Safe Travel with Diabetes

Now that school is out and summer is here, it’s time for many people to take a break. Here are some tips to have safe travel with diabetes and keep your glucose controlled.

When you travel with diabetes, glucose is harder to control because you are out of your normal routine. Unfortunately, its impossible to leave your diabetes when you travel. But there is good news too–with some planning you can have your glucose in a safe range, feel your best and enjoy your vacation.

Here are my top 9 tips for safe travel with diabetes:

1. Try to stay as close as you can to your food and medication schedule. Like always, you don’t have to try to be perfect with your diabetes management, but try not to get too far off your regular schedule. Have a snack if your meal is delayed or if you are more active than usual.

2. Take extra medication and supplies on your trip. Things can happen (terrible weather, cancelled flights) and you could end up staying longer than you planned. You may not be able to get more prescription drugs so take them with you. Outside of the US, insulin is available in different strengths and by different names. It’s best, and less stressful, to have plenty of your own on hand. Do not pack them and check your luggage if you are flying. It’s possible your luggage could be delayed causing you to miss doses.

3. Pack food to take with you. In a car, bring healthy options in a small cooler so it’ll be handy and make good choices easy on the road. Inside the car compartment, rather than the trunk, allows you easy access. In a plane, pack some food to carry with you. Again there may be delays or not be enough time to grab something in the airport on short connections. Plus it’s hard to find healthy options in an airport. Some good choices include fruit that does not bruise easily, whole grain crackers, string cheese, unsalted nuts, dried fruit, whole grain cereal, granola bars.

4. Be sure to have some source of carbohydrate with you to treat a low blood sugar. I like glucose tablets, glucose gel, or glucose liquid because they are convenient to carry and are fast acting. If treatment is on hand, you’ll be able to respond quickly, and turn things around in a hurry. Delayed meals and being more active are two common causes of low blood sugar.

5. Have your meter with you. Because you are most likely off your normal routine, you’re blood sugars may be more variable. Being able to get important information from your meter will allow you make adjustments to get back on track. If you “feel funny”, check your glucose. If you’re blood sugar is low, treat it with 15 grams of carbohydrate, or have a meal or snack. If it’s high, go for a walk or be more active in some way to bring it down.

6. Have a list of your current medications with dosages and keep it with you. Your pharmacist can print it out for you. It may also be helpful to have a copy of your last office note from your doctor. In case you need medical attention while away from home, the note will provide a list of your medical diagnoses for the new provider who is taking care of you. Include your doctor’s name and phone number.

7. Move around. Try your best to be active wherever you go. I’ve known people who go to “walking cities”, like New York, and eat more than they do at home but they walk most everywhere they go, and their glucose stays at a safe level. If you’re visiting family, can you go for a walk after dinner? On a long car ride, stop every 2 hours and and walk around for 5-10 minutes. Consider active activities. My favorite is hiking. It’s a great way to spend time together talking.

8. Keep your medications and supplies at a safe temperature. The cargo compartments of buses, planes, and trains, as well as trunks of cars will most likely expose your meter, strips, and medications to extreme hot or cold. A meter and your medications can be damaged at extreme temperatures, or by big swings in temperature. All of your medications will have temperature recommendations on the package insert. Insulin storage varies depending on the type of insulin cartridge or prefilled pen. Vials can be stored at a controlled room temperature (59°-86°F) for 1 month.

9. If you take insulin, talk to your doctor about a correction scale (sometimes called a sliding scale) which is a written plan to address high and low blood sugars by using fast acting insulin. It’s tailor made and will give you guidelines about how to adjust your dose based on your blood sugar. This can really be helpful when you are away from your health care team. If you use syringes, think about how you will dispose of them. You can get portable sharps containers on line. Never store your insulin directly on ice. Use a food container filled with cotton balls to put your vial in before placing it in a cooler, or use a pouch. I like Frio Insulin Cooling Cases. Spoiled insulin has visible clumps and should be discarded.

Planning ahead and allowing enough time to get everything in place will enable you to have an enjoy a safe trip with diabetes. Enjoy your get away!

For TSA info Traveling with diabetes