Type 2 diabetes

I'm not a medical professional and I don't take insulin so even though I have type II, this is won't be helpful. I would definitely speak with your doctor and even a dietician if you can. My dietician said to eat some protein and/or healthy fats before swimming and since I have been going during my lunch break, I usually eat a power crunch bar and drink some isopure fusion drink or have some nuts. Or I might have an apple and some all natural peanut butter. Then when I get home I eat lunch. I am just returning to the sport after a couple of decades away so I am not sure if it will get harder to manage my diabetes once I start practicing with a team again. My dietician said that I might have to have a snack during practice which I have never had to do before and don't even know how I would do that. As to your specific problem, I think it's strange because usually exercise lowers blood sugar so I wonder if your pancreas is creating more sugar to compensate, sort of like how it can get higher in the morning? Have you tried eating some protein before you swim? 

Thank you for your response. In my research I have found that the insulin storage process effectively stops during intense exercise. The fat gets pulled from the muscle and liver to be converted into ATP and burned off as energy. I am thinking this process doesn't immediately stop once exercise is done and the insulin hormone takes a bit to kick back in for storage duties. I've taken 10 units of insulin due to my BS being over 200 and an hour later I'm crashing. I have a consult in with a dietician with my VA. I've also started a membership with an athletic trainer for resistance training. He's an angry elf. lol From what I understand weight training is the best bang for your buck in managing diabetes. Because fat is initially stored in muscles and the liver weight training really focuses on getting that fat out as quickly as possible. This explains the wall I run into swimming. I am now in a 3 prong attack of swimming, weights and diet. Hope this helps someone else. I'll follow up after I talk to the dietician. Type2 doesn't have to be a death sentence. #GettinStrongerEveryday 

This is a really good question.  Yes, you're right, the liver triggers your body to release more glucose in the setting of high-intensity exercise like your swims - basically the same process as when our cavepeople ancestors were being chased by a tiger, bodies and brains need the glucose to function adequately.  In people without diabetes, you'd see a similar spike for high intensity exercise (versus low to moderate intensity) but our insulin helps put that glucose in the tissues where we need it.  Do you produce any insulin of your own or totally reliant on external sources?  What happens if you don't take the insulin right away for the immediate spike in blood sugar?  Do you feel the effects of hyperglycemia, or do you feel ok and does it drop again by itself?  You might check with your endocrinologist and see if you might take less insulin, or if he or she feels like you need to take it at all right after exercise.  

I've had type 2 DM for 15 years and have read and studied everything I can find about diet and exercise influences of blood sugar.  I follow a paleo diet because of allergies, and a keto diet to reduce carbs to lower my blood sugar.  In addition I do intermittent fasting to decrease blood sugar, increase the body's ability to use both glycogen and fat stores, and to increase healing through autophagy.  For anyone not needing to lose weight, carb calories can be replaced with healthy fats.  One of the central issues in DM II is insulin resistance. Insulin has to be low in order for fat to be mobilized from the body stores.  Many type 2 diabetics never have low insulin, regardless of diet.  Hitting the wall is related to having used up glycogen stores without having the metabolic flexibility to be able to start using ketones from fat stores. Intermittent fasting will over time allow cells to become more insulin sensitive.  Taking insulin, of course may be necessary for dangerously high blood sugar, but will worsen insulin resistance.  The Diabetes Code, byJason Fung MD, a nephrologist, describes all of this in a very accessible way. He also has many YouTube videos. Dr. Sten Ekberg, a decathlon Olympian, has a very good YouTube video on the autophagy healing process.  Good luck.  I know things can be easier for you.