# training diabetics



## undeadcheese (Mar 28, 2007)

does anyone have experience training diabetics?  
It might be usefull for teachers and students alike to have a list of things to watch out for or avoid while warming up and training.Training tips would be welcome as well. 
Oh and what blood sugar level should the student or teacher inorder to train?


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## undeadcheese (Mar 28, 2007)

these come to mind strait off.


1. I was told to avoid doing kiai or kiop due to the strain on the heart(increased thickness of the blood+ increased pressure).
2. Avoid knives and sharp objects (slow healing, infection rate).
thouroghly clean any wrestling matt, floor, tatami, or any other training surface (staph, gonorrhea...)
3. Long nails, you don't want to give or recieve a antibiotic resistant staph infection.


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## Shaderon (Mar 28, 2007)

I am not an instructor but I'll tell you what little I know of working with diabetics.  Trust them to know whether they are capeable of training, they should also see a doctor who has passed them for the activity, like anyone should who has any medical issue.

If they start talking gibberish or go a bit distant, encourage them to drink a sweet drink, ask them to have a rest and watch them carefully.  This might mean they are going hypoglycemic.  If they go the other way... hyperglycemic, (I'm sure I have this the right way round) then they will go unconcious but this very rarely happens because most diabetics remember to take thier insulin, it's second nature to them.

Mild diabetics that don't take insulin usually just go the Hypoglycemic way as far as I know, I was told in first aid not to worry about them anyway.  Just watch them like you would watch anyone else for looking unwell.


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## stickarts (Mar 28, 2007)

It depends upon the severity of the diabetes and how well it is controlled.
For a  diabetic having problems with circulation to the feet, an injury to the feet can be a serious emergency.
It is good to have sugar tablets or something sweet such as orange juice on hand in case of a low sugar attack. Symptoms of low sugar can be hands shaking, sweating, racing heart, strange behavior.
If a diabetic passes out, call 911! Don't try force feeding them anything.
In most cases (but not always) exercise lowers blood sugar so it's important that diabetics monitor their sugar before and after exercise and know how exercise effects them.
In some diabetics that have very high sugar (strenuous exercise can actually increase their sugar level)
Diabetics that suffer from complications should consult with their doctor to see what exercise is appropriate for them.
More info on diabetes can be found at *http://www.diabetes.org/home.jsp*


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## ArmorOfGod (Mar 28, 2007)

I am 31 and have been taking three shots a day since I was ten years old.  For four years (high school), I wore an insulin pump, which led to a two inch needle that ran into the top layer of skin on my stomach area.

I agree completely with the above two posters, but would like to stress what shaderon said about trusting them on whether they can train or not.  Listen to them and trust them on how they are feeling.

As for what level their blood sugar level should be, that is a tricky question.  Glucose (blood sugar level) should always be between 70-120, give or take ten or so, but if they come in and is 100 (for example), they also have to factor in what they just ate, how much insulin they took, the temperature of the room, and the stress they just had all day. 

Temperature (in the room) is my enemy.  High temps cause my blood sugar to drop hard and fast.  21 years have given me the ability to know how much insulin to take and how my body is feeling.  I carry Reese Cups everywhere I go (peanut butter is the best thing ever made for low blood sugar).  If I get a low at work, I just drink a soda and take a piece of candy.

Also, stress causes me to go low or sometimes high.  Stress is terrible and unpredictable.

Exercise will cause it to go low for me.

Here is something you should know though: if someone gets low and eats a piece of candy or soda, their glucose will go up, then the body will break down those "simple sugars" and drop again, causing a yo-yo effect.  If they eat a starch based food, like peanut butter, the glucose will go up more smoothly and will take longer to break down, causing a smoother drop.  Still, too much starch and the glucose will go up and stay up, causing high blood sugar problems.

If someone goes into insulin shock, don't force feed them, but try to get them to eat something and call 911.  Read Frank's post above this.  Orange juice is great becuase it is a complex sugar and will jack the glucose up and keep it up fairly safely.  Still, OJ is not something a diabetic can casually drink (ever).

I would watch your diabetic student's habits carefully.  In my experience, most diabetic are idiots.  They drink that sugar coca-cola and eat cake and candy whenever they want without any care of what their glucose is.  I am the ONLY diabetic in my family that takes his medication.  Note: all the rest are now having amputations, blindness, and dying early, but they are sitting there with a mouthful of cake while complaining that they can't feel their feet or fingers (I am not exagerating).  

