Unexpected turns in Life's rollercoaster

Life's roller coaster has been wild and full of the unexpected. This years calendar is full with an 18th birthday, college& high school graduations, school graduation trip to Europe for Sedona, New York trip and Pectus bar removal surgery for Justin. It feels like the year is sooo jammed full, we barely have enough time for work or school.

Like always, Justin's surgery went perfect and his recovery was fast, fast, fast. Our trip to New York was great fun and we documented the traveling on the subway and train on Facebook. Then the news started coming in: Corey Carrier, past Muscular Dystrophy patient died of Swine Flu, My friends husband battling Hepatitis for 7 years was deteriorating fast and then the news that knocked my family off their feet, my dear friend of 20 years oldest son was killed on Monday morning driving home from who knows where. Morgan was my sons first friend, our boys loved to be together as evident in all the birthday celebration pictures we have from over the years. All this in 3 weeks!

The good news is Steve received a liver transplant a week ago, but that's about where the good news stops. Morgan's death has stopped us all in our tracks with our inability to stop the tears from rolling at will. Justin, my son, is also great friends with Morgan's younger brother, Orson. Their house was considered my kids "other home". As soon as I heard the news from my family on my return home from work, I turned around and headed out the door to Mary's. As information came in about the accident, we all sat in disbelief and bewilderment. What could have happened and then the infamous... Why?

Morgan was a 4th year engineering student with the world in his hands. Is that what haunted him, did he pick the wrong major, was he worried about getting a job? Not sure any of us can say for sure, but the Morgan we knew was a happy go lucky bright kid with a heart. What is so special about Morgan? Well, He was Justin's first real friend. He watched over Justin and sheltered him in some ways. Justin is our son who has Muscular Dystrophy and he couldn't keep up with all the really active fast moving kids, but Morgan didn't see that part of Justin. They connected around pretend branch guns, mud pies, legos and birthdays.

Morgan recently, in his college years, picked up a habit or possibly even an addiction. None of us are quite sure which but he loved to drink and at times drive. This is what killed our young friend full of life and a promising future. Many times his friends, some even in tears, would ask Morgan how he got home and unfortunately he couldn't remember the drive the route or if there were any issues along the way. Morgan had friends who cared, but there was something that made him feel alone. He is not the only person who has this experience, surrounded by love unable to see it. All of us have our moments, our doubts, our fear of being alone without a rope to climb, but we snap out of it or something happens that reminds us, we are okay. The question is, as a friend who is drowning, how many times do you throw the rope down, how many times do you give a hand only to find anger and hate in that moment? I guess the answer is until they see what you see in them, if you can take it.

Loving someone, means you love them with all their faults, all their anger, all their mistakes. It is finding the essence, holding on to that image until they see it themselves. The challenge is it takes a very very strong, confident, loving, compassionate person with a ton of courage to be this. You have to be willing to lose your friend in the short term to possibly have a friend for life in the long run.

I don't wish this experience on anyone, losing a friend is devastating to those left behind, wondering what they could have done differently, if they could have made a difference or changed the circumstances. All of us are left wondering if we should have reached out, let him know how much we loved him, that we thought the world of him and were willing to help him if he needed it, but you know what they say... hindsight and all...

What has kept Redcyclist away from blogging?

SURVIVING:















It has been a really long while since I have posted. Work took a turn to become extraordinarily busy. That means long days and by the way I work it means I work all week long as late as I can to get it all done so I can have my weekends to ride and relax. It also means that with longer hours comes added stress which seems to knock me out. When I have stress, riding doesn't always release it, it enhances the effects of exhaustion and frustrations so I get somewhat of a double whammy. Even still, I have been riding 3 - 4x a week in rain and high heat.

I have been taking longer rests in between weeks of riding which have been induced by family illness, surgeries and some bad weather. My fitness feels as though it is on a roller coaster so I signed up for Boot Camp at the end of July in the middle of summer and temperatures of 105 degrees. What was I thinking!!! I know, I was thinking I would be in great shape for training and preparation for the El Tour de Tucson to raise funds for JDRF, Ha! I had my sights set on a high performance ride in Nov, but summer issues are delaying my progress. I don't seem to have the fire burning that normally drives me to push my limits and train harder. Yup it could be classic symptoms of burn out, but mostly I can't wait to get up and going on my bike. There was one reprieve from the heat but not from the rain...















VACATION!
I just returned from a weekend ride in flagstaff with 85 degree weather intermingled with raging thunderstorms. A group of us headed to Mormon Lake from Flagstaff, about 60 miles, on 4th of July. The weather was overcast and nice enough to wear summer gear. We had a great SAG driver, Kyra (daughter of one of the riders) who supported us with food, drinks and rain gear. The road for the most part was pleasant to ride with one exception for a 4 mile block of construction. Other than that the route was full of rolling hills with some steep grades here and there.

















