Going on vacation is always an exciting time. It is a time to relax, and spend time with family. One thing that isn’t that pleasant is traveling with diabetes. Aside from the fact that TSA security can be difficult at points, just remembering to have all your necessary supplies and more is annoying.
A couple of months ago, I went on a trip to Israel. It was an awesome experience, but having an autoimmune disease and having to travel with it was really hard. Aside from having to deal with the usual travel stresses, I also had to figure out how to travel with all of my diabetes supplies...10 days is a long time for a diabetic to be traveling internationally. What if my pump malfunctioned and I needed pens? What if my insulin vial broke? What if I didn’t pack enough transfusion sets or blood glucose strips? A lot of “what ifs” went through my mind at this point but fortunately I figured out a way to make it all work. The number one issue with insulin is that if it is not being used, it needs to be refrigerated. However, that led to an issue for me as the airlines would not refrigerate it because they didn’t want to be held responsible if something were to happen to it, so what could you do? Well, if insulin is not refrigerated, it could only be used for about 28 days, so that’s exactly what I did. I marked the date that the insulin went out of the fridge, and discarded any unused insulin when it reached that date. Though, it might have seemed like a waste, it’s a lot easier than having to deal with the logistics of getting a cooler, bringing it on the plane, making sure the hotel staff can refrigerate it, etc. Once we came up with that solution, the rest was a piece of cake. A doctor’s note is a must when air-traveling. It could be used as a ‘safety net’ if the TSA won’t let you pass. I’ve yet to have an issue, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. It is a lot of work having to travel with diabetes, but in the end it is all worth it. My last piece of advice is to always have a separate carry on bag for your diabetes supplies. I know that if I didn’t have my supplies with me, my luggage would have gotten lost, it is inevitable. It is sometimes a burden having that second piece of luggage, but aside from the fact that it’s the smart thing to do, it is a great conversation starter as to why I have 2 bags and everyone else only has 1. -The DiaRunner
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JacobMarathoner, diabetes advocate, college graduate, Certified Athletic Trainer Archives
December 2020
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