Hi , I am currently having my insulin adjusted by my diabetic nurse after having quite high readings, now I am having some really low ones and have had more hypos than I have ever had before ( feels like you can't win) :? Any way, I am off to Turkey next week and scared stiff about being away on holiday and having hypos when I am out and about. I was wondering if there are some tips I can take with me? I was also wondering will the heat ( about 38 degrees right now) is going to lower my sugars even further? My diabetic nurse has me on regular doses of insulin which don't seem to take account of what my sugars are before meals so I am not really sure if its ok to lower my dose if my readings are low......................this is so confusing :?
holiday - help please!
- Thread starter zarasdreamz
- Start Date
kewgirl
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 678
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
Hi Zara
Sorry to hear you having difficulties with BG levels and hypo’s and also apologies for having spelt your name incorrectly
when I posted the response to your joint & muscle pain on Lantus.
Whilst hot weather can reduce your insulin requirements you also have to consider if you are having more, less or same amount of exercise and also food intake.
What short/rapid acting insulin are you on?
Low levels pre meals – depends on what you mean by low and also what amount of food you are eating – do you carb count?
Is there any pattern to your hypos as to what time of day or in relation to your short acting injections they occur?
Regarding your hypos my motto is - be prepared – far better to take equipment with you on holiday that you will not use than being on holiday and needing it.
Make sure you have with you:
Glucagon kit – at least 2 – essential kit for Type 1 Diabetics. Glucagon kits are available on prescription.
Glucogel (formerly called Hypostop) – I know some diabetics do not particularly like the taste but in a hypo taste is really the least of your worries.
Dextrose/Glucotabs/Lucozade tablets – what ever you prefer.
Gluojuice might be an option – I have not actually tried it yet but have just ordered some from http://www.medicalshop.co.uk to see what its like
Some good slow acting carbohydrate such as oatcakes or granola bars.
Lantus is for some diabetics a duff GM synthetic analogue – & provides very erratic glycaemic control although it is meant to last 24 hours we know it doesn’t.
After injecting into subcutaneous tissue, Lantus forms a depot of insulin, of which small amounts are meant to slowly move into the bloodstream. I have made this extremely simple, as actually it’s a tad more complicated than that!
Sometimes it appears that Lantus remains in this depot state almost like its taking a sleep, this is why people have reported that it feels on some days as if the Lantus is not working or they haven’t taken any. You inject your next dose of Lantus as per your individual requirements and the Lantus stored appears to wake up and deposits itself in your blood stream and wayhey blood glucose levels plummet into oblivion – mega hypos, which are very difficult to treat.
One school of thought that the human body does not recognise synthetic insulin and thus develops antibodies, which destroy the Lantus.
The IDDT identified that only 50% of Lantus is actually absorbed on the day it is actually injected, a further 25% is absorbed the following (thus with the Lantus you inject on day 2 equals 75% in total) and finally where does the remaining 25% go to – unknown! Thus at any one time some diabetics in effect are only getting 75% of the 100% of Lantus injected.
Have you had the opportunity to participate in a DAFNE course?
Sorry for all the questions.
Enjoy your holiday and when you return – suitably refreshed and invigorated you can tackle the issue of possibly changing insulin’s.
Best wishes
Txx
Sorry to hear you having difficulties with BG levels and hypo’s and also apologies for having spelt your name incorrectly
when I posted the response to your joint & muscle pain on Lantus.Whilst hot weather can reduce your insulin requirements you also have to consider if you are having more, less or same amount of exercise and also food intake.
What short/rapid acting insulin are you on?
Low levels pre meals – depends on what you mean by low and also what amount of food you are eating – do you carb count?
Is there any pattern to your hypos as to what time of day or in relation to your short acting injections they occur?
Regarding your hypos my motto is - be prepared – far better to take equipment with you on holiday that you will not use than being on holiday and needing it.
Make sure you have with you:
Glucagon kit – at least 2 – essential kit for Type 1 Diabetics. Glucagon kits are available on prescription.
Glucogel (formerly called Hypostop) – I know some diabetics do not particularly like the taste but in a hypo taste is really the least of your worries.
Dextrose/Glucotabs/Lucozade tablets – what ever you prefer.
Gluojuice might be an option – I have not actually tried it yet but have just ordered some from http://www.medicalshop.co.uk to see what its like
Some good slow acting carbohydrate such as oatcakes or granola bars.
Lantus is for some diabetics a duff GM synthetic analogue – & provides very erratic glycaemic control although it is meant to last 24 hours we know it doesn’t.
After injecting into subcutaneous tissue, Lantus forms a depot of insulin, of which small amounts are meant to slowly move into the bloodstream. I have made this extremely simple, as actually it’s a tad more complicated than that!
Sometimes it appears that Lantus remains in this depot state almost like its taking a sleep, this is why people have reported that it feels on some days as if the Lantus is not working or they haven’t taken any. You inject your next dose of Lantus as per your individual requirements and the Lantus stored appears to wake up and deposits itself in your blood stream and wayhey blood glucose levels plummet into oblivion – mega hypos, which are very difficult to treat.
One school of thought that the human body does not recognise synthetic insulin and thus develops antibodies, which destroy the Lantus.
The IDDT identified that only 50% of Lantus is actually absorbed on the day it is actually injected, a further 25% is absorbed the following (thus with the Lantus you inject on day 2 equals 75% in total) and finally where does the remaining 25% go to – unknown! Thus at any one time some diabetics in effect are only getting 75% of the 100% of Lantus injected.
Have you had the opportunity to participate in a DAFNE course?
Sorry for all the questions.
Enjoy your holiday
and when you return – suitably refreshed and invigorated you can tackle the issue of possibly changing insulin’s.Best wishes
Txx
Step 1: Stop getting insulin dose advice from a nurse. This is optional I suppose if you can't get anyone better.