We arrived at Mormon Lake in the middle of all the towns 4th of July preparations. There was traffic everywhere in this small town with a rodeo in full blown progress. Folks stopped us to ask us where we came from and how far we had rode. We were invited to stay around for the 4th of July parade, but declined as it would delay us 2 hours (a decision we later on were were glad we made).

We had a decent lunch then hit the road. Within the first 45 minutes we hit rain and out came the rain jackets. It rained just enough to cool us off and get my shorts soaked from the water that was thrown up from the wheels of my bike as I maneuvered through the running water that was now covering the road. Eventually it all stopped and the road slowly dried up. We returned back to the hotel by 2:45. We Brought our bikes inside to clean as it felt like a few drops were starting up again and within 5 minutes we had hail the size of almost almonds falling from the sky. The storm was crazy and we were all thankful we didn't spend one more minute at lunch or at our last rest stop. Thank you Dennis for mentioning we should get going and to Colleen for heading out ahead of us.



















The rest of the trip, we headed to amazing fireworks, woke up and toured NAU on bikes, then headed to Sedona, Arizona for lunch. We had a small incident on the freeway, but no one was hurt except the suburban pulling 6 people, 5 bikes and 1 tandem. We made it home safe and sound. All I can say is it is always good to be home.

Now work is back on and I am finding it hard to get in gear and focus. Looking forward to this weekend's rides!

Happy Safe Riding Everyone

May you find your independence on a bike :)

Freedom is found where possibilities are realized

2 Living Life
Penny

Climbing Hills and Riding 70 miles

I had been looking forward to this ride since late January. A friend of mine and I missed the Jan ride and wanted to organize another one so we could get the miles in. Leading up to this ride, I had my situation with my teeth happen (earlier blog) where I actually postponed taking care of the situation until after the Nogales ride so I could not only do this ride but log some miles in the 2 weeks prior.

In fact after the attack of the allergies, I regrouped, rode in the Bike to Work event and headed out on a 45 mile group ride the next day. I had done this particular group ride before so I was comfortable I could participate and return safely. Well, the ride took a detour due to road construction and became a high intensity hill climb, hill after hill after hill. I was having trouble keeping up and mid way through my GCM said my BS was dropping and under 100 but my glucometer said 177. So I ate a little more and finished my Perpetuem drink and headed back. I thought I was in good shape. Then we had a long hill climb on the way back which I think took it all out of me. By the time we hit my turn off to head back home, which was about 4 - 5 miles away, I lost my legs. There was nothing I could do. I was doing the motion but couldn't go any faster. I felt like I was on a crawl. When I got home my BS were below 65 and I was seeing black and white dots, it was all I could do to sit down. My husband who was on the ride with me, quickly made the TT1 bonk proof shake which has over 100 grams of carbs, not counting some of the additional stuff we added. I showered and laid down. I was out for a few hours. When I woke up my BS were just tipping 75.

I have never bonked before but this told me I needed to take the Nogales ride very seriously. In fact I was glad when my husband offered to SAG for us during the 70 miles.

The night before the ride to Nogales I headed to Performance, I was determined to find the highest carb goo or chewies I could find. I was going to ride the whole 70 miles without any mishaps.

The day of the ride started early, up at 5 am, ate my regular breakfast of 3 rice pancakes and a scoop of peanut butter, dosed 3 units instead of 4 and loaded up the car. I had prepared bags the night before with 2 bottles of perpetuem, juice, and coconut water. These puppies were fully loaded.

My husband also made us both PB and banana with honey sandwiches and I packed up the gels and Sharkies. We headed to meet the gang at the Manning House. There were 10 of us and we loaded up and headed South.

We arrived at Mariposa Road and stopped at the Wendy's there. Got our bikes out, filled up any last minute water bottles, took pictures and headed out. It was clear at the draw the leads were traveling quite a bit faster then I had in mind. A few of us hung back at our comfort pace but we were quickly brought back together as we were going to head on the freeway for a short jaunt. I have to say the freeway was a fast and smooth ride. We had a lot of room and I did not worry about cars much. Wish we could have done the whole ride there but I know it is not the safest way to ride. We continued North to our first stop, but I couldn't find my husband. A quick call and he turned around and met us 10 minutes later. I panicked a bit as he had our food and I knew I had to eat within the first 30 miles of the ride in order to use the nutrition for the last half of the ride. If I can keep my BS above 150, I know I am in good shape. I was around 160 so I ate 1/2 of my sandwich and drank a lot of my Perptuem bottle and then exchanged it for a refresh in the car. I wanted my BS to trend up but it was trending downward which meant I had to take in more then I would use before the next rest stop ~15 miles up the road. It worked and I kept my sugars a little high during the ride because I didn't want to worry about it.


