ruddman 0 #1 May 17, 2005 Went to Skydive the Farm over the weekend and when the DZ Manager (Hans) found out I had diabetes, he said "Your blood glucose has to be over 100 to make a skydive" I thought that was pretty cool. I then found out his wife (Sandy) wears an insulin pump as I do. Any other Type 1's out there jumping with a pump? If so, have you noticed any changes or if you've got any suggestions I'd love to hear them. BTW, Hans and Sandy, thanks for making me feel so welcome! YOU GUYS ROCK!!!God bless and blue skies, Rudd-man Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nohare 0 #2 June 7, 2005 I guess i can't help answer your questions much! but I have some of my own... I am a type I but have always been nervous of the pumps - don't really like the idea, but you obviously manage ok! How much of a hassle is having a pump attached??? (Esp. when skydiving?!?) Also - do you know how to convert your measure of 100 to whatever it is us brits us?!?!? I can't figure out if 100 is high or low! Ta!no hair goes faster in the wind... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mwabd1 0 #3 June 8, 2005 http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=931885;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread.......read this. I wear a pump......no real restrictions anywhere I have jumped but everyone looks out for me! __________________________________________.......I hereby reject your reality and instead choose to insert my own! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skinnyshrek 0 #4 June 8, 2005 I believe which is the conversion i use divide the number by 18 so 90 would be 5 etc etc etc. I have been over in the states 11 years now. back in the UK October so i will be interested to see the difference in diabetic DR's Thought about using the pump but it seems more hassle than its worth.http://www.skydivethefarm.com do you realize that when you critisize people you dont know over the internet, you become part of a growing society of twats? ARE YOU ONE OF THEM? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OrlandoMike 0 #5 December 30, 2006 I've been a type 1 diabetic for 7 years and just started jumping aff last month and doing wind tunnels, they just asked me at the DZ if I had any history of passing out or unussuall effects from my diabetes and I've never had any issues once I was diagnosed with the diabetes and on the insulin so the drop zone expects me to make the call on my own body if I'm ok or not to go, often I will stop to eat though on my way in just to boost my blood sugar to about the 130-140 range just in case Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LloydDobbler 2 #6 May 6, 2007 QuoteWent to Skydive the Farm over the weekend and when the DZ Manager (Hans) found out I had diabetes, he said "Your blood glucose has to be over 100 to make a skydive" I thought that was pretty cool. I then found out his wife (Sandy) wears an insulin pump as I do. Any other Type 1's out there jumping with a pump? If so, have you noticed any changes or if you've got any suggestions I'd love to hear them. BTW, Hans and Sandy, thanks for making me feel so welcome! YOU GUYS ROCK!!! Hey, Ruddman (& all the others who asked about the pump) - Yep, I wear a Minimed pump. Have dealt with Type 1 for 17 years now. I only switched to the pump about 4 years ago...and now that I'm on it, I'm amazed I let my reservations about being "tethered" to something keep me from doing it for this long. (For those of you considering the pump, here was my reasoning: if you're doing a basal of Lantus or Ultralente in the AM and counting carbs to dose with Huma-/Novalog/Regular through the day, you're already working the same way you would with a pump. That's the way it was for me - and as a habitual snacker who prefers to work at night, getting the pump just eliminated the need for 5-7 injections a day, and allowed me to keep some odd hours. For those of you on the classic method of NPH and Regular, if you get the pump, you'll be amazed at how much better you feel, how many fewer lows you have, and how much more freedom you have. It's an amazing machine...in spite of its minor annoyances, the good far outweighs the bad.) As for jumping with the pump, here's my procedure: I always do a test before I jump on a load, just to be sure. I won't jump if it's below 90 (especially if I know conditions are ripe for it going lower, like if I haven't eaten something in a while) - if it IS at 90, I pop a few glucotabs before gearing up (4g of carbs/glucotab means that for me, 2 tabs will raise my BS by 20 mg/dL. With the pump, I can be that precise about it). Nonetheless, I always keep a vial of glucotabs in my jumpsuit pocket, just in case something goes wrong. Interestingly enough, sometimes I test after a jump, and find that my BS has spiked - anyone else notice that happening? I think the additional hormones in my system from jumping (epinephrine, anyone?) might be upping my levels. But that's only sometimes - I haven't isolated the conditions that lead to it yet (think it might have something to do with having carbs within an hour before going up, and the hormones in some way preventing insulin absorbtion). Nonetheless, if forced to choose, I'd certainly rather be high than low when I'm jumping. Depending on how stable my BS has been all day, on rare occasions I'll disconnect the pump when getting on a load - the pump gives me the flexibility to do that - but usually I just leave it connected, and make sure it doesn't get in the way of any straps. And again, I'll only disconnect if I have a good reason (flying in shorts on a hot day, for instance), if my BS has been stable, and I haven't introduced any variables that might upset the balance. Anyway, as I said, the pump has given me far more flexibility than I had without it. I never liked the idea of it...but since getting it, just the ability to not have to take time out after each meal to prep an injection is wonderful. That's my pump experience - anyone else?Signatures are the new black. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nohare 0 #7 May 8, 2007 with regard to blood sugar and jumping, it is not suprising that your bs spikes when you jump - if you think about it the adrenalin that is released is part of the 'fight or flight' response, and this means you body needs more fuel - in our case we can acutally measure this through testing. I have recently been allowed to jump again (as diabetics are not allowed to jump under our standard medical form in the uk) and have got a revised medical form to allow diabetics to jump in the uk. A result of this is that my diabetic specialist has got funding to see the affects of adrenalin on bs levels, so as soon as it arrives i will be strapping myself up to a continuous monitoring device and jumping... this may help all of us with diabeties who play our daft sports manage it a little better...!no hair goes faster in the wind... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bhamjumper 0 #8 May 15, 2007 I am a type I diabetic, i made my first jump this past weekend. and I'm starting on my A license this upcoming weekend.... This past weekend i jumped with my insulin pump on, under my jumpsuit. I had a slight problem when i deployed my chute, my harness caught my site (in my stomach) and pulled it out (i had extras on the ground luckily)... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skinnyshrek 0 #9 May 25, 2007 I have a shit load of lantus if anyone needs it. I get it free so pm if you need any let me knowhttp://www.skydivethefarm.com do you realize that when you critisize people you dont know over the internet, you become part of a growing society of twats? ARE YOU ONE OF THEM? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
