Travelling to America

[Megziee]

Hi guys,

I am planning to save up money and then go travelling to America for a few months and I just wondered if anyone could help me out with a few worries I have. I have never been travelling for a long period of time so any and all advice and information will be greatly appreciated!

I have an insulin pump and those of you that also have one will understand that there is various pieces of kits that I need to have access to in order to keep taking my insulin. I just wondered if anyone has been to America and could explain to me how medical stuff works over there and if it is possible to get supplies there. Or if it is going to be necessary for me to take enough before I go which would be rather impractical to say the least. My pump is from Animas.

Another issue that I am aware of is travel/health insurance. Have any of you got good recommendations for me of who I should get this from and any information regarding the best type of insurance will be much appreciated.

If you have any other advice about anything that I need to be aware of or anything that could be helpful for me I will really really appreciate as I don't know that much at the moment and I will be speaking to my diabetes team but I would like advice from people who have been there or who have been travelling and can give me snippets of information.

I really hope you guys can help me out and I thank you in advance

Megan

 

[chris lowe]

Sorry I don't have any specific advice but I hope you have a wonderful time

 

[noblehead]

Diabetes UK have put together some information on travel;ling abroad, if you ring their helpline they may be able to help you with any questions or concerns that you may have travelling to the USA, also don't forget your pump manufacturers helpline is there too:

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/travel


Good luck and hope you have a great time there, my eldest was in the USA last year and enjoyed the experience.

 

[PATRICK317]

I am a pumper here in MD

 

[PATRICK317]

I get my supplies from Medtronic, you will only be able to get insulin and test strips from any pharmacy like CVS OR WALGREENS. PUMP supplies like reservoirs and fusion sets come from Medtronic

 

[Anaelena]

I am a insulin pump user in America . If you were to need supplies you would need a prescription , unless your pump company in the UK can somehow notify the American counterparts . You cannot buy pump supplies in a pharmacy here and depending on where you are going you may not be close to the pump company which means they would have to ship supplies to your location . Insulin is also only by prescription as well as needles. The only easily accessible diabetic supply that can be bought over the counter are test stripes. I wold definitely speak to your pump company to ask what the options are . I travel overseas and for 4 weeks at a time and basically bring my supplies plus a week extra in case. It is not easy. I also would make sure you bring a Drs note with pertinent medical information just in case .

 

[Celsus]

I travel for professional reasons 8 months or so per year across most of the world. Typically 6-8 times per year into the US. Insulin pens appear easy for me to use, so not on pump. Have never had any big problem to bring insulin and all our gadgets around or through customs anywhere. Had a few times to get more pens/needles when in US (airline companies lost my luggage/hotels had by mistake emptied my room incl my toiletry with backups), and local pharmacies allowed me to purchase direct. (NC, MN, WA, MA, CA, FL). To the US-poster's remark above: Only reason you would need a prescription to buy insulin in the USA is if you would want a US-insurance company to pay for it.

Regarding your preparations and insurance coverage, then a couple of things are vital to know first:
1. What country is your home country/country of primary residence? E.g. all EU countries have special coverage considerations for going to the USA.
2. What is the purpose of your travel? E.g. a tourist health-insurance will not cover if you have been applying for a job or worked (with or without pay) during the travel into US.
3. What is the total length of stay within USA? E.g. most tourist insurances do not cover more than 3 months.
4. Do you know where you are going to stay and will you have access to safe storage? (for gadgets and a fridge to keep insulin cool)

If your US stay is longer than 3 months or so, then you should probably in any case try and pre-establish a link to a local practitioner that can help you just in case the need should arrive. Its not all Hollywood-movies over there, so access to healthcare is available and affordable most places.

 

[Anaelena]

I travel for professional reasons 8 months or so per year across most of the world. Typically 6-8 times per year into the US. Insulin pens appear easy for me to use, so not on pump. Have never had any big problem to bring insulin and all our gadgets around or through customs anywhere. Had a few times to get more pens/needles when in US (airline companies lost my luggage/hotels had by mistake emptied my room incl my toiletry with backups), and local pharmacies allowed me to purchase direct. (NC, MN, WA, MA, CA, FL). To the US-poster's remark above: Only reason you would need a prescription to buy insulin in the USA is if you would want a US-insurance company to pay for it.

Regarding your preparations and insurance coverage, then a couple of things are vital to know first:
1. What country is your home country/country of primary residence? E.g. all EU countries have special coverage considerations for going to the USA.
2. What is the purpose of your travel? E.g. a tourist health-insurance will not cover if you have been applying for a job or worked (with or without pay) during the travel into US.
3. What is the total length of stay within USA? E.g. most tourist insurances do not cover more than 3 months.
4. Do you know where you are going to stay and will you have access to safe storage? (for gadgets and a fridge to keep insulin cool)

If your US stay is longer than 3 months or so, then you should probably in any case try and pre-establish a link to a local practitioner that can help you just in case the need should arrive. Its not all Hollywood-movies over there, so access to healthcare is available and affordable most places.