The only issue I had during this ride was around mile marker 50 - 55, my neck hurt, my back was beginning to spasm and my knees were going as well. Tabot, my husband, was off to the side of the road a head which was perfect timing ( he took this picture as we arrived). We all stopped for a quick refresh. I was able to down a very cold G2 and some ibuprofen. I felt much better and it was just what I needed to finish the ride, although it did feel very long and there were times I felt like I wanted to jump into one of the SAG vehicles, but we finished. We finished 72 miles in less then 4 hours, including two sag stops.

We celebrated at the Manning House ( see pic) for a great spread of burritos, fresh fruit and drink. We had great company and a great ride. I love days like this. Can't wait for more...

The ups and downs of staying healthy

Sometimes it seems no matter how hard you try, how good you eat, how much you exercise and take the right supplements, sometimes your body just sends you a message. Mine is always through my teeth. My teeth are what told me I had diabetes, my teeth are what tell me something isn't right almost 99% of the time.

Well this time is no different. Over the last few months, I had been feeling tired and just plain exhausted. I took two weeks or more off just because I didn't have the energy to get on the bike.
Then I started having sinus headaches and ear aches in my right ear. Lastly, I went on a bike ride to participate in the Bike to Work week here in Tucson and participated in a difficult hill climb for 45 miles the next day. I struggled with energy and ability to keep up. The next day, Sunday, I had a bridge that came loose and then by Monday morning I lost the whole thing. Diagnosis: two cracked teeth appear to be the root cause. However, now that I have had that all fixed, a rather painful procedure that will extend up to 6 months, it was discovered I had a chronic infection in one of the teeth, which I had complained about for years but it was undetectable by I guess most xrays or other pieces of dental machinery.

So during my recovery, I have had a massive ear ache and incredible sinus pressure which appeared to be reacting to the fact that when the tooth was removed and the infection treated the antibiotics appear to be clearing up all the areas impacted or so I am hoping. However, the recovery has been less than ideal. I react to almost all pain killers with nausea, which means I am either in pain or feel severe nausea until it is all over. Yesterday I went to lay down at 2 pm got up at 5pm for 45 minutes and went back to bed until 6:30 am this morning. I had my first real food in 48 hours and it was nice to sleep in but it all gets worse by 6 pm every night. I am hopeful tonight may be different.

Either way I have been surviving on fresh fruit smoothies, protein shakes and soy ice cream. I am hoping to come out of this with renewed energy and hoping for a clean bill of health. My teeth for some reason, since I was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic have become my one health weakness, even though I brush 2 - 3x a day and floss.

Anyone else have interesting issues like this?

Are allergies affecting your cycling too?

Have you ever had a day where your legs don't seem to work, your breathing seems labored and your strength seems zapped? That has been my day, this whole month. I keep getting out on my bike but every time seems worse then the time before. I started back to spinning classes thinking I needed the aerobic workout to improve my endurance. I also took the fitness heart rate stress test, which looks excellent. However, I keep waiting for riding to get easier with big gains.

Spring in the desert is killer for me, allergies are the worst and everything related to oxygen is restricted. I now realize if I want to train, it may not be ideal in Tucson. Given this is where I live and work, not sure how to get around this. I am already on the decongestants, antihistamines, nasal spray and allergy eye drops. Oh yeah also on the asthma medication for the breathing part. Now is when I can't help but wonder if riding is going to be something I can do through the summer.

The hard part for me is I never know if I am over-training or if I just need to ride through it all no matter what the pace or cadence. I look forward to riding, but sometimes there are blocks of days I just can't move. I would really like to have fewer days like this and move back into the days where I raced to beat the lights or other cyclists who are testing their own speed and capabilities.

Now, I am hoping my riding buddies are going to keep me on my bike. The more folks who ride into work or on the group rides, the more likely I will stay on my bike and keep plugging along.
I hope this passes soon, I hate feeling soo tired...

My Day to Vent....

Took a little hiatus from blogging or tweeting. Work has been grinding away and it fries my brain cells to a crisp. But I have been riding, just at a more casual pace, because I now realize how much stress plays a factor in hitting the wall.

