clubbing/nights out with diabetes

[Rivermyles]

Hiya,
So i'm turning 18 soon which means that there will most likely be occasions where I'm out in the evenings and nights with friends e.g clubbing. I'm a bit nervous about going out clubbing with diabetes for various reasons such as where I will put my insulin pen, testing kit, and hypo treatment! Has anyone got any tips or advice of how to tackle these situations? Also, has anyone got any advice on how to avoid hypo's whilst out clubbing?

Thank you!
Ps. I'm a guy so I wouldn't carry around a purse or small bag with me inside these events!

 

[Juicyj]

Hi River,

First and foremost go out and have fun !!

I can't offer many tips as I'm long past my clubbing days, however make sure whoever you are out with knows all about your condition, so how to treat hypos and that you trust them to have your back in any situation, carry jelly babies if you can, small bag, you will need to have trousers with deep pockets or a jacket you can carry your gear in, or a female friend who can carry it for you, but won't abandon you ! Check door policies too or if you can pre warn any clubs your going to that your a type 1 to save embarrassment at the door whilst they check your kit or in case the bouncers don't understand, perhaps tweet beforehand. They should understand but sometimes you can hear stories about them not understanding and turning people away. Depending on how much dancing you do and how late you are out check every couple of hours and if you like a drink don't forget to finish your night with a packet of chips to ensure bg doesn't drop overnight but only take insulin for food.

Good luck

 

[sunshine84]

It sounds like you're being sensible already as you know you have to take these things out with you. Make sure all your friends know about your diabetes and they know what to do if you do have a hypo (although be aware that they may forget this once they've had a few drinks). Door staff dont tend to search so I doubt you'll have to explain what you're carrying - I have never had that and I have done a lot of clubbing!
Make sure you have something to eat before you go out, the only bad hypo I've ever had was when I went out drinking without having something to eat.
I would take the time to test throughout the night so you can see what effect the alcohol will have.
As long as you dont go too crazy you'll be fine! Enjoy yourself!


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[noblehead]

Just take sensible precautions and be aware of the risks that alcohol can have on bg levels, there's some good advice in the following which you should find useful:

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-and-alcohol.html

 

[himtoo]

Have always carried test kit in 1 front pocket and roll of fruit pastilles and pen in other
never had any problem with bouncers
Deffo make sure peeps you with know you are D
saved my life once when I collapsed after not eating but did the drinking

 

[L3wisr]

Just be cautious. Let everyone who you're with know what they need to look out for and what to do if something happens.

When I drink my numbers tend to show up very high but can just drop quickly, make sure to eat something before you go home or go to bed to stop chances of having a hypo in the night. Whenever I do this I wake up with my levels back to normal.

I was also told by the diabetic nurse to have a small glass of coke for every three/four beers (if you drink beer).
... If you decide drink sprits make sure the mixer is okay, I've had it a few times were the person behind the bar has just given me normal coke etc after asking for diet.

I've never had a problem with my pen/reader in either pocket.


If it's a busy place with horrible toilets etc I tend to test outside somewhere

 

[urbanracer]

Diagnosed when already an old git I never had to deal with this as a young person, it's a bit **** isn't it.
Some pretty good advice above Rivermyles but also be aware that a hypo can easily be confused with drunkeness by those not in on the secret. So they may not be thinking about getting help for you if things go wrong. In addition, it may seem obvious, but it's difficult to make corrections when you are drunk yourself.
Enjoy your 18th and have a good (safe) night out.

 

[Rivermyles]

Thank you everyone for your helpful replies! I've never had a hypo or any issues when drinking but my absolute worst nightmare would be to have a bad low In a nightclub! Just another one of those things diabetes makes you have to really plan and worry about beforehand I suppose!

 

[britincali]

First off yes I'm a bit of a pisshead but I am and always have been successful

I drink, I drink more than most, I also am a landlord and own a pub, I brew my own beer and may or may not distill spirits occasionally...

The point is I'm not your ideal type 1.... And I've only been diagnosed since last October so am still a newbie to this ****...

After a lot of testing and trial and error ive found certain drinks don't affect my numbers at all, if I know I'm gonna be drinking a fair bit what I do is make sure I'm above 6.5 before starting then test at least every hour.

As far as confusing a hypo with drunkness I disagree, I might be a professional drunk but being completely ****** has nothing on a full blown sweating, shaking, numb terrifying hypo. I can guarantee I'll personally never confuse that!

Tonight is a bog standard normal night and I'm 3 cans and a bottle of wine in and here's my numbers..,

 

[jack412]

a carbmeatyfat-fest on the way home for the post drinking hypo
http://www.healthline.com/diabetesm...n-revisiting-drinking-diabetes-with-uncle-wil

 

[ChrisMaleType1]

Rivermyles, congrats on you soon to be 18. I find I can fit my stuff in my pockets if I need to (I'm a male) but they can get pretty tight at times. I take out a small plastic Glucotabs container which is plastic and can fit in your pocket without anything leaking. I refill this with normal tablets. I'd probably then reuse my needle and lancet but I'd advise taking a spare of each. I usually put my test strips in a small sealy bag at the back of my bayer contour meter so I don't need a container for that.

I think urbanracer and britincali are right, the confusion with drunkeness is often by other people rather than yourself but that really depends on you having good hypo awareness. I'd probably have something reasonably sustainable like a chocolate bar at the time you start drinking because sugar levels can go down very suddenly, no matter which alcohol you choose. Britincali's right, some drinks are worse for sending blood glucose up. I personally find rum or vodka quite good to have