Anyone out there with diabetes?

[tursiops]

Scuba diving, snorkeling, and swimming with diabetes (and #OpenAPS)
Guidance for Diabetes & Scuba Diving - TheDiabetesCouncil.com

 

[Hoyden]

Divers Alert Network has a couple of good publications on Diving and diabetes - you can find them here -Scuba Dive Medical Articles — Decompression, Heart Safety — DAN | Divers Alert Network

 

[GaryK123]

I have been diving for 40 years with diabetes type 1. It can be a challenge to keep my glucose levels steady on multiple dives and/or long swim beach dives. I try and keep my sugar levels a bit higher before and during dives. I wear a pump and just disconnect before dives and do a quick glucose level. If it is lower than 200 I will eat a power bar or something similar. I have come up pretty low before and did not notice it underwater. Between dives I hook up my pump and eat lunch or a snack with a smaller than usual bolus and try to drink lots of fluids. After the dives glucose levels seem to shoot up due to not having insulin for a few hours so I try to take a bit extra after all the dives are done. I don't take glucose with me but I should. Last weekend I did my biggest bonehead move and on my second dive went down with my pump on. I can say that medtronic pumps do not like 145 feet of water. That was the first time I have ever done that and hopefully the last. My pump was out of warranty but I did have an old pump to use till I go through all the loops and money to get a new one. I do a lot of fairly deep freshwater dives to 160-170ft and could never tell weather I was low or just have way too much nitrogen in my brain. Usually it is the nitrogen but I have come up with glucose in the 50's. I guess the moral of the story is dive with less insulin, eat plenty and remember to take off your pump.

 

[Voit Blue 50]

Hello, been a type 1 since 2010, it ended my commercial diver career, but I moved on and in the end I don't consider not being a commercial diver a bad thing.

carry a power bar/ cliff bar with me for most dives, along with sugar gel, I use a CGM so I can test and test to see how my numbers are trending

I'll run high numbers for the diving day and then bolus myself back into range after the last dive, good times

 

[stronj1]

Do you wear the CGM while diving? What CGM do you use?

 

[Voit Blue 50]

the freestyle libre, with a tegaderm patch, so far so good for a single day of diving. Haven't tried it below 70ft yet.

 

[ekiM]

I have been diving for 40 years with diabetes type 1. It can be a challenge to keep my glucose levels steady on multiple dives and/or long swim beach dives. I try and keep my sugar levels a bit higher before and during dives. I wear a pump and just disconnect before dives and do a quick glucose level. If it is lower than 200 I will eat a power bar or something similar. I have come up pretty low before and did not notice it underwater. Between dives I hook up my pump and eat lunch or a snack with a smaller than usual bolus and try to drink lots of fluids. After the dives glucose levels seem to shoot up due to not having insulin for a few hours so I try to take a bit extra after all the dives are done. I don't take glucose with me but I should. Last weekend I did my biggest bonehead move and on my second dive went down with my pump on. I can say that medtronic pumps do not like 145 feet of water. That was the first time I have ever done that and hopefully the last. My pump was out of warranty but I did have an old pump to use till I go through all the loops and money to get a new one. I do a lot of fairly deep freshwater dives to 160-170ft and could never tell weather I was low or just have way too much nitrogen in my brain. Usually it is the nitrogen but I have come up with glucose in the 50's. I guess the moral of the story is dive with less insulin, eat plenty and remember to take off your pump.

Hey Gary were you diving in a drysuit?

I personally like to really hold back on the carbs and insulin.

I have been diving for 40 years with diabetes type 1. It can be a challenge to keep my glucose levels steady on multiple dives and/or long swim beach dives. I try and keep my sugar levels a bit higher before and during dives. I wear a pump and just disconnect before dives and do a quick glucose level. If it is lower than 200 I will eat a power bar or something similar. I have come up pretty low before and did not notice it underwater. Between dives I hook up my pump and eat lunch or a snack with a smaller than usual bolus and try to drink lots of fluids. After the dives glucose levels seem to shoot up due to not having insulin for a few hours so I try to take a bit extra after all the dives are done. I don't take glucose with me but I should. Last weekend I did my biggest bonehead move and on my second dive went down with my pump on. I can say that medtronic pumps do not like 145 feet of water. That was the first time I have ever done that and hopefully the last. My pump was out of warranty but I did have an old pump to use till I go through all the loops and money to get a new one. I do a lot of fairly deep freshwater dives to 160-170ft and could never tell weather I was low or just have way too much nitrogen in my brain. Usually it is the nitrogen but I have come up with glucose in the 50's. I guess the moral of the story is dive with less insulin, eat plenty and remember to take off your pump.

Yes it is a challenge to smooth out that BG! I try…try to hold back on the carbs and insulin, just using the carbs to tweak my blood sugar to where I want it.

Were you in a drysuit? I’m on a pump. I used to disconnect my pump and dive in a wetsuit and then I eventually went back to shots because it was easier.

What I would like to do is have the pump with me in a drysuit. Maybe disconnected but still communicating with the sensor. What do you think?