Yes you can adjust your doses based on your BG levels and the content your meals.
Step 2: Beware such heat can have an effect both ways. High and low results. Test frequently.
Step 3: Carry lucozade gel packs with you, and don't take any **** from the airline about storing your insulin (get a doctor's letter)
Step 4: Go out, get tanned, get (not too) drunk, have fun.
Yes you can adjust your doses based on your BG levels and the content your meals.
Step 2: Beware such heat can have an effect both ways. High and low results. Test frequently.
Step 3: Carry lucozade gel packs with you, and don't take any **** from the airline about storing your insulin (get a doctor's letter)
Step 4: Go out, get tanned, get (not too) drunk, have fun.
i recently went to turkey (june) and had the same sort of worries.
I tested frequently, made sure i had glucose tablets (and my friends all carried packs too) i also brought a glucagon injection with me for anything extreme.
Doctors letter is a very good idea, although when i delcared i had needles and offered the letter nobody actually bothered to read it but i wouldnt have gone without one.
with the heat i found it made me require much less insulin, but of course everyone is different, i also kept a watch set with UK time so it didnt interfere with my 24 hour insulin.
I was really really worried as it was the first time away from home with diabetes and i was only diagnosed in january so had 5 months experience!
but with all this i only had one hypo!! and that was because i was running around the pool like a madwoman and didnt realise my sugar gad gone low. but my very good friend told me id gone a bit pale. and i checked my sugar and it was 2.3!! but i corrected it and all was right with the world.
I hope you have an amazing holiday, dont worry about it too much. just be careful and youll find its not as hard as it may seem
I tested frequently, made sure i had glucose tablets (and my friends all carried packs too) i also brought a glucagon injection with me for anything extreme.
Doctors letter is a very good idea, although when i delcared i had needles and offered the letter nobody actually bothered to read it but i wouldnt have gone without one.
with the heat i found it made me require much less insulin, but of course everyone is different, i also kept a watch set with UK time so it didnt interfere with my 24 hour insulin.
I was really really worried as it was the first time away from home with diabetes and i was only diagnosed in january so had 5 months experience!
but with all this i only had one hypo!! and that was because i was running around the pool like a madwoman and didnt realise my sugar gad gone low. but my very good friend told me id gone a bit pale. and i checked my sugar and it was 2.3!! but i corrected it and all was right with the world.
I hope you have an amazing holiday, dont worry about it too much. just be careful and youll find its not as hard as it may seem
Hi Zara
I enjoyed a 2 week break in Turkey at the end of July and had a really good holiday
The things to remember is take plenty of supplies for your diabetes eg: insulin pens needles testing strips and glucoze tablets or glucogel as in Turkey these can be hard to get and also very expensive!!!!!!! (I found this out 2 years ago when 1 of my cases got lost) and had to buy testing strips in Turkey they cost me £60.00 for 25 strips but I could not do without them so had to pay up.
This year the temp was in the 40s and I found that as long as I drank plenty of water to keep myself hydrated and ate small amounts regularly apart from 1 day when I had a bad hypo (my own fault) forgot to take glucose tablets with me on a boat trip and had went too long without eating as I was having a good time I had a good holiday plenty of sunshine and relaxation hope you have a good holiday too.
saska
I enjoyed a 2 week break in Turkey at the end of July and had a really good holiday
The things to remember is take plenty of supplies for your diabetes eg: insulin pens needles testing strips and glucoze tablets or glucogel as in Turkey these can be hard to get and also very expensive!!!!!!! (I found this out 2 years ago when 1 of my cases got lost) and had to buy testing strips in Turkey they cost me £60.00 for 25 strips but I could not do without them so had to pay up.
This year the temp was in the 40s and I found that as long as I drank plenty of water to keep myself hydrated and ate small amounts regularly apart from 1 day when I had a bad hypo (my own fault) forgot to take glucose tablets with me on a boat trip and had went too long without eating as I was having a good time I had a good holiday plenty of sunshine and relaxation hope you have a good holiday too.
saska
Hugs to all my replies, will try and remeber all your advice. I have stocked up on test strips, dextrose tablets, gluclo gel, pens, insulin, lantus, finger pricky things, monitor and sun tan lotion Might be enough room in my case for a pair of flip flops but thats about it lol.
now to answer T's questions .... fast acting insulin is novorapid.......... never been shown how to carb count......... by low I mean between 2 and 3........ def pattern..... usually between 2 and 5pm, sometimes during the night too, but think I have sorted that one by having a bit of toast before bed......... and no havent participated in any course , cept my Cert ed which is driving me nuts :lol: and to answer Lions post , I think I am the diabetic nurses pet project ( making myself laugh here :lol: . Any way I am happily in demob mode today even though I dont go away till next Tuesday. Thank you so much all for your posts, I feel a bit more understood here.
Zara xx
Might be enough room in my case for a pair of flip flops but thats about it lol. now to answer T's questions .... fast acting insulin is novorapid.......... never been shown how to carb count......... by low I mean between 2 and 3........ def pattern..... usually between 2 and 5pm, sometimes during the night too, but think I have sorted that one by having a bit of toast before bed......... and no havent participated in any course , cept my Cert ed which is driving me nuts :lol: and to answer Lions post , I think I am the diabetic nurses pet project ( making myself laugh here :lol: . Any way I am happily in demob mode today even though I dont go away till next Tuesday. Thank you so much all for your posts, I feel a bit more understood here.
Zara xx
zarasdreamz said:
Based on that info, said project needs to be halted on ethical grounds! :wink:
But seriously, that's insanity. I know we see this all the time now, but I'm still horrified that people are on rapid acting insulin like NovoRapid and yet have not been told how to count carbs. It's bloody madness.