Since the Tour de Cure, I have been riding and riding and riding. Last weekend I just couldn't ride any more, partially because my son was sick with a very high fever. As it turns out he is recovering and by Wed I was riding in to work again. Gotta tell ya though Thurs ride into work was a bitch! High, high winds where I was almost knocked off my bike. This is the time when I begin to hate to ride, but at the same time was curious about riding through it all

Well, I did arrive home safe and sound but something about the drivers that day had me a bit concerned. The drivers were aggressive. I guess I don't get why folks in cars think they have something to prove by running cyclists off the road. It baffles me to think that someone in a 4k - 6k lb piece of metal or plastic feels the need to intimidate folks who are driving a vehicle of less then 20lbs. Three times this week, I have seen serious inferiority complexes at play. A few weeks ago, I had a guy in his big Chevy truck, veer over into the bike lane where his passenger side rear view mirror brushed my shoulder. We were both taking off from red light and I guess he didn't like that I rode up in front of his tiny truck... Seriously You Tarzan, me what... Jane??? Such a big man.

So why are cyclists considered such a threat? Hmm let me think, we make better car drivers because we are constantly riding (on our bikes) defensively to protect ourselves from poor drivers, we value diversity, we value the outdoors, Ohh and we value our freedom! Hmmm, sounds threatening to me and ohh sooooo un-American by powering our bikes with local produce...
(Okay you may need to think about that one for a minute...)

Okay - Gripe session 1 is over......
Thanks for listening, I feel a ton better.
Penny

After the Tour _ Now What?

There is a lot to catch up on, work for one thing, sons surgery and planning the rest of my cycling adventure. Oh yeah...and figure out how to get BS in control.

Lets just say I have had a few set backs, one being Mint Girl Scout cookies... I love these cookies and have no control in pacing myself. BUT.... they were not involved in the next few set backs.

The weekend before the Tour de Cure, I went for a group ride with an incline. The problem was I was going to meet up with the group at a certain point closer to my house. I called the group leader that morning made arrangements, only thing was we got our wires crossed and by the second call, they were already 1/2 way up the hill. The issue was I waited 30 minutes for the group to come by while my BS began to elevate. Normally by that time, I would have been already riding and using up the carbs I had eaten for breakfast. Then to top it off, I hiked up the hill as fast as I could. When I hit the top, BS were not registering on CGM because they were too high. I eventually brought it down again, but the same thing happened today.

Normally, I ride Tues, Wed or Thurs, with some combination of 2 -3 days... I may ride all 3 days or just ride 2. Well, today not one of my alarms went off today, except my husbands, which was set 45 min after mine. I get a little stressed when this happens, especially when I have only 15 minutes to eat, get dressed, get on bike and meet up with the group by 7am. By the time I got into work today my BS were in the high 300s. I am wondering if anyone else has this type of reaction to stress or when your adrenaline gets pumping. I took 10u of humulog to get it back to normal... It was if the insulin wasn't working or I had serious issues with counting my carbs, which was 1/2 of a protein shake that I gulped down to have something to help with the insulin I had already taken.

My BS are like a roller coaster, everything seems fine and then I eat and it shoots up like a Roman Candle firework. I have never seen a trendline stay level through out the day. I am also getting challenged with allergies. My regular commutes which have been easy rides in the past have now become a struggle and my legs feel heavy. I don't know if I should just ride it out or stop and take a week long break. I am taking antihistimines as well as a decongestant along with an anti - asthma medication only for the days I ride (sports induced). Still I struggle.

I am riding again tomorrow, because it just feels so great to be outside, to ride, to be cold then hot, to roll into work after a great work out and then shower and get ready for the day ahead. My attitude becomes even more focused on possibilities instead of challenges, but when I have a morning like this morning and no amount of insulin seems to fix the problem, I worry. Eventually it all straightened out again, well at least until I ate again. Hmmm maybe I should become a breatharian and live on air, I am sure I could control my basals better than my boluses then.

Ok, good news for tonight my BS is at 139, the bad new is I just ate and it is on an upward trend. Ugh! Heading to bed for a 6:45 AM start to my ride tomorrow seems tiring given that I know I could end up with some night time highs... Guess I will take a couple units of Humulog and sleep until my lows or my CGM alarms signals me to wake up. Thankfully I still feel my lows and get woken out of a sleep with serious sweating. Makes it hard to tell the difference between a low or early onset of menopause! Ha.... ain't it all fun.

Here's hoping I get to sleep through the night and wake up on time tomorrow.

Cheers
Penny

"Quiting is never an option for a diabetic"

Riding in the Tour de Cure

First I want to thank everyone for their support, so many people contributed their time and money, without this support I would have never done this ride. I met all my goals, I raised $2840, I earned my Diabetes Victory Jacket, I rode the Tour de Cure in a Red Rider Jersey, I improved my time, I made new friends including other Type 1 Diabetics and I rode the Tour with really great friends, (ah Priceless). Talk about a successful event.

