/out/ - Outdoors » Thread #970669

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Anonymous Fri 17 Mar 2017 16:26:20 No.970669 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>970673 >>970997 >>971000 >>971357 >>971498 >>974705 >>975269 >>977620

Anyone on this board have to deal with any medical problems when /out/?

Me and my gf have a 3 month road trip planned around the US, camping at a bunch of different spots and now I find out that i'm Late onset type 1 diabetic.

Now have a lot of new shit to deal with having to test my blood and inject insulin and shit and honestly feeling pretty down about it, I keep wondering if i'll be able to handle this or what would happen if I need a hospital but i'm in the middle of the woods somewhere.

Anyone have to deal with diabetes or something that involves a lot of medical care but you still make it /out/, tell me your stories give me confidence please.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 17 Mar 2017 16:28:50 No.970673 Report

Quoted By: >>970681

>>970669
Its not as bad as you think man. Read up on it, manage your food intake and make sure not to skip testing and you will be just fine.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 17 Mar 2017 16:32:26 No.970676 Report

Quoted By: >>970681

i have a 16 year old /in/ cousin who's insulin dependent, and my brothers and i take him /out/ backpacking in the sierra every summer.

your key is going to be a) learning to recognize when your sugar is low, and b) being with someone who will recognize when your sugar's low and make you test no matter how big an asshole you're being about it when you miss it

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 17 Mar 2017 16:33:34 No.970678 Report

Quoted By: >>970681 >>971200 >>976065

sorry guy, getting old aint no joke.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 17 Mar 2017 16:37:33 No.970681 Report

Quoted By:

>>970673
>>970676
Thanks for the responses, yeah the more I read the more hopefully i feel, I know i'll just to have really keep an eye on it, i'll probably do a bunch of small hikes and trips before we leave so I can get used to what will happen.

>>970678
Yeah you're telling me, only 27 and It feels like every year i'm getting diagnosed with something or other, guess I got some shit genes

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 17 Mar 2017 22:39:54 No.970993 Report

Quoted By: >>971264 >>977620

Just gotta know when you're low and be with someone else who knows, and also make sure you know what to do. Hopefully your doc gave you some glucagon, bring that with you. Train the people you're with how to use it. I'm type 1 as well but I was diagnosed at 3. Good luck buddy.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 17 Mar 2017 22:48:31 No.970997 Report

Quoted By:

>>970669
SCUBA diving carries way more of the risk that you're worried about than does managed diabetes. It's a pain at first, but don't let life keep you from living.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 17 Mar 2017 22:50:39 No.971000 Report

Quoted By:

>>970669
i work in medic area, at first it will sure be hard to adapt your lifestyle to your situation but it will soon become automatic. if you can try to find a group of people with same problem, they can teach you little tricks to help on daily life, and how to prevent any mistakes.
maybe take your gf to that too, so she can learn and help. it will be fine, have fun

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 Mar 2017 02:20:10 No.971148 Report

Quoted By: >>974675 >>974819

The hardest part is just learning your trends. What makes your blood sugar (BSG) spike, and what happens when your BSG gets too low.

Check your BSG every day, or more often if your doctor advises. If you're able to get an insulin pump, it's easy to manage. Just follow your instructions, ever diabetic is different.

Keep snacks close by. If you start to feel off, check your BSG. If it's low, eat something. Some diabetics feel off, but just ignore it, then before you know it their BSG is 20 mg/dl and they're unresponsive.

There's a type 1 diabetic girl that's thru-hiking the AT right now, or at least starting to. You can do anything a non-diabetic can, you just have to take a few extra steps.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 Mar 2017 04:34:01 No.971200 Report

Quoted By: >>971209

>>970678
This a million fucking times
>49
Good luck op
You can figure this out
I'll bet there are diabetic forums with people who have already asked this question or be willing to help you

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 Mar 2017 04:47:07 No.971209 Report

Quoted By:

>>971200
>tfw 35 and none of the 20-somethings I very much relate to want to hang out with me
I don't even let on that I want to suck their dicks or anything.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 Mar 2017 07:37:15 No.971264 Report

Quoted By:

>>970993
>Just gotta know when you're low and be with someone else who knows,
As the someone else with a diabetic cycling buddy, this, because once you get low you don't always realize it yourself especially in the beginning (also when I tell you you need to eat, don't argue, just eat something god dammit because I'm not going to shut up until you do). But with a few precautions it shouldn't stop you from doing most things once you learn how to manage it.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 Mar 2017 11:12:34 No.971335 Report

Quoted By:

I'm 28 and just found out I've got a Cavernoma (some sort of brain growth) which has given me epilepsy. It's a pain in the ass, but don't get too down about it. I've had to completely change my life because of it. You just have to understand that you probably can't cruise through life as easy as you could before, but at the same time never let that stop you from doing the shit you love.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 Mar 2017 12:18:28 No.971349 Report

Quoted By:

I'm 21, was diagnosed type 1 at 10. Like everyone else is saying, make yourself available to paying attention to how you're feeling. I know for me, during a cycling trip or long hike, when I start to feel myself mentally doubt the point of the trip, I know it's time to test.

