October 9, 2005
Exercise and Sports, Weight and Weight Loss
Question from Fairport, New York, USA:
I’m a 61 year old type 2 diabetic since age 42. I take 62 units of Lantus each evening and use a NovoLog Flexpen as prescribed by my PCP (primary care physician) on a sliding scale (i.e., 150 to 200 mg/dl [8.3 to 11.1 mmol/L is five units, etc.). I lost my left kidney due to recurrent infections in 1998 after bladder cancer surgery in 1995 and now have 50% function in my remaining right kidney. My weight went from 175 pounds in 1998 to my current weight of 228 today. I am under the care of a nephrologist at the University of Rochester.
My PCP said it’s okay for me to exercise so I joined our community center which has swimming, workout machines and free weights. At my age, can I safely lose this weight so I’ll feel better, be less tired and hopefully control my diabetes better? My morning readings are anywhere from 80 to 170 mg/dl [4.4 to 9.4 mmol/L]. Sometimes, in the evening they jump to 200 to 230 mg/dl [11.1 to 12.8 mmol/L].
Answer:
You ask a good question and one I am constantly concerned with as we see our patients with type 2 diabetes. Can they exercise safely? I feel it is helpful to have routine cardiac stress testing for patients with type 2 diabetes because of the high rate of silent heart disease. You need to speak with your physician about having this done. If you have a stress test, and it is negative for disease, you and your doctor will both be happy and feel better about you being able to exercise with relative safety.
JTL