All good things are not without some challenges and this ride had a few. First, it was not the best of conditions but it could have been much worse. We had a lot of wind and the morning chill felt like winter all over again. I followed my morning ride routine and ate 3 pancakes, Tbs of almond butter with a special treat, my husband made me coffee. Ahh heaven! Took 3.5 units of Humalog and set my alarm for 7 am to remind me to take my Levamir while on the road to the Tour. My support friends and I met around 6:15 am then headed to the ride location about 45 min away in Rancho Sahuarita.

Arrived at the site, took 4 units of levimir, which was less than planned, but it was all that was left in my pen. (Note to self: make sure you have enough supply of insulin when leaving the house). As we were unloading the bikes, we quickly realized how cold the day was going to be. Glad I wore my riding pants, arm warmers, jersey, head band, gloves and jacket. I kept most of all this on until about the 40 mile marker. I was at the start when I realized my BS were very high, ~288. I kept thinking I should take a shot. BS stayed high up until the 20 mile mark(first rest stop) when it began to go down, and down and down. It was looking good as my goal was to remain at 152 for the majority of the ride. I stayed above 160 most of the way through.

The 2nd 20 - 30 miles were the most difficult, an 8 mile climb up Mt Hopkins. Ugh! It felt like it would never end. This is where my legs started burning and my back went into small spasms.
Even one of my experienced support riders, Gary, said "This isn't fun!" but we pushed on. I just new if I made it to the top of the hill I would feel great. I did, a little fatigued, but great. Great support at the top of Mt Hopkins with Ibuprofen for the spasms and 2 Girlscout Cookies for the spirit. I also finished my PB&J and my first bottle of perpetuem. We were ready to head down when another Type 1 asked me if I was 'Penny' from the Trek Bikes of Tucson website.
We talked for a few and then it was off to finish what we started, even though I knew one of my support friends had been cussing at me the whole way up, I couldn't hear her but I knew. Soo in all fairness, she is not a big fan of hills in general and I know the main reason she was there was for me. So Colleen, a big shout out to you and your continued support no matter what I put you through. Steve and Richard, awsome job pacing and keeping us moving forward. Mary thank you for your lifetime of friendship, support, perseverance and 'Can do' attitude. My husband, Tabot, and daughter, Sedona, were at the last rest stop to cheer us on. It was great to see them ringing bells and yelling. Wow! I truly am blessed.

Anyway, we headed to the back 25 which was not so bad, a nice downhill ride, hitting high speeds and nice coasting. We kept a nice pace, but I had kept the group a little long at the first two rests, almost 45 min total, too long. When we rolled into the finish the festivities for the most part were over. The good news, I cut off 2 hours from the first time I rode 60 miles :) and BS were not my worry. Very nice to have the Dexcom 7 to manage my BS trends. This along with some alarms I set on my watch, I was able to time my food intake and water.

All in all, it was a great ride, with great wonderful friends and family. I look forward to riding next years Tour de Cure!

A Saturday Ride with a nice Surprise!

The day started with a great blood sugar of 152, I dropped my Levamir 2 units (8 instead of 10), I ate my 4 rice pancakes, a tbsp of almond butter and 1/2 of a banana. Took 4 units of humalog via a pen and headed out. I was to meet the gang at 8:30 am. All was in place and I was waiting at 8:15, ready to hit the road as soon as I saw the pack come up in traffic. Well, 8:45 went by and I began to call. Unfortunately we had a disconnect in the communication the grp was a mile ahead of me on a hill and a lot faster.

Unfortunately the delay in riding and then heading up a hill climb first thing got my BS rising.
By the time I was halfway up the hill my continuous monitor was shouting at me that my BS was too high to read. Odd thing was I felt fine. I didn't feel like I was in the over 500 range. I stopped took 2 units of humalog and met up with the group at the top of the hill. Wow over 20 people were waiting and I was out of breath. The original plan was to go 50 miles, but given BS were out of control I opted for a shorter ~ 35 mile ride. I felt good riding after the first 40 minutes, but up to that point I wasn't sure if I should ride or go home. Fortunately, I have a few cyclists who support me and ride with me no matter how it is going. I checked my blood sugar at Sabino Canyon and found that my BS was in the low 200s, not the 'High' that my CGM was reading. My readings seem to be so far apart sometimes even though I calibrate my meter 2 - 3 times a day. Wonder if anyone else has theses types of problems? Anyway, I was glad to know it was at 200 and that my insulin on board would eventualy catch up, which it did. So I forged on.