That is not true about needing a prescription only for insurance purposes . It depends on both the state as well as the county . Some place may be more lenient than others . The actual law is that you are suppose to have a prescription for new, insulin analogs DO require a prescription. These include Humalog, Novolog, or Apidra, as well as Lantus. It may be because you use a 70/30 mix ?

 

[Celsus]

That is not true about needing a prescription only for insurance purposes . It depends on both the state as well as the county . Some place may be more lenient than others . The actual law is that you are suppose to have a prescription for new, insulin analogs DO require a prescription. These include Humalog, Novolog, or Apidra, as well as Lantus. It may be because you use a 70/30 mix ?

Potentially (I am not a local US citizen), reason why I actually listed the US states in which I have purchased insulin without any prescription (NC, MN, WA, MA, CA, FL). And nope. I am on the purebred NovoRapid and Lantus. Therefor got the Eli Lilly match called Humalog. I also got a long-acting from Lilly, but cannot recall its name as that's some years ago by now. Just illustrating to Megziee that it pays off to do some homework before venturing into the US jungle as diabetic. Reason why it would be great to know both which states she intends to visit and the approx. duration.
If a prescription should be needed for Megziee, then those could also be made ready/uploaded in advance to e.g. CVS Pharmacy, who has a good coverage. We might be diabetic, but that should not stop us from exploring the wonderful world and have fun living our lives!

 

[Anaelena]

Potentially (I am not a local US citizen), reason why I actually listed the US states in which I have purchased insulin without any prescription (NC, MN, WA, MA, CA, FL). And nope. I am on the purebred NovoRapid and Lantus. Therefor got the Eli Lilly match called Humalog. I also got a long-acting from Lilly, but cannot recall its name as that's some years ago by now. Just illustrating to Megziee that it pays off to do some homework before venturing into the US jungle as diabetic. Reason why it would be great to know both which states she intends to visit and the approx. duration.
If a prescription should be needed for Megziee, then those could also be made ready/uploaded in advance to e.g. CVS Pharmacy, who has a good coverage. We might be diabetic, but that should not stop us from exploring the wonderful world and have fun living our lives!

Interesting... Maybe they make exceptions for the English accent !!! I agree CVS or Walmart are the best . For the record I am in Texas . Yes , travel as much as you can , diabetes never stopped me

 

[RuthW]

Interesting... Maybe they make exceptions for the English accent !!! I agree CVS or Walmart are the best . For the record I am in Texas . Yes , travel as much as you can , diabetes never stopped me

Yes, maybe. I once bought insulin at a pharmacy in Texas (about ten years ago). I didn't need a prescription. Oddly, I did need a prescription for thyroxine. Well, maybe not oddly - it's dangerous stuff if you don't need it, but so is insulin. A doctor's appointment, plus a prescription ( he just interviewed me, no blood tests) cost $65.

 

[Anaelena]

Yes, maybe. I once bought insulin at a pharmacy in Texas (about ten years ago). I didn't need a prescription. Oddly, I did need a prescription for thyroxine. Well, maybe not oddly - it's dangerous stuff if you don't need it, but so is insulin. A doctor's appointment, plus a prescription ( he just interviewed me, no blood tests) cost $65.

That is really interesting ... I do know that there are people who believe by that taking thyroid medicine helps you lose weight so they try to regulate it. I also know there was a big case in the early 90s of a woman who committed murder by injecting her husband with a huge dose of insulin. There are also body builders who are abusing it. Things like that do impact our infrastructure )) good to know it is accessible to travelers . That was a pricey prescription .

 

[RuthW]

That is really interesting ... I do know that there are people who believe by that taking thyroid medicine helps you lose weight so they try to regulate it. I also know there was a big case in the early 90s of a woman who committed murder by injecting her husband with a huge dose of insulin. There are also body builders who are abusing it. Things like that do impact our infrastructure )) good to know it is accessible to travelers . That was a pricey prescription .

Yes, and there was a film about a man who murdered his wife in the same way, so actually I was a bit aghast that they sold insulin to me! I almost said, "Are you crazy? I could murder someone with this!" But, you know, I thought best not say that.

 

[Anaelena]

Yes, and there was a film about a man who murdered his wife in the same way, so actually I was a bit aghast that they sold insulin to me! I almost said, "Are you crazy? I could murder someone with this!" But, you know, I thought best not say that.

Yes I remember that movie !! Well , the good news is you do not look like a killer I know in Turkey I could buy insulin no problem. I actually stocked up while there because it was so much cheaper ,

 

[Diamattic]

Not sure if this helps but! - I just started on my insulin pump, I am located like 20 minutes from Detroit, across the border in Canada. I asked if it would be possible for the company to send me supplies if i were to ever need them while traveling in the USA - since i am frequently in Detroit, and the US on vacations - and they told me they couldn't send supplies to the USA because that is handled by a different division within their company.

The moral here is - Call and ask your pump company what the best way to obtain pump supplies would be while in America because how Americans get their supplies is likely different then how a foreigner would get them.

