How To Handle Diabetes On Vacation
Diabetes is not the easiest of diseases to have to put up with, there I no doubt about this. When it comes to taking a vacation there are so many things you are going to have to think about when it comes to the disease.
Medication
You are going to need to make sure that you pack all of your insulin, blood strips and everything else you need for the trip you are taking. The thing that I usually do is to take too much of it with me and put it into two separate bags. This way if one of them is lost I do not have to worry about finding a place to get insulin from. This would be impossible if you were going to a remote location in the world not to mention expensive.
Never put your insulin in a bag that is going underneath the plane with the main parts your luggage because it will freeze and your insulin will become useless. Always make sure you are putting it in your hand luggage.
Something else that I didn’t know until my recent Diabetic clinic is that most insulin will be okay to use up for a up to a month if you do not leave it in the fridge which is great for people going on things like active vacations where hiking is the way of getting around. Although I am only heading out to Florida this year I am staying in two hotels and it is a relief that if a fridge is not supplied I do not have to badger people for one.
Eating Habits
If I am being honest, I am a bit naughty when it comes to going on vacation as I do not stick to the things I should be eating. Don’t take my word for it as I am not a doctor by any means but I do not see any harm in indulging in the things you cannot have from time to time. As long as you are constantly testing your bloods and injecting accordingly for it I just cannot see a problem at all.
General Tips
Other than these two main points I would say just make sure you are taking care of the feet as it is still important as well as drinking plenty of water if you are in a hot climate. Do not forget that heat can affect blood levels as well as the level in which you think they are at. Sometimes low bloods are not actually low you just feel like they are so checking blood levels is important.
All in all, just have a fantastic vacation and you will be fine!
Ryan is a diabetic internet marketer that loves vacation (English people call them holidays) but hates the stress of the disease when away. You can find him on twitter @ryanogs.