Three of us took the shorter route and two of us, Colleen and myself headed for coffee by UofA.
That is where the big surprised happened. Colleen and I were outside having coffee when I realized all the Shootout Cyclist were returning from the Sat ride and who should be at the front... but Phil Southerland, Team Type 1, founder and racer who is training in Tucson after racing in the Tour de California. I have been following his twitter since I saw him ride in the Tour de California. Would love to talk with him and learn how he manages BS through all his travels and rides.

Re-invigorated, I went back up First Ave, to take on the hill one more time before heading home.
It was a great ride and BS evened out. I ended my ride at the Trek store to get some advice on my seat. When I ride over 30 - 40 miles, I start to get a lot of pain. Let's just say, Heather, a female pro rider, was very very helpful! :) Plus she had some ideas on managing my BS and food intake as I have been a little worried about the Tour de Cure 100K ride next Sunday. We discussed how food metabolizes and I will need to plan ahead when to eat, eating when hungry is too late. Ex: Is a hill climb coming up? When was the last time I ate or drank carbs?? Do I have enough resources to finish the ride? Eating halfway into the race is too late to reap the benefits. So it sounds like I should eat up front while maintaining carb intake throughout.

All in all it was a great day for a ride!
(sorry I need to get some more pictures, would have been great to post one with the Team Type 1 riders today, I even had my ADA Jacket on!) More pics to come

Tough Week in Traveling with Dexcom

Not sleeping well, traveled to Silicon Valley, airport issues and only one day of riding. All this contributed to sporadic blood sugars and frustration throughout the week.

While I was on the road this week and only having been on the Dexcom Continuous Monitor for 2 weeks, I was not sure how it should all work when going through the airport. In Tucson's airport it all went fine. I requested a pat down so I would not take the receiver or the transmitter through the metal detectors. Everyone was very cooperative and friendly. Once on the plane, it was smooth sailing through the first day.

The second day was interesting, beginning with heading into work and the company's buildings (11 in all) which are all wireless. I set up my laptop to begin to take advantage of the site's state of the art technology as well as the culinary specialties... Well, the culinary specialties started the rise in BS but it was the wireless environment that interrupted my readings getting recorded on my Dexcom. Not sure why, but hardly any reading recorded throughout the day. So, I spent the day testing and taking alot of shots. I was trying to be discrete but the insulin pens still draw attention especially when I was using it every hour or so. It drew some attention and questions. Most folks didn't realize I was diabetic and they were surprised given my level of fitness (not pro but fit). If they only new how frustrated I was during this point in time.

Well, the saga continues... As I headed to the airport, I asked again to get a pat down. One of the security assistants told me to wait, which I did. He then told me to walk through the metal detector which I thought for some reason he turned off. Well he didn't but what he did do is call for a female assist. Great... Well at this time my Dexcom did not provide any readings that night and throughout the following day, until I changed my sensor.

Word to other Diabetics, not sure if this is typical but Dexcom Tech Support recommended I not go through the metal detector unless absolutely necessary. I never had a problem with my pump at the airport but it wasn't wireless like the CGM. To make it worse, airport security was not familiar with the continuous monitor like they were with my pump. Need to get cards made by Dexcom to explain the CGM and how airport security should handle the situation.

Until the next post,
Stay well, stay happy, stay healthy

Rollar Coaster Blood Sugars

I am just returning from a great weekend of riding and spending time with my daughter, sister and niece.

The weekend began with a ride heading towards Gates Pass and ending with a great climb on A mountain in Tucson. I have to admit the ride up 'A' mountain was work and I didn't consider the impact on BS. Halfway through the ride, I ate 1/2 PB&J and drank 1/4 of my regular Perpetuem drink. My BS were already at ~ 200 so I took 1.5 units for the food and the high reading. Well it didn't take long before I saw my blood sugars dropping and I mean dropping. It kept going.... immediately I began drinking more of my Perpetuem and downed 5 sugar tabs. I headed up 'A' mtn thinking all the sugar I ate would catch up to me. It didn't and I spent the whole rest of the day in a yo yo with highs and lows. Not quite sure how it happened, as I reduced all my doses for food and it still didn't seem to be enough. I continued to yo yo all the next day.

What used to take 1 unit to correct a high BS now drops me to 50 from 200. I spent the entire night with alarms going off almost every two hours. I had a high at midnight, dosed 1/2 unit with a low alarm going off at 4 am (corrected with food), with a high alarm at 7 am. I have been on this roller coaster for 24 hrs. I am tired from the riding, the rock climbing and the fluctuating blood sugars.