This is a disease of personal responsibility.  It is not my fault that at ten years old my pancreas shriveled up and quit, but it is my responsibility to take my insulin, drink diet coke, and avoid dessert.  Still, I have a lot of lows, so I get my share of candy/sweets, but I can't just eat it when I have the urge.

Now, I am in good health, run a martial arts school, and my family can't figure out why I can see farther than ten feet and walk a mile, while they have had their diabeties for half the time I have.  The workouts I give my students are well known: 200 jumping jacks, pushups, situps, cardio--all hitting about thirty minutes.  I am not sitting in my recliner stuffing my face with oreos and crying becuase I can't see the tv across the room.

Wow.  I am sorry that all came out, but dang it felt good.  I think that is the first time that I have ever broke down and wrote how I feel about my fellow diabetics.

I hope I didn't offend anyone, but if I did, read what I put and then look to see if there is a Snickers bar in your left hand.

AoG
www.csraDefensiveArts.com


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## Carol (Mar 28, 2007)

ArmorOfGod said:


> This is a disease of personal responsibility. http://www.csraDefensiveArts.com



I think you said a lot right there AoG. 

I don't think that Martial Arts teachers should be in the business of treating other people's diseases.   I don't see anything wrong with an MA school stocking bottles of water and Gatorade to sell to their students. 

If a diabetic student is coherent enough to ask for Gatorade, then IMO they deserve to get it.  If they aren't coherent enough to ask for gatorade then they should probably be seen by a paramedic.  

Keep in mind that First Responders are there to help, and they would much rather see a diabetic that's having a mild reaction...than to respond to a resulting car accident that happened from a person that thought they could drive home, but couldn't.


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## stickarts (Mar 28, 2007)

ArmorOfGod said:


> I am 31 and have been taking three shots a day since I was ten years old. For four years (high school), I wore an insulin pump, which led to a two inch needle that ran into the top layer of skin on my stomach area.
> 
> I agree completely with the above two posters, but would like to stress what shaderon said about trusting them on whether they can train or not. Listen to them and trust them on how they are feeling.
> 
> ...


 
Some great advice, a great post, and some reality checks.
Many diabetics go into denial and do not treat it properly. I have seen many that do not even own a meter so they don't check their sugar levels. Many rely strictly on their doctors but their doctors cannot be there every day to manage it for them. 
Kudos to you AoG for looking it square in the eye and managing it and fighting it. "This is a disease of personal responsibility" sums it up so well.
Great advances have been made in treatments and the next 5 - 10 years will bring many more amazing improvements. There is hope.
We just completed a kickathon to raise funds to fight diabetes. For any schools that would like info on doing a fundraiser, contact your local American Diabetes Association office.


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## Kacey (Mar 28, 2007)

While I dispute nothing of what AoG said, I will add this:  I have had students who were diabetic, including one who was 16.  When he started in my class, he gave me a list of symptoms to watch for, and several tubes of cake frosting in case I saw some of the symptoms and he didn't eat in time - but I never had to use it. After several months in my class, his doctor finally cleared him to get his learner's permit to drive - because being in class had taught him how to gauge when he needed to slow down, stop, eat, etc. - to the extent that his doctor finally considered his diabetes sufficiently under control to clear him to drive (he was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes as 6 or 7).  He told me, when his doctor cleared him, that the discipline he learned in class taught the discipline he needed to control his diabetes - one of the nicest compliments I have ever received!


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## stickarts (Mar 29, 2007)

Kacey said:


> While I dispute nothing of what AoG said, I will add this: I have had students who were diabetic, including one who was 16. When he started in my class, he gave me a list of symptoms to watch for, and several tubes of cake frosting in case I saw some of the symptoms and he didn't eat in time - but I never had to use it. After several months in my class, his doctor finally cleared him to get his learner's permit to drive - because being in class had taught him how to gauge when he needed to slow down, stop, eat, etc. - to the extent that his doctor finally considered his diabetes sufficiently under control to clear him to drive (he was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes as 6 or 7). He told me, when his doctor cleared him, that the discipline he learned in class taught the discipline he needed to control his diabetes - one of the nicest compliments I have ever received!


 
We have a young student in Karate that also demonstrates great discipline and seems to have it managed. Its always great to see people setting the good example.


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## StrongFighter (Feb 25, 2009)

Diabetes Exercise & Sports Association (DESA) exists to enhance the quality of life for people with diabetes through exercise and physical fitness.

http://www.diabetes-exercise.org/index.asp


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