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Long haul travel

jackvdbuk

jackvdbuk

Well-Known Member
Messages
65
Location
London
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Good morning all ☺

I am planning on going aus for a month or so after resigning from my job which I'm hoping to include Bangkok too.. In November if possible

Obviously I'm worried about the medical side especially with a 24 hour flight. And would need to take quite a bit of insulin..

Any tips?

I don't think you should store insulin in the hold of the plane should you? I will likely need about 10-15 pens..

How would the -11 hours affect my lantus? Would it need to be done differently or still follow the same 24 pattern?
 
There's a lot of threads about that very topic ... just click on "search" function .... but you should check with the airline as well

Good luck with the trip. We (OZ) are indeed a long way away.
 
You're right - NEVER put insulin in the hold as it could freeze and become useless. Also, if your luggage gets lost you'd lose your vital medication.

It's very important to get travel insurance thatll cover you as, like all of us, you have a pre-existing medical condition.

You'd be best to speak to your DSN about the timing of your insulin as you'll gradually need to shift the injections on to your new time.
 
With injecting Lantus you have to keep it at the same time as your departure time or obviously this could result in taking too much or too little. So what you have to do when you get in the air is remember what time it is in the UK and forget whatever time it is on your stopover or destination. However when you reach your destination you should gradually move the timing of the injection to local time over a period of a few days by either taking it a few hours earlier or later. During these changes you need to be aware you may require slightly more or less bolus to offset the effects. By doing this gradually you don't get a big period of additional or too little insulin. I've travelled extensively over the years and always found this has worked for me.

As mentioned above never put your insulin in in the cargo hold always keep it in your hand luggage. If you are travelling with a companion also split your insulin with them. If you lose your stuff or get mugged etc then at least you have some while you get an emergency supply sorted. Also buy a couple of Frio wallets which are easily available over the internet especially if going to a hot country like Oz. You can squeeze about 10 pens in one so get a couple of the big ones. I travelled for 3 months