I am just two weeks away from the Tucson Tour De Cure ride and I am getting anxious for the festivities to begin, but wondering if I am going to get my BS in control to last the 100km. I am inspired by the Tour De California Race and the great effort by Team Type 1. Phil Southerland, a type 1 diabetic, gave it his all as did other cyclists. On one of his last days riding in the race he was trying to get caught up with the peloton when Lance Armstrong with a few of his team mates were heading back up, Lance gestured to Phil to hop on and ride the draft. A gesture only someone with experience, compassion and true sportsmanship would do. Phil's logs of his BS and the amount of carbs he takes in to perform at this level helps me realize that the harder I ride the more carbs I need, a science I will have to figure out to continue to ride distances more then 50+ miles.

The good news was, after my ride I drove to Phoenix and I was with my sister who has a son with type 1 diabetes. Both my sister and my niece have a great understanding of the challenges and complications of having diabetes. It makes it a whole lot easier when folks are around who can help in case of the unexpected. I look forward forward to getting back to my regiment and gettimg my BS back in control.

Still working to meeting my goal of $2k in donations for the Tour de Cure, just $400 dollars away.

Keep on trekking
Penny

Getting Use to my Dexcom Seven

I have officially had my continuous monitor on for a week now and it has been great. The biggest advantage for me is when I am on my bike or rock climbing. I've done both this week and not having to worry about my BS has been great. I still have a lot of work to do for a decent trend line of my BS, but I worry a lot less about lows which gives me a huge sense of relief.

Each day that I ride, I look at my BS trend on the receiver to see which way I am heading. Once I have a sense if I should carb up or hold steady, I head into my activity with a new sense of confidence. Even though I know I am still on the upside of mid life, I love riding and the for the first time, I have been classified as an athlete due to my weight and body composition. Yeah! Now if I just had the road performance to compete at a Masters Level. Well, not sure I am ready for the effort it will take to get there right now. Tooo much coming up. I will take great health as a success to get me through the summer.

What is up with Trek Bikes and TBOT

I am constantly asked what is up with my fascination with Trek bikes and the Trek Bikes of Tucson shop (photo of owners Dave and Candice with lil Gwen). I was even asked if my husband owned the store, since I have 3 Trek bikes. That's just my bikes, my husband also rides a Trek 820 MT bike.

First let me just say, I have been a Trek bike owner for over 30 years. Good things happen when I am on my Trek bikes. My first bike was a used Trek multi-track hybrid. I love that bike and I ride it for my casual rides and loan it out to anyone who wants to start riding. Then I took up spinning and after 2 years began talking about hitting the road. I just knew that my hybrid wouldn't get me where I wanted to go...then my second Trek bike came to me via a friend, Roger, who gave it to me for as long as I wanted to ride. That is when I met Candice from TBOT (Trek Bikes of Tucson). The world of cycling was opened up to me because of these two generous individuals.

But that is just the start of the story...
Candice of TBOT, a Pro Racer on sabbatical, spent her personal time away from her new baby to teach me about riding, she started slow and allowed me to get my own groove as I learned how to ride and figure out the impact on my diabetes. We stopped frequently and drank recovery specialty coffee drinks often.

I spent time in the shop talking to Steve about wanting a new bike and Heather about getting the perfect seat to fit my butt...(LOL). Duncan a source of information, spent endless hours talking to me about commuting, panniers and getting the right size bike. One thing I am impressed with is over and over again, the professionalism, the expertise and in general the experience each person I talked to possessed. You see for months I talked to these folks without making hardly any purchases except for tubes, tune up and goo!

They are a team of professionals that love the sport and love it when anyone wants to ride. After only riding for 3 - 4 months I mentioned to Candice and Steve, that I wanted to ride across America for Diabetes and Muscular Dystrophy. Expecting some sarcasm, I was waiting for them to somewhat brush over what I said. Instead, Candice told me I could absolutely do it and also said that Steve had contacts on the East Coast who had done the ride multiple times. Steve spent even more time to talk with me about the right bike for this type of tour. Then, I ran into a Tucsonan who had done the ride a year before. Good things just keep happening.

Today was no different. Yesterday, I acquired a new Dexcom Continuous Monitor and today I went on my first ride with new found freedom. I decided to stop by the Trek Shop on my way home to get some ideas on how to mount the Dexcom on my bike during my rides so I could monitor my blood sugars with a touch of a fingertip. James, one of the great mechanics, figured out an easy way to do this without additional cost.

I have had nothing but encouragement all the way from real Pros and cycling enthusiasts at TBOT, so why do I always go back, well, wouldn't you?

First Ride with Dexcom Continuous Monitor

Today's Ride Was Phenomenal! I was excited to do a climb ride today (41 miles round trip), not because I am a strong climber, but for the first time I was riding with a tool that could tell me what was happening with my blood sugars every two minutes. I was able to push to my ability to climb as hard as I could and push myself to see where I needed work.