Depending on your insurance situation, an insulin pump is the fucking cats pajamas. Medtronic and Omnipod are the best. You'll likely have to meet your out of pocket maximum PLUS your deductible to get one anyway, so get the best. The 630G by Medtronic and the Omnipod are both waterproof.

That said, I used pens for the first 5 years. Getting comfortable taking care of yourself in a new light is the most important thing.

As a last note, check out the Dawn Phenomenon. It fucked with me for years before I got it dialed in. Good luck buddy.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 Mar 2017 12:20:47 No.971350 Report

Quoted By: >>971351 >>971654

bros not to divert the conversation but what are the symptoms? i don't seem to have notable energy fluctuations or even notable thirstiness but i've been peeing a ton at night only the last year or so. starting to worry maybe my blood sugar's off

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 Mar 2017 12:36:01 No.971351 Report

Quoted By:

>>971350

For me anyway I was peeing 5-6 times per night and chugging gallons of water. If you're brave, you can taste your urine to see if it's sweet. If you're diabetic the frequent urination is your body dumping sugar out. Otherwise go to the doctor.

Bepis !n/ZnkB9jUw

Bepis !n/ZnkB9jUw Sat 18 Mar 2017 13:06:49 No.971357 Report

Quoted By:

>>970669
My heroin habit used to get in the way of going /out/ but then I showed my dealer the art of bushcrafting.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 Mar 2017 19:06:05 No.971487 Report

Quoted By:

If you're worried about needing a hospital trip, get a SPOT or an Inreach. If things go south, hit the SOS button and they'll send in the helicopters.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 Mar 2017 19:38:18 No.971498 Report

Quoted By: >>977620

>>970669

don't let this drag you down.
a few months ago a guy posted on /n/ about a 3 month ( I think) bike trip. he had diabetes aswell and talked about it as just another factor to consider.

you'll get the hang of this

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 Mar 2017 23:08:54 No.971654 Report

Quoted By:

OP here, thanks everyone for the responses. from what you guys have said and from reading some other diabetes forums i'm feeling a lot better about.

It will be something I have to prepare for but i'm definitely feeling a lot more confident in myself to handle it.

>>971350
For me it was constant thirst and peeing and then it turned into my vision going to complete shit, if you are worried about it you can always order a blood glucose kit off amazon for like $20 and test your blood in the morning and after a a meal and see what numbers your getting

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 Mar 2017 04:16:06 No.974675 Report

Quoted By: >>974690 >>974819

>>971148
Link or trail name or anything to get more info on the girl with type 1 thru hiking?

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 Mar 2017 05:11:21 No.974690 Report

Quoted By: >>974691 >>974819

>>974675
Diabeticlifestyle.com is following her, and her name is Cat Pugh.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 Mar 2017 05:14:35 No.974691 Report

Quoted By:

>>974690
So I posted this because I had heard about her, but never looked into it much. Decided to watch a video about her.

Turns out the reason I heard about her is because she lives like 20 minutes from me.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 Mar 2017 05:53:53 No.974705 Report

Quoted By:

>>970669
Try being me. I've got Irritable bowel syndrome and need to shit 6 times a day.

Madsen Maskingevær !!o9Rj2xAYif5

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Madsen Maskingevær !!o9Rj2xAYif5 Wed 22 Mar 2017 06:09:46 No.974706 Report

Quoted By: >>974711

I have Osteopetrosis.

Don't really have to do anything different other then keep my pack light and not slip and fall
But that goes for everyone I guess.
Just have to be more careful cause the risk of serious injury is higher

Madsen Maskingevær !!o9Rj2xAYif5

Madsen Maskingevær !!o9Rj2xAYif5 Wed 22 Mar 2017 06:22:00 No.974711 Report

Quoted By:

>>974706
It's only if I fall and break something that it starts sucking aids infected razorblade covered dick.

Last time I broke my hip/leg I was in a wheelchair for 2.5 years.

But that just fuels my lust for going /out/ when you know it can all be taken away by 1 miss step

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 Mar 2017 09:53:43 No.974763 Report

Quoted By: >>975632

I have congestive heart failure and I still go out as much as I can. Went hiking in Iceland last summer and avidly hunt here in Wisconsin. My biggest challenge was getting it through to my fiance that sometimes I have to walk slower or stop to rest, she just couldn't grasp that.

It's just another thing you gotta plan for, like I always carry a couple day supply of medication if I'm going out somewhere because I know if I get into a pickle I won't be able to get out of I can barely get up.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 Mar 2017 13:01:29 No.974814 Report

Quoted By: >>974817

How to you handle keeping everything clean for injections? I have to inject IM with a 1.5" needle every ten days and I'm worried about infection risk which is probably a lot higher than with tiny little insulin pokers.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 Mar 2017 13:07:05 No.974817 Report

Quoted By: >>974820

>>974814
I figured I would wash up the area with water and camp suds and I will carry those little alcohol wipes should hopefully do the job

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 Mar 2017 13:14:01 No.974819 Report

Quoted By:

>>971148
>>974675
>>974690
I found another story too, this podcast

http://livingvertical.org/podcast/choosing-adventure-part-1-hiking-the-appalachian-trail-with-type-1-diabetes/

It seems like the guy who runs the site also has type 1 and does a lot of rock climbing but in this episode he interviews a guy that thru hiked the AT with type 1, pretty interesting.

Just a note to anyone wanting to listen, the actual interview doesn't start until like 25mins in

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 Mar 2017 13:25:51 No.974820 Report

Quoted By: >>974825 >>975129

>>974817
Iodine maybe? makes a good FAK item

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 Mar 2017 13:32:23 No.974825 Report

Quoted By:

>>974820
Thats true I didn't think about that, would be able to serve some other purposes as well, i'll be adding that to my bag, thanks.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 Mar 2017 21:41:39 No.975129 Report

Quoted By:

>>974820
>makes a good FAK item
yes. true

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 23 Mar 2017 02:36:27 No.975269 Report

Quoted By: >>975555

>>970669
sometimes my blood alcohol gets kinda low

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 23 Mar 2017 16:58:13 No.975555 Report

Quoted By:

>>975269
Go fall through the ice Asslander.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 23 Mar 2017 19:03:43 No.975632 Report

Quoted By:

>>974763
Your fiance sounds like a dim bitch.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 24 Mar 2017 06:50:06 No.976065 Report

Quoted By:

>>970678

Mhm. I turned 30 today, I feel old as fuck. Both my knees need replaced, left hand has arthritis, tore a muscle in my lower back a few yrs ago lifting, so my lower back always hurts. Thing that sucks the most, is I had shingles on my face and scalp, it left me with permanent nerve damage, so it feels like a hot iron is touching my face from time to time.

In the end, I'm happy as fuck to be alive, will just save up to get surgery to fix some of my problems.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 24 Mar 2017 06:53:16 No.976068 Report

Quoted By: >>976161

Yeah, you fat retards end up throwing your used insulin needles off trail for me to pick up later. I wish we genocided the lot of you.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO needles 2.jpg, 144KiB, 980x551

Anonymous Fri 24 Mar 2017 12:43:15 No.976161 Report

Quoted By:

>>976068
Well its type1 i'm 6'0 150lbs so if anything i'll be the scrawny retard throwing my used insulin needles off the trail for you to pick up later.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 26 Mar 2017 09:07:49 No.977620 Report

Quoted By: >>978046

>>970993
I was diagnosed with type 1 at age 3 too, and I've put ~40,000 miles on my bicycle (mostly very far away from civilization) and maybe 500 or so on foot alone with few problems.

>>971498
'Twas me. Just got back from a ~500 mile trip over spring break. Summer trip was 3 months and 6000 miles, 100% solo on the road.

>>970669
The big thing I use to manage mine is a continuous glucose monitor. It makes a huge fucking difference. When I'm working hard on my bike, I can go 3-5 times more sensitive to insulin than while passive. Spending all day exercising means that even afterwards, short-term insulin will be at least 2x more effective, even in the evening after I've finished.

While I'm actually riding, making any kind of correction with short-term insulin is too much. Unless I'm going 300+ mg/dL, just exercising more and not eating is the safer treatment technique.

The huge, most important thing is this:
DO NOT RUN OUT OF FOOD.

Let me reiterate:
DO NOT RUN OUT OF FOOD.

Raisins are my favorite correction-food. Fast sugars, light and dense. You'll need some slow sugars too, but those take more foresight to use.

I've felt pretty silly eating heaps of slow carbs, summiting a hill and doing a few easy hours only to find that my blood sugar has skyrocketed.

Over time, you'll get more used to how your insulin sensitivity fluctuates with time and how quickly your body can process different sugars. For example, humalog effectiveness comes in spikes, with one near the end of its 3-hour effectiveness interval. I inevitably end up eating a mid-morning meal to deal with this.

I've also found that insulin potency gradually declines over time as it sits outside in the warm-hot. Eventually, it gets a potency spike, after around 1.5-2 months (in my experience).

I can give you more details if you like.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 27 Mar 2017 00:28:24 No.978046 Report

Quoted By: >>978119 >>978123

>>977620
Please do, my GF is type 1 and is getting more /out/ and her normal insulin correction doses are not working, I think we just need to hike more and her get more used to what her corrections should be.

If you hate glucose tabs try going to walgreens and getting some of the gummies they have in the diabetics section. They are so much better than the dry tabs.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 27 Mar 2017 01:38:11 No.978119 Report

Quoted By:

>>978046
More specific questions would be useful. Also, good luck finding a diabetes section in the general store in Bumfuck, Nowhere.

As far as correction doses go, here's my experience:

Correction doses while cycling are suicide, more so on hills. Seriously. I'll just need to stop and eat within an hour or two. While hiking, the effects are similar but less pronounced.

Going uphill (hiking or biking) makes me more sensitive to insulin and going downhill makes me less sensitive. Obviously, there is some variation.

I've felt safest managing my blood sugar by finding the right dose of long-term insulin. In the best case scenario, I'll take enough so that I can (and need to) eat an appropriate amount of food for my exercise, but if my blood sugar is going high I can just stop eating to get it down.

This is going to depend on the individual, their body, what they're doing, etc, but in my case, my normal long-term dose is around 16 units (1.6 milliliters). That allows me to have a modest lunch and to do the ~5 miles of cycling to and from work/class every day.

While cycling, the dose is 6-8 units. While hiking, 8-10. I'm even more sensitive during the first couple days of trip. Harder sections means more food, while easier sections means less. Also, a really hard day will make me more sensitive in the following day. I try to predict how hard I'll be working into the future before I eat something that will take longer to process. Breads/sandwiches won't be effective instantly and will last somewhere around 2-3 hours.

Towards the end of the day I avoid eating slower foods so I don't see a huge spike when I've stopped for dinner/the night. Towards the beginning of the day, I eat a ton, especially if I start before my short-term breakfast dose has worn off.

I make full use of the every-5-minutes glucose level tests from my CGM. Doing something similar with finger pricks would be possible, but less pleasant and the data frequency would be lower.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 27 Mar 2017 01:43:47 No.978123 Report

Quoted By: >>978160

>>978046
Oh, and if your girlfriend is just getting into /out/, she's probably not exercising all day, every day. That can be modestly more complicated.

For a half-day trip, I either eat a ton before I start, taking an insulin dose that will keep me stable after I stop, or I need to take another dose after I finish.

Syringes are a lot harder to find in the middle of nowhere than food, so I prefer to make my corrections with food and exercise. Most of the time I just take 2 injections a day.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 27 Mar 2017 02:36:02 No.978160 Report

Quoted By: >>978167

>>978123
>I just take 2 injections a day.

Just curious, how many injections is it normal for diabetics to give themselves? I have to inject myself once a week and I'm a lil bitch about that I can't imagine injecting 2+ times a day.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 27 Mar 2017 03:09:53 No.978167 Report

Quoted By:

>>978160
I'll let other people speak for themselves, but my prescription for syringes says "Use to inject insulin 5 to 6 times daily".

Once for every meal plus corrections isn't terribly unusual.

2 per day is the bare minimum with my condition and the insulin I'm using. The long-term stuff lasts around 12 hours and when it's not active my blood glucose goes up and away.

I don't exactly enjoy it, but I do like being alive.

Using a pump is another option. Instead of a bunch of syringes for a couple tenths of a second each, you get a needle that sits in you semi-permanently! I don't know the details.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 27 Mar 2017 05:40:35 No.978232 Report

Quoted By: >>980121

I have diabetes type1. Make sure you take enough back up material with you. Went to the mountains and when i was on top of a 3600m peak my insulin pump pussied out. If you dont have a backup pump you'd have a bad time! Also make sure your companions now how to inject the coma syringe, might save your life.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 29 Mar 2017 17:11:42 No.980121 Report

Quoted By:

>>978232
>companions

Yeah, about that...

For an solo adventurer, a glucagon emergency kit isn't terribly useful. If you're coherent enough to use it, you probably don't need it anyway.

First, you need someone to encounter you while you're hypoglycemic. Then they must understand what's wrong with you, find the emergency kit and use it.

I still carry one, but it has never been used and I have a hard time imagining when it would be.

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