Pens, needles, and insulin on the other hand should be as easy as bringing in a prescription to a pharmacy and paying for it.

 

[Celsus]

Yes, and there was a film about a man who murdered his wife in the same way, so actually I was a bit aghast that they sold insulin to me! I almost said, "Are you crazy? I could murder someone with this!" But, you know, I thought best not say that.

Many ways to be bad to other people if that is the intent. Hammers, chainsaws and bread knives are still sold freely though every day, so lets not get into Hollywood hype style overreaction. And please do not mention insulin in this connection. Would like still to bring it with me in public, and not have to go to a locked-down security office to get every shot I need. Hollywood has already overused the diabetes plot, and still continuously gets the disease and dynamics completely wrong. They must be running desperate low on better ideas.

 

[Megziee]

I travel for professional reasons 8 months or so per year across most of the world. Typically 6-8 times per year into the US. Insulin pens appear easy for me to use, so not on pump. Have never had any big problem to bring insulin and all our gadgets around or through customs anywhere. Had a few times to get more pens/needles when in US (airline companies lost my luggage/hotels had by mistake emptied my room incl my toiletry with backups), and local pharmacies allowed me to purchase direct. (NC, MN, WA, MA, CA, FL). To the US-poster's remark above: Only reason you would need a prescription to buy insulin in the USA is if you would want a US-insurance company to pay for it.

Regarding your preparations and insurance coverage, then a couple of things are vital to know first:
1. What country is your home country/country of primary residence? E.g. all EU countries have special coverage considerations for going to the USA.
2. What is the purpose of your travel? E.g. a tourist health-insurance will not cover if you have been applying for a job or worked (with or without pay) during the travel into US.
3. What is the total length of stay within USA? E.g. most tourist insurances do not cover more than 3 months.
4. Do you know where you are going to stay and will you have access to safe storage? (for gadgets and a fridge to keep insulin cool)

If your US stay is longer than 3 months or so, then you should probably in any case try and pre-establish a link to a local practitioner that can help you just in case the need should arrive. Its not all Hollywood-movies over there, so access to healthcare is available and affordable most places.

1) My home country is the UK
2) I will be a tourist
3) I aim to stay for around 3 months
4) I'm not sure exactly where and when I will be in the various places I'm travelling as I need to plan it, I'm not leaving for a little while yet I just wanted to get some ideas before planning everything

 

[Megziee]

Thank you for all your advice guys it's all really helpful and I really appreciate it! Maybe not so the ideas of murdering people with insulin though lol

 

[Celsus]

Not sure if this helps but! - I just started on my insulin pump, I am located like 20 minutes from Detroit, across the border in Canada. I asked if it would be possible for the company to send me supplies if i were to ever need them while traveling in the USA - since i am frequently in Detroit, and the US on vacations - and they told me they couldn't send supplies to the USA because that is handled by a different division within their company.

The moral here is - Call and ask your pump company what the best way to obtain pump supplies would be while in America because how Americans get their supplies is likely different then how a foreigner would get them.

Pens, needles, and insulin on the other hand should be as easy as bringing in a prescription to a pharmacy and paying for it.

Diamattic, Probably the most sensible answer of all to Megziee!

Did not want to impose anything, so stayed quiet on subject. (Insulin, methods, meters can be something like religion, to us Diabetics )
I did try pumps some years back, but discontinued as they were (at that time) too sensitive and needing too much care and attention all the time. Does not pass through airport security without extra scrutiny, etc. And that does not fit well with my professional work (air travel to various countries every week) or my leisure time. Insulin pens are maybe not the latest and greatest, but they get the job done, they are today a stable technology and they are available in almost all countries worldwide. And for me, the pump did not give superior control vs the pens, so that was an easy choice as pens are also more convenient and less gimmicks to worry about (to me).

Megziee should still please indicate to us where she intends to go, what type of travel (backsack, car, housing..) and for how long a duration. For short stays its possible to stockpile in advance, while longer durations/mileage takes a bit more prep and locating potential pickup points for resupplies etc. In the western world you also have diabetes associations in most places, so a great strong network of dedicated friendly people that do care to help if you just reach out to them and ask.

 

[justSilvia]

I Megziee
I agree with many things said here, so you really need to certificate on first with your healthcare team about all medication you may need, kind of insulin you use, insulin existing in USA, equipment, everything and also take with you some extra medicines, for example for the first symptoms, such as a painkiller or others until go to a hospital to medium a several symptoms. Because how much we now USA is different in providing care treatments and that's why you need to know how does it work to have access if necessary (so knowledge how they work, have enough money and/or a insurance life too). And don´t hesitate to see a doctor if you think you really need!!! Also , have a doctor´s record about your health issues.
To return for your medicines and insulin, you should have prescriptions to pass in airport to USA and take it with the airline companies, both are very strict.
Is very important what you doing before travelling in take some advise, so I want to congratulate you. And also say to take care with what you will go to eat, try to have all meals in a regular hours, check your blood sugar levels and everything will go fine.
And finally enjoy your trip.