Sport Help!!!!

[sam flanagan]

Hello again I need help!!!
As you all know my son was diagnosed with type 1 4 weeks ago
He plays a lot of rugby 3 or 4 times a week and we are battling a hypo every session
We check his blood at start and it is under 8 so we give him a biscuit mid way through we check again and it has generally dropped to 3.6 so we treat the hypo what can we do to stop this happening every time. As you can imagine he is getting very angry and upset as it is stopping him playing can anyone help should we give him more than 10g carb before rugby

 

[Kaylz]

When in the day does he play his rugby, whichever meal he is having before playing, his insulin dose should be reduced for this meal but talk to a DSN or someone before doing this xx

 

[Greyhound Gal]

I don't do anything as physical but do do archery 3x a week. Even this drops my BG and like you I test mid way through. I can tolerate porridge so on Sundays have this for brekkie as it releases slower and I also reduce my bolus ratio to prevent a hypo. For evening sessions, I try to eat slightly more carbs then normal for evening meal beforehand and depending on BG before meal I may also slightly reduce bolus as well. I do always check BG mid way through the session though.

 

[Radders]

How long after his last meal is he playing? If it's not more than 4 hours, you might be able to reduce the bolus beforehand. This tends to be how I manage exercise.

 

[Matt Cycle]

The easiest option is more carbs. Depending on the duration and intensity of the game something like a banana or malt loaf should see him through.

 

[sunny sanghera]

I have had this issue myself as I play lots of football well use to I was told to reduce the background insulin if am playing once I forgot to and I had a bad hypo during a match and still kept playing along such is my character

 

[trophywench]

Yep - people usually are advised to reduce their basal that day - however perhaps your clinic imagine he gave up playing Rugger at diagnosis?

If so they are idiots! You really should ask them to advise you though, it is their job - and better to have it from your own team really (who hopefully will agree with the forum LOL - after all where did any of us get it from !) so they are actually aware of what he's up to day to day and so can monitor that bit with him, as well as everything else.

 

[DeusXM]

I'd say for a growing lad giving it his best on the pitch, 10g of carbs isn't really enough at all. I'd actually suggest maybe something like a small portion of wholemeal pasta/rice before a game, and I'd also speak to his care team as well about adjusting the amount of insulin he takes on match days.

Another thing that might be a good idea and would probably make your son feel a heck of a lot better....doubtless, he is on Twitter etc.

Henry Slade plays in the backs for Exeter and England, and Chris Pennell plays fullback for Worcester - and both have T1 diabetes. I'd genuinely encourage your son to get in touch via Twitter (https://twitter.com/sladey_10 and https://twitter.com/chris_pennell) or get in correspondance via the clubs' media offices and ask what their top tips are. These guys will literally be the very best in the world at playing rugby with T1, plus hopefully will serve as a reminder to your son that having T1 doesn't have to stop him achieving anything.]

Chris and the BBC did a good video here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/get-inspired/36225872

 

[Adrasteia]

I've had to give my son 50g of carbs to get him through a 75 minute bike ride!

The key is just to experiment with what works best for your son and the intensity of exercise. We don't generally reduce bolus insulin pre-exercise as my son REALLY spikes before (thanks adrenaline!) but that works really well for others.

On the advice of our consultant we tried running our son a little higher for a sport session or two and do a lot of testing - we got really useful data on how quickly, by how much and for how long he fell which let us tailor his regimes. Much less disruptive than hypos (and probably less risky - a hypo in a swimming pool is no laughing matter). We now have different insulin and snack regimes for different exercises.

Good luck with it!

 

[SB2015]

Like others have said, you have to find out how many carbs are needed for the game. I used to eat a banana before a one hour swim training session as that gave carbs and released a bit more slowly. I also tested part way through the session. I only found out what worked by trial and error. Another option could be a chewy bar, which he can snack on at an appropriate point during the game. If his match is just after a meal it could be worth reducing the bolus from that meal.

I know that I found things a great deal easier once I was on a pump as I was then able to reduce my background just for the time period I needed. Is this something he and his D team would consider

 

[Copepod]

www.runweet.com is an excellent website with information about physiology of sp ort with type 1 diabetes, plus case studies of specific sports, including rugby union - see http://www.runsweet.com/diabetes-and-sport/rugby/ for article written by Chris Pannell of Worcester Warriors.

 

[sam flanagan]

Thank you all this really is helpful

 

[HOBIE]

Hello again I need help!!!
As you all know my son was diagnosed with type 1 4 weeks ago
He plays a lot of rugby 3 or 4 times a week and we are battling a hypo every session
We check his blood at start and it is under 8 so we give him a biscuit mid way through we check again and it has generally dropped to 3.6 so we treat the hypo what can we do to stop this happening every time. As you can imagine he is getting very angry and upset as it is stopping him playing can anyone help should we give him more than 10g carb before rugby

Good for him ! Playing rugby. I used to play for the school team & have been T1 since being 3. I think having something before he goes out on pitch is a good thing but try not to be to perfect with bg. Learn as you go & good luck. There is no perfect answer to this 🙂

 

[Rob Oldfield]

Also some interesting stuff here.... http://www.teamnovonordisk.com/

 

[Anthony Stirrat]

What about a can of slimfast before hand? I used to use it as a recovery aid during events and heavy training sessions. It might help as a prematch boost without sitting heavy on his stomach

 

[trophywench]

Dunno about anyone else but 25g carb would increase my BG by 7.5, so assuming I was say 6 or so before I started then my BG would be too high to exercise safely - so I think that might be TOO much to begin with - especially with no fat to slow the carbs down a bit!