type 1 here too, adult onset 23 years ago, worked in this profession for 20 years too. lots of good advice here on going and being safe and partners you trust.. ha I've had partners who would eat my food... i don't hunt with them anymore. my in reach profile lists my medical conditions which also include severe sleep apnea. also buy the insurance... and as someone else pointed out - if not using a continuous glucose monitor, get one. fight for it, get your doctor to prior authorize it based on medical necessity.
but honestly, there is so much you can do now - to be totally prepared and more importantly confident.
make sure you eat carbs you know the value for and hold on dosing until you know exactly your blood sugar increase, then dose. then be sure your dose is correct in that your at target range in 2 hours. be particular aware of your insulin half life setting in your pump, as this can bite you with increased activity if wrong. dial this all in now. recored it, memoize it. know what you trends are at night too, this will be especially important to know. I know we all know this, but simply carbs vs processed crap carbs vs natural complex carbs all have different blood sugar increases and durations in our body so best to know it.
then repeat the entire process while your working out, spend all day working on the yard, anything to keep your heart rate up all day, etc. learn what happens when your sustained activity level is for 10 or 12 hours as it will have a dramatic effect on your status versus normal life. at near sea level, my normal heart rate is 62. as a flat lander, your body has to compensate for thin air at altitude and short term the body will increase your resting heart rate. at 11,000' i have been as high as 144 at rest, and will slowly drop over next few days, but never to my current levels. the heart is a muscle... and it burns a lot of energy/glucose to beat and lows can happen rapidly especially at night.
so with a good understanding of carb value increases, correct basal and effects of sustained activity, this way you will know that with moderate continued activity you can set your basal to 25% and be fine, or maybe you you need to set it at 30% and eat 20 grams of carbs every 3 hours, etc. at night, maybe you need to eat and not dose cause your heart is beating fast that you'll need the carbs to cover your for 6 hours. a sports specialists i work with has her diabetic athletes run 120-180! (during rigorous events, not all the time). i was resistant to this advice until my first trip.
for me, at 10-11k, i will set basal at 25% and if going hard uphill eat 20 carbs every couple of hours, if mostly moderate level trekking then basal 25% is fine and eat snacks and lunch noramally, but i don't dose full value. if i eat 40 carbs and were going to go, i only dose half that. at night i trend low, and at altitude stays true - so if i eat 50 carbs for dinner, i will set basal 25% and dose 25% - and i have still been low a couple of times. definitely easier to add insulin then to get low and need to eat. i carry fun size snickers in a sent proof small toiletry bag (for bears) for my emergency snack. enough sugar to be fast but i really appreciate the nuts for some lasting value of complex carbs. better yet is payday, actually carry a couple of both in my pack side pockets. all my food is healthy real, not processed stuff. heather choice is good food for diabetic, packaged bars based on nuts, yams and fruit, etc.
for me, i have different basal rates through out a day and night, same for bolus. my first couple of years i changed the time on my pump to local time - that was a mistake! having unexplained highs and lows. so now i leave my pump on home time as that is how my body deals with the insulin and my cycle of insulin resistance and a week or two away won't change that.
if you already know all this so sorry! if not i hope this helps. no way in hell this disease will stop me from adventure i love, like elk hunting - maybe even someday ill shoot one with a bow !
john
