Going away to hot weather...any thing i need to know?

[alf15]

Type 1 for about 9 months...getting on good...b/s undercontrolled alot better now that Im carb counting and my pancreas has finally kicked the bucket

I'm heading away to malaga (who are having a massive heat wave 35degs +) this weekend and I was wondering is there anything I need to watch out for when in hot weather?

i.e. should I reduce my carb vs insulin ratio due to the heat as i dont want to be going low over there when out and about.

Any info/advise on anything to watch out for in the heat would be much apprecaied.

Cheers

Alan

 

[LizzieP]

Hello! I guess it will depend on how active you are going to be. I find that in hot weather my basal insulin requirements go down a bit if I am active. During the recent heatwave, while I was walking to and from work every day (total 7 miles) I had to decrease my Lantus by a couple of units. However, when I was on holiday in Greece in 37 degrees and totally lazing around, my Lantus requirements increased due to lack of activity. Keeping your eye on any changes to your fasting readings might help you decide if any adjustments are necessary. My carb to insulin ratios stayed the same. Sorry not to be more help but have a fabulous holiday :wink:

 

[jskaife]

Hey,

Last September I went to Jamaica for 14 nights

Believe me when I say it was hot, I was playing volleyball in the pool and on the beach twice a day and my blood sugars were fine.

I didn't adjust my insulin at all however because of the time difference by sugars got messed around for the first day but nothing serious.

Just kick back and relax and don't let diabetes ruin your holiday

Think of it as a diabetes holiday and try not to worry to much.

HAVE A GREAT TRIP..............

p.s make sure you have insurance. You don't want to get ill in a foreign country with no insurance.

I know a lot of diabetics will think that stupid but if you let diabetes rule you then you always will......

 

[alf15]

Cheers Thanks for help!

Would it be best to let my b/s to run a little on the high side i.e. 8, 9, 10's for the wk that I am away? That way I would have a buffer zone and would have to bother checking my b/s as much!

Thanks
Alan

 

[jskaife]

Its completely up to you

Glad to see that you think 8,9,10 is high lol

How old are you?

If you fairly young one week of highs ain't gunna do nowt. Just don't let it get to high that it ruins your holiday, you don't want to tired all the time or be peeing all the time....

If your drinking alcohol just remember to take your insulin and be a little more cautious, if your going with a group of mates make sure they know about your diabetes and know what to do if something serious does happen.

All in all don't worry to much, just treat yourself as a normal person who has to inject insulin when eating.

 

[Celtic.Piskie]

Enjoy !

I find my sugars run lower in the heat, so maybe drop 10% of your insulin for the first day or two, see what happens.
Insurance is a must, a friend of mine got ill when she was in switzerland, ended up with £15,000 worth of medical bills.

Keep yourself hydrated, and try as much local goodies as you can

 

[Giraffe]

If you're going to be doing day trips and it's hot, take one of these http://www.friouk.com/

They are really good, just soak them and they keep your insulin cool, I used one camping in Portugal, fantastic!

If you are drinking, remember alcohol will make you go hypo a few hours after drinking. That's what it does for me anyway; have something to eat before you go to sleep if you've been drinking, and adjust your insulin the next day!

I've been caught out a few times, bit hungover, not really hungry, did usual insulin - result is a hypo.

Have a good time, I like Malaga, took my youngest daughter to the Picasso museum a few years back, she was only four but it was great! The marina at Benalmadena is lovely too!

 

[alf15]

thanks for the advice everyone! much appreciated!

 

[yipster29]

Hi I'm a newbie T1 and went away for 2 weeks in May.

Temperature was high 20's and my insuklin need halved! I cut the basal the night before we flew as I'd been warned and travelled slightly high at 7-8 ish as I was a bit nervous where it's all new to me.

I found I was cutting back daily and still needing some fruit or ice-cream or something mid-afternoon as going low, lowest I had was a 2.2 which came from no-where!

Also worth noting was on the return to the UK my BG went hey wire for about 10 days, really swung for no reason as my diet was the normal lower carb and I wasn't ill, DN said probably adjustment back to diff temperatures.

As the others say don't let it ruin your holiday, I still had a great time and did everything I would've done... just with a tad more planning! 8)

Cath