diabetic lacrosse players

[Diabetic_Lax]

is there anyone that is diabetic that plays?
or am i a loner

[spenny]

i have 2 diabetic teammates on my masters team. they keep a close eye on their blood sugar during the game, they usually check it at halftime, and sometimes during the game, too.

[Diabetic_Lax]

o sweet can you ever tell if they play better or worse when they have good blood sugars because i think i play crappy if my glucose is too high because i cant focus or anything

[westlakelax17]

I have diabetes, and i have had it for 5 years now. I play alright when my glucose is too high, just i get really clammy or feel sick. When my glucose is too low i start to black out when I'm in goal [not fun at all when your doing drills at practice].

[odysseybmx54]

We have somebody on our team with diabeties. He's a real cool kid.

[freefallsf89]

i am diabetic... i will normally go into playing with a good blood sugar level. if it isnt going to be good i like to have it on the higher side more than anything, i am still able to focus with a higher blood glucose level.

[tall_chris]

I am diabetic also. Yes you can tell a difference of play based on the blood sugar. I dont play but coach/referee. The biggest advice I have is to educate those around you on what to do in case of an emergency. Low and High can come on quick and your peers need to know what to do in each case.

[bigpattyboy73]

yea, i have 2 teammates who suffer from diabetes. the only time it's truly noticable is when they're low and thus have to sit out for the rest of a practice or game.

[crazyivan]

Great question! I am one of spenny's teammates on his master's (over 35) team, and also coach boy's HS & youth lax. I play 2-3 games a week, both field and box, as well as numerous tournaments around the country, including last summer's World Games Festival in Canada.

When I first got diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1992, I thought I must be the only guy playing with this disease. Since then, I have met more and more people who play with diabetes. In fact, the latest April 2007 issue of Lacrosse Magazine (published by US Lacrosse http://laxmagazine.cstv.com/) has an article ("Pump and Play" p.44) about a gal at Springfield College who plays with Type 1 diabetes, so this is getting a lot more attention recently.

I try to start games with my sugar as close to normal (100 mg/dl) as possible. I check my sugars before and after the game, and after each quarter as well. If it gets low, then I use "Gu" energy gel to bring it back up, as this is fast-acting, tastes great and is easily digestible, allowing me to get back in the action after just a few minutes.

High blood sugar has a definite negative effect on athletic performance, and personally it makes me feel tired, slow and lethargic. If my sugars are too high (180+), I use fast-acting Humalog insulin to bring it back down, although since it takes 30 minutes to start acting, I often just have to play through it. However, if your sugar is over 300, then you should probably not be playing, as the increased blood flow from exercise can actually accelerate damage to your vascular system (sugar molecules are sharp-edged, and scar the walls of your veins).

A good reference site to check out is the Diabetes Exercise & Sports Association (DESA) at www.diabetes-exercise.org. There are thousands of people out there with diabetes who compete at every level of sport, and if you manage it well, only occasionally does it ever slow you down.

Good luck, and Find Your Game!

[paintballislife]

iv got a friend that plays hockey who is a diabetic

so i guess your not really alone... he keeps one of those shot kits on the bench too. i forgot what the medicine is called...

[crazyivan]

See http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Lacrosse/2007/04/18/4056321-sun.html for an article on an NLL box lax player who has diabetes.

[Auburn10]

my one team mate is diabetic, yesterday at practice he got a low and he just left went to his car got some sugar and what not, made sure his sugar level raised and then came back to practice, and that was the first time ive ever seen him do that... he also plays hockey too