Travelling with Diabetes

[Boyle73]

DH has been diagnosed with type 2 but hasn’t responded well to tablets so this weeks he’s been given insulin to inject twice a day.

This will be our first time travelling with his meds. He’s going to keep his insulin and pens in his hand luggage.

We have a note confirming his medication from his GP.

Sharps box is in hold luggage.

Is there anything obvious we have missed or not thought about?

Lesley

[Flodis21]

A cooling system for your insulin. I use frio travel wallets. They come in various sizes. Bring at least twice as much supplies as you think you need.

[KarenG]

This may be a bit obvious but if he’s newly on insulin he may want to consider having a hypo remedy to hand at all times? I don’t know if that’s possible or likely for a T2 on insulin but I guess so?

I know you’ve said this already but absolutely do keep his meds in hand luggage.

[scooby99]

Originally Posted by KarenG

This may be a bit obvious but if he’s newly on insulin he may want to consider having a hypo remedy to hand at all times? I don’t know if that’s possible or likely for a T2 on insulin but I guess so?

I know you’ve said this already but absolutely do keep his meds in hand luggage.

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For anyone injecting insulin, whether type 1 or type 2, hypos are both possible & likely.

OP, glucose tablets are great to start treating hypos quickly; me & DH are both type 1 (me, 45 years & DH 20 years) & we always keep these to hand when out.
Target, CVS, Walgreens & Publix all sell glucose tablets in various flavours in both larger tubs & little tubes which hold around 10-12 tablets with a pop-top which are easy to slip into a bag or pocket & don’t melt in the heat.

[Radcliffe]

Another vote here for Frio pouches to keep insulin cool around the parks etc. I take dolly mixture sweets for my hypos or jelly babies but they can melt. You are likely to have a few more hypos in the heat and with walking around. Don’t forget to take a copy of your medication - repeat prescription information - I also have a letter from my doctor saying I am a insulin dependent diabetic so need to carry insulin, needles etc - never needed to use it in 30 + years 😎. One last thing - my blood sugar goes really high during the flight - no idea why - maybe the adrenaline from excitement of going on holiday so keep a close eye on blood sugars on the plane. Finally hope you both have a fantastic time x

[KarenG]

Good point from Radcliffe about the effects on blood sugar levels of variation from the normal routine - flying, time zone changes, different diet, exercise and weather extremes. They can all impact levels.

I don’t actually like glucose tabs so tend to use Swedish Fish when in the US. In the theme parks you can go to the front of a line at any QS and ask for an emergency Coke if you need it. Don’t repeat my mistake once of accidentally buying sugar free Goofy candy for low blood sugar 😂

I don’t speak to any experience for T2 as it’s quite different to T1 but I’ve been T1 for 45 years (weirdly same as you Scooby!)

[Shani]

Another one that uses Frio pouches for my son's (16yo T1 since he was 7) insulin.

But further to that, once your insulin has gone into the Frio pouch, keep it in there (I usually have 3 or 4 different pouches as my son's on a pump). Once you get to your accommodation, keep your insulin in the Frio pouch out on a counter somewhere, where plenty of air can get to it, and re-soak it every 2 or 3 days.

Frio pouches are brilliant but are designed to keep your insulin at a stable room temperature, not fridge temperature, and it's a bad idea to take insulin out of the fridge, bring it up to room temperature and then put it back in the fridge. It can damage it.

We carry glucose tabs for my son, but he prefers using full sugar coke, orange or apple juice to treat any hypos.

I'm not sure if you're carb counting as a T2, but be aware that there are far, far more carbs in US foods compared to UK. Bread very notably causes a much bigger spike there.

When packing, I always add up what I think my son will need over the number of days of holiday, and then double it to take with us.

[Boyle73]

Thank you all for your help and advice. Fingers crossed all goes well x

[JudeB]

This is all very useful advice. This will be my future son-in-law's first trip to Florida and he is T1. The furthest he as been before is the Canary Islands, so we don't know how he will be on the flights and dealing with jet lag etc. I'll tell him about the pouches - they seem like a great idea.

[Grumps]

T1 diabetic here for 26th and my tip would be to pack extra meds than you need and split it across luggage, that way if one suitcase gets lost or misplaced you will still have medication.
In terms of glucose control the time zones are something to keep an eye on in terms of glucose levels and adjust as needed. I find when visiting US in past I have had to increase dosage of insulin and it’s either because I’m maybe eating more “treats” or there is naturally more glucose content in the foods (possibly both at play).
The main thing is to not let it hold you back. I have the libresensor and that’s been a game changer as you can better analyse your control, especially for overseas trips. You can also set alarms which will sound if your sugars are out of range.