r/diabetes_t1 • u/PuzzleheadedPie4321 • 21h ago
Have any of you travelled a lot? Jumping from country to country to live in/holiday Discussion
Hi, I’m wondering if any of you have travelled a lot. I saw a post somewhere talking about how they want to see the world before they settle down and I feel like I’d want to do that someday. It feels like though, that it would be really hard to jump from place to place with diabetes. From day to day managing blood sugar in a new environment with maybe less support (no friends or family for example) to making sure you have enough supplies and getting your prescription. It sounds like a nightmare! I’m on a pump and currently don’t go out much and my blood sugars are good for now but when I start going to events more it’s pretty hard to keep it steady. I went on holiday for just a few days and was wrecked from my sugars going on a rollercoaster. How would you manage?
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u/Zoro3sw0rd 2010 | t:slim X2| Dexcom G7 20h ago
Hello! I spent 6 months living in Scotland and would travel every weekend to different countries. The reality is, although the environment changes, the diabetes is still there. I think it might be helpful to first figure out whats causing you to be unsteady when going on short-term trips. Do you have a CGM? is the food different, are you exerting more energy, is it anxiety (this will cause me to get really high and then drop quickly sometimes) etc. Whenever I travel my basal usually HAS to be reduced because I'm walking around so much and not eating so my blood sugar will drop. Figuring out first what a likely contributor is may help with the stress around that.
When it comes to supplies, its pretty easy to find out which countries require a prescription for insulin and which ones don't. The nice thing is its cheaper everywhere else (if you're in the US). Pump supplies are definitely a hassle. If you plan on traveling for months at a time see if you can get extra supplies OR keep it to the basics. Dexcom sensors and pump supplies take up a lot of room and sometimes just having a meter and using insulin pens and syringes is the way to go.