It was the first time, I kept an avg pace over 15 mph, my first goal for this year. I wanted to at least keep within eye distance of the front of our group. I not only did that, but I actually took the lead a few times, again not because I was the fastest but because for the first time, I could take the headwind while others rested to take us home. It is hard to understand this type of excitement unless you are Diabetic or have a dependency on having the right supplies that could save your life.

I felt great on the ride, even with getting up at 3 am due to low blood sugars and correcting that, I still felt strong and ready to ride. My biggest challenge was getting my Dexom out to check it on a regular basis. I kept my Dexcom in my jacket side pocket because when it was in one of my back pockets it seemed to stop registering the readings. I was a little worried that my sweat kept the Dexcom Receiver a little fogged over, but it all seemed to workout and the receiver doesn't seem worse for the ride.

My blood sugars remained somewhere around 120 - 170 during the ride. I would check my Dexcom before any hill climb to see if I was running low or had enough onboard to make it through the next stretch. I supplemented my ride with 1 water bottle of Perpetuem and a camelback full of water with electrolytes. I drank 1/2 the Perpetuem, and 1/4 of my water. I started the day at a perfect 150 ( that is perfect for a hill ride day), ate rice pancakes and a tbs of peanut butter for breakfast, dosed 4 u for the carbs and maintained my basal rate of Levimir of 10 u. The ride BS were never a problem... It is always afterwards that recovery and maintenance become an issue for me (as evident by the picture above).

I headed home, stopped with a few riders to have some coffee, ate my 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich on gluten free bread. Once home I kept drinking my water, I continued to drink my perpetuem and ate a bannana. I then ate an apple and had rice crackers, some cheese and turkey pepperoni. Every time I ate, my Dexcom would go off of being at 200 then it would come down. I have the perfect roller coaster pattern for my BS readings. Ugh!

Now that I had a great ride, I have to figure out how to have a great recovery. It is 7:30 pm at night and I am still bouncing around...

Why I Ride?

I ride for my life, literally. I am a type 1 diabetic and I have 21 year old son with Muscular Dystrophy who can't ride, who has endured incredible odds every day of his life without complaint. It wasn’t until after his surgery a few years ago that put metal bars in his chest I realized; I had let diabetes define me. As I approached some of the best years of my life, I found I was lost and scared. I didn’t know what I wanted, I felt like I lost my identify, my independence, my confidence and my passion to experience life. I was doing what was safe and what was known. How, could I expect my kids to get out there and go for it when I had retreated? I then realized there is so much I was taking for granted and I wanted to be the change that I wanted to see in my kids.

It took me about a year or so to actually get on a bike, not because I didn't know how, but because I knew as a diabetic it was never a good idea to ride alone and I didn't have a bike. Then one day when I was at a spinning class, Roger, a man I had spoken to about cycling and spinning over the past year, overheard me talk about wanting to get out and ride, but I didn’t have a bike. The next week he gave me a Trek Elance Road Bike (1985, Reynolds Steel) with one condition, if I decided not to ride, I return it when I am done.

Well, I just rode 58 – 60 miles last Saturday for one of my weekend rides and I commute 21 miles round trip to work 2 – 3 times a week. I am also planning to ride across America in 2011. The more I ride the more I find the ‘me’ I was looking for. I have not redefined myself, I have rediscovered who I was and who I wanted to be before the pressures of health, family and work took over. I loan my bike to women who want to learn how to ride because I want others to feel the freedom you get when riding out on a road miles from the familiar.

Now I ride for the freedom, for the friendships, for the environment, for my health, for the incredible support you get from being a part of the biking community and to use my abilities to raise funds for Diabetes and Muscular Dystrophy. I ride because others can't and for those who can but are afraid, I ride to encourage them to try. I ride because I feel a part of something bigger than just me on a bike. I ride to live and needless to say, I still have Roger’s bike…

Why Red Cyclist

I am an avid cyclist who commutes and rides road bikes any chance I get. I have been lucky that soo many people have been in the right places at the right time to support me in getting started.

So where does the color red come in??? I ride a Red Trek Elance (1985) bike that was given to me by someone whom I met in a spinning class, without this kind gesture, I would still be inside on a stationary bike riding to nowhere.

I also have vibrant red/orange hair and I am Red Rider with type 1 Diabetes. A Red Rider is an individual who rides in the charity events for Diabetes with one of the forms of Diabetes.

Red for life, Red for blood, Red with passion & energy and Red for luck. All these things represent what drives me to live, love, laugh and cry through life's challenges.