Type 1 diabetes in the back country

[Devildog090106]

Well here's the scoop. This week I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I'm still trying to figure all this out and get my diet and food intake figured out. All that being said I've been an elk hunter since I was old enough to purchase a tag, almost 25 years. It's really my passion.

All that being said, any of yall have any tips on food, snacks, insulin management? I don't typically back pack in and am back to my truck in the evenings after dark. My current medication doesn't need to be refrigerated once opened, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Thanks all. This is a pretty overwhelming process and appreciate any tips.

 

[Marbles]

I will risk repeating some basic stuff, you may already know it, but lots of people mix it up.

Diabetes (DM in medical shorthanded) makes your blood sugar high. In the case of type 1, this is because you do not produce adequate insulin.

Insulin is a storage and building hormone, it lowers blood sugar by telling your cells to take that sugar in and store it. Mismatching the insulin dose to your body's needs is what causes low blood sugar (too much insulin), or diabetic keto acidosis (too little insulin for too long).

My understanding (I don't manage DM in my day job, you should discuss this with a diabetic educator) is that exercise increases consumption of glucose, but not the need for insulin, so insulin dosing needs to be adjusted down or adjusted carb intake up to avoid hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Interestlingly, in other times of stress, such as an illness, insulin needs tend to be higher and DKA is the concern.

Monitoring is the key, especially when learning or doing something new.

Carry glucose tabs in case your sugar drops. Simple sugar is what you want to bring a low blood glucose up as they absorbed quickly, hard candy works as do drinks like Gatorade and tailwind if you are getting enough sugar, but given the volume of liquid needed for an adequate dose, I would go with something other than a drink (I've not calculated the dose, just making a guess).

Once your glucose is up, you then want complex carbs, protein, and fat to hold it up over time without a giant spike. This is things like peanut butter crackers, protein bars, ice cream, a freeze dried meal, Etc.

Ask if your insurance will cove continuous glucose monitoring, even if it will not, it might be worth paying out of pocket during time you are in the field while you learn how your body responds.

Good luck, with good management there is little reason you cannot lead a nearly normal life (I say nearly because monitoring/meds, not because you need to quit doing things).

On the preventative side, consistent exercise goes a long way, keeping you hemoglobin A1c down (this number is basically a 90 day rolling average of your blood glucose), and keeping your cholesterol down go a long way in allowing a long and healthy life.

You can adjust insulin to manage a crap dietary choice (which is what a none diabetics body does), but enough poor diet choices will lead to poorer outcomes over time, similar to the rest of use, but probably a touch worse in the case of DM.

I wonder if @V2Pnutrition does work with DM, given the medication side of thigs, I honestly don't know how much of DM type I falls in a nutritionists wheelhouse. If you have the resources, getting educated early is well worth the investment, and your needs may differ from those most DM educators deal with.

Good luck.

 

[Ram94]

Back Country Hunting with Type 1 Diabetes

Any fellow roksliders out there with tips and strategies for backpack hunting as an insulin dependent individual. My brother and I are both diabetic and are going to Colorado in September 2018 to try this whole elk thing that people rave on about :rolleyes:. Any advice would be great so the...

rokslide.com

Backpack Hunting With Diabetes, By Cody Hoff

Meet Cody Hoff (@hoff1ck) Cody grew up in Michigan's Thumb area, hunting anything that was in season every day he could. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 18, which really sparked his interest in medicine. Cody went to Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA to obtain his master's...

rokslide.com

These are a couple threads on the subject. Look into the Dexcom continuous monitor and Tslim pump. Makes a world of difference. Don’t let it slow you down.

 

[Devildog090106]

I will risk repeating some basic stuff, you may already know it, but lots of people mix it up.

Diabetes (DM in medical shorthanded) makes your blood sugar high. In the case of type 1, this is because you do not produce adequate insulin.

Insulin is a storage and building hormone, it lowers blood sugar by telling your cells to take that sugar in and store it. Mismatching the insulin dose to your body's needs is what causes low blood sugar (too much insulin), or diabetic keto acidosis (too little insulin for too long).

My understanding (I don't manage DM in my day job, you should discuss this with a diabetic educator) is that exercise increases consumption of glucose, but not the need for insulin, so insulin dosing needs to be adjusted down or adjusted carb intake up to avoid hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Interestlingly, in other times of stress, such as an illness, insulin needs tend to be higher and DKA is the concern.

Monitoring is the key, especially when learning or doing something new.

Carry glucose tabs in case your sugar drops. Simple sugar is what you want to bring a low blood glucose up as they absorbed quickly, hard candy works as do drinks like Gatorade and tailwind if you are getting enough sugar, but given the volume of liquid needed for an adequate dose, I would go with something other than a drink (I've not calculated the dose, just making a guess).

Once your glucose is up, you then want complex carbs, protein, and fat to hold it up over time without a giant spike. This is things like peanut butter crackers, protein bars, ice cream, a freeze dried meal, Etc.

Ask if your insurance will cove continuous glucose monitoring, even if it will not, it might be worth paying out of pocket during time you are in the field while you learn how your body responds.

Good luck, with good management there is little reason you cannot lead a nearly normal life (I say nearly because monitoring/meds, not because you need to quit doing things).

On the preventative side, consistent exercise goes a long way, keeping you hemoglobin A1c down (this number is basically a 90 day rolling average of your blood glucose), and keeping your cholesterol down go a long way in allowing a long and healthy life.

You can adjust insulin to manage a crap dietary choice (which is what a none diabetics body does), but enough poor diet choices will lead to poorer outcomes over time, similar to the rest of use, but probably a touch worse in the case of DM.

I wonder if @V2Pnutrition does work with DM, given the medication side of thigs, I honestly don't know how much of DM type I falls in a nutritionists wheelhouse. If you have the resources, getting educated early is well worth the investment, and your needs may differ from those most DM educators deal with.

Good luck.

Thanks you. I did know some of that but thats super helpful. Much appreciated

 

[deserthunter2016]

Find a good insulin pump and CGM that works for you.

I’ve had type 1 since I was 9. I manage it well with diet, exercise and CGM/pump. A good Endocrinologist is also huge.

I often backpack/backcountry hunt alone. It takes a little extra planning and a little more precaution but I don’t worry about it too much. I carry hichew’s, gummy bears, and other fast acting carbs and sugars for when I drop low. My meals consist of high carbs & proteins, with plenty of snacks in between. Don’t be afraid of overeating, I have found I burn a lot more calories while hunting than I thought, and I always carry 1 or 2 each meals just as a contingency plan.

Just like any hunt - let people know where you are, what your plan is, and carry an emergency communication device. Although I hunt alone a lot it isn’t a bad idea to always going with someone you trust. Have them carry an extra glucagon just in case.

Go have fun and don’t let diabetes hold you back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[farmermail]

Diabetes is overwhelming, especially at the beginning. You can manage and reduce the burden to a point where it is there, in the background, but not overwhelming anymore. My 12yo son has T1, diagnosed about a year ago. As others have said, your experience with diabetes will be unique to you. Figure out technology, routines, snacks, levels, etc. that work for you. From there, have fun and hunt, don't let it alter how or where you want to hunt one bit. My son was able to get his first elk this year, hard hike, all the normal elk stuff. No better way to say FU to this disease than you dropping the hammer on an elk this fall!

 

[j3h8]

You are going to find that your time in the mountains will drop your glucose fast. Even without insulin. Food will become your best friend. My daughter is type 1 and during water polo season she all but stops her insulin for food. Exercise can be very effective but also if not managed can be very dangerous.

As others have stated a constant glucose monitor will go a long way helping you not die out there.

I suggest that until you really learn your body and how it acts with highs/lows (lows can be incredibly dangerous) that you have someone with you back there. Make sure they are aware of what to do for extreme lows and that you both have some form of emergency communication in the even you are separated.

 

[Devildog090106]

Find a good insulin pump and CGM that works for you.

I’ve had type 1 since I was 9. I manage it well with diet, exercise and CGM/pump. A good Endocrinologist is also huge.

I often backpack/backcountry hunt alone. It takes a little extra planning and a little more precaution but I don’t worry about it too much. I carry hichew’s, gummy bears, and other fast acting carbs and sugars for when I drop low. My meals consist of high carbs & proteins, with plenty of snacks in between. Don’t be afraid of overeating, I have found I burn a lot more calories while hunting than I thought, and I always carry 1 or 2 each meals just as a contingency plan.

Just like any hunt - let people know where you are, what your plan is, and carry an emergency communication device. Although I hunt alone a lot it isn’t a bad idea to always going with someone you trust. Have them carry an extra glucagon just in case.

Go have fun and don’t let diabetes hold you back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thatnk you! Was a bit worried about how to balance carbs vs putting in miles. Especially since I also hut alone primarily. Appreciate it

 

[V2Pnutrition]

I wonder if @V2Pnutrition does work with DM, given the medication side of thigs, I honestly don't know how much of DM type I falls in a nutritionists wheelhouse. If you have the resources, getting educated early is well worth the investment, and your needs may differ from those most DM educators deal with.

We do in certain situations for better understanding carbs and what constitutes dosing + glycogen use when active, etc. and how to balance it all. Appreciate the tag, @Marbles .

OP: You already had come excellent preliminary advice from folks in here. In short: you can lead a VERY normal life, continue to hunt, and be active. It's like drinking from a firehose at first and will take a bit of trial and error. But, like most things, it gets easier with time and practice.

Here's a podcast we did on the topic- particularly as DM1 relates to the backcountry and managing blood sugars.

 

[mikeafeagin22]

Diabetes is overwhelming, especially at the beginning. You can manage and reduce the burden to a point where it is there, in the background, but not overwhelming anymore. My 12yo son has T1, diagnosed about a year ago. As others have said, your experience with diabetes will be unique to you. Figure out technology, routines, snacks, levels, etc. that work for you. From there, have fun and hunt, don't let it alter how or where you want to hunt one bit. My son was able to get his first elk this year, hard hike, all the normal elk stuff. No better way to say FU to this disease than you dropping the hammer on an elk this fall!View attachment 839975

We just got home from three days at the Vanderbilt ICU with our 12 year old son and showing him this post just made his night. He was diagnosed with type 1 on Sunday night. We took the news pretty hard at first but all the education over the last few days and learning that he’ll still be able to do everything like normal has really helped.

If you don’t mind, I’d love to talk to you a bit about what you do to prepare for hunts with your son. With them being the same age I think it would really boost his confidence hearing about how another kid does it. When we left the hospital today his one big worry still was if he was going to be able to go elk hunting now so seeing that was awesome.

 

[go_deep]

I think it just takes time to be comfortable with it.
My son is 16, T1 since 7, we do Backcountry hunts, kills all kinds of stuff and packs stuff out for days. Being prepared and knowing how you react is what you need to figure out.

 

[JohnB]

Man I don't have a thing to add but I just wanted to say that is the most information I've ever learned on rokslide in 10 posts. Thanks all for the good information and may it continue to help those in need!

 

[mav41]

As others have mentioned the CGM is a big deal. Been a type 1 for 25 years and the last two I have been hunting with a CGM, the Rollercoaster of highs and lows are way less while hunting with a CGM. You can set a higher temporary target for long hikes which I recommend.

Aside from that I would pass on the glucose tabs and go for gummies and juice. Makes for a heavy pack but I always have enough snacks to get me through a night if I unexpectedly had to stay out.