After posting on instagram a few days ago about a very strange hypo where I experienced mouth numbness, I woke up the next morning and I experienced an all-time low of 1.8mmols during my early morning power walk to the gym. Here’s what happened…

I woke up at 6am and my BG was 15mmols, I was expecting a high number because of the crappy low I had the night before. Instead of just taking the correction insulin that was suggested by my pump I had to consider the exercise I was going to do; the walk, gym and rehearsal. With cardio in mind I reduced the correction by about 20% rather than adding 20% which is what I usually do for any reading over 15. Anyway, I left the house and as I reached the half way point to the gym (20 minutes into the 40 minute walk) I felt really exhausted so I decided that I would test my bg at the next bus stop. As I got closer to the bus stop it became more and more urgent in my mind. When I got there I sat down, tested and found the result of 1.8mmols. I quickly drank some Lucozade and ate the banana that was in my bag ready for my post workout snack. I was quite confused as to why it dropped so low after only 20 minutes of walking, especially because it was early.

Waiting at the bus stop for 10 minutes was a battle in itself, the internal argument made me doubt my ability to complete the tasks ahead. I was asking myself where the energy would come from and if it might be better to rest instead. I actually considered going home at one point, but I didn’t! I carried on to the gym. The walk after the hypo was extremely slow and it’s funny because I actually don’t remember a lot of it. Does that ever happen to you?
In an effort to stay safe and to avoid another low, when I finally got to the gym I checked again and it was 6.6mmols so I was happy and also I began to feel a bit more energetic. After a heavy lifting leg session that lasted around 40minutes, I was ready to go to my 80 minute pole rehearsal which was only 10 minutes away from the gym. So, again, I checked and it was 4.3mmols. I ate a cereal bar of 17 carbs and drank a protein shake and I wondered why it had gone down again considering how weight lifting usually ups my blood sugar.

During my rehearsal I felt shit about myself and I wasn’t really feeling any of it, but I continued on. I was choreographing a new routine and I got a little bit done but not as much as I had hoped. The rest of the day was bizarre. I felt extremely emotional and not quite myself. I think it was due to the ups and downs of the night before and the time leading up to that point.

I wrote this blog because I want you to know that a workout is possible, regardless of the excuses we tell ourselves. It would’ve been so easy for me use diabetes as an excuse and to say “oh my body is playing up and needs a rest” or “maybe I should go home until my blood sugar is normal again”. The key word here is easy. I knew that that making up excuses and going home would ‘ve been the easy option and that is what gave me the motivation to carry on. I don’t do easy, I take challenges and I complete tasks that I set for myself. If I don’t, particularly when it involves the interruption of diabetes, I see that as me letting this disease win.

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Rowena x