August 27, 2001
Exercise and Sports
Question from Binghamton, New York, USA:
My 10 year old daughter, diagnosed a year and a half ago, is very athletic, and loves sports. She is currently on injections, but we are trying for the pump. Basically, the problem is after any sport she plays (soccer, swim, lacrosse), she is exhausted the next day and spends the whole day (sometimes two) on the couch. Why is this? How can we prevent it from happening?
Answer:
You don’t say what your daughter’s blood sugars are doing surrounding exercise and into the following day, so it is difficult to guess what is happening. Extra blood sugar monitoring before, during, and after exercise will help you and your diabetes team to know whether her blood sugars are a factor in her exhaustion following exercise.
Adjustments can be made in insulin dosages, carb intake or both if blood sugars are either too high or too low. Speak to her diabetes team about her symptoms and develop a blood sugar monitoring plan, if you do not already have one.
DMW
