday. Everything has gone relatively well and she has learned a lot about how much work it takes to take care of herself. When she's at home, it's pretty much left to her mother and I to think about it, plan etc. For the last two weeks she's done it all herself and is exhausted and grateful for us for possibly the first time. I wish more than anything every day that I could take that burden from her shoulders and carry it on Mine forever. I never get tired of telling people that she is my hero for what she faces everyday since she was 2 years old. She knows nothing different. I can't wait to see her!:thumb:
:hug:
 
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Tricia

Tricia

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Bumping this thread for National Diabetes Awareness Day.
The JDRF has a benefactor who will match funds for donations made today.
Please donate if you have the means, even if its $10.00, and help find a cure
Donate today for matching funds
Find a cure for this face
100_1476.jpeg
 

UGASkiDawg

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Bumping this thread for National Diabetes Awareness Day.
The JDRF has a benefactor who will match funds for donations made today.
Please donate if you have the means, even if its $10.00, and help find a cure
Donate to day for matching funds
Find a cure for this face
1924303_115768895017_9251_n.jpg

There's no cure for the ugly face on the right but for the one on the left there's still hope!
 

Michael Kane

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You all are young uns compaired to my wife. She was diagnosed at 3 and is now pushing 58. Thats 55 years of it if you do the math. The new pump that she uses, which changes the basel insulin rates, has done wonders for her. Overall, they have come along way in treating diabetes. We have been together for 33 years and it is amazing to see how things have progressed. When we first got married, in the back of my mind I thought that I likely would be a widower by now. Now I think that she is likely to out live me. Fingers crossed anyway.
 

T-Square

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Well, I had pancreatitis about 12 years ago and ended up being diabetic as a result. Considering the other possibilities, not a too bad result, I’m vertical. I use insulin to keep things under control. Just got a continuous glucose monitor which will help keep me honest. I’m learning to use it to get in better control. It hasn’t effected my skiing. I just keep a granola bar on my pocket, just in case. Plus I can sneak an oatmeal cranberry cookie now and then. :D Damn, I’ll have to get out on the slopes and burn those nasty carbs off.

Like all disabilities, the biggest thing is your attitude. Diabetes won’t affect my skiing because I won’t let it. If you properly plan and prepare you can have a great day on the slopes.

I’ve recently discovered Sugar Surfing. It’s not for everyone, but it maybe something a diabetic may want to take a look at. I attended a presentation by Dr. Ponder, the author, a couple of months ago. It was in Boston and we had participants from Michigan and Canada. Very interesting approach to dynamic diabetes management. He’s a type 1 diabetic for 50 years and using this approach he keeps his A1C around 5.5 or a bit less. Sorry for the tech talk, but diabetics will understand that is amazing control. That’s in the normal range for A1Cs.

Keep smiling, have fun, keep sliding downhill.
 

Carolinacub

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PLEASE! If you are skiing . and I hope you are, Wear a medical alert tag prominently! A bonk on the head can easily be confused with a diabetic incident.

Give your rescue a chance!
As a patroller one of the things I look for immediately during a call is medical information that can help us in an emergency, I've seen a couple of these helmet medical info things on the slope and think they are a great idea.
http://www.idformyhelmet.com/
 

T-Square

Terry
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As a patroller one of the things I look for immediately during a call is medical information that can help us in an emergency, I've seen a couple of these helmet medical info things on the slope and think they are a great idea.
http://www.idformyhelmet.com/

Slick! I need to get some. Thanks.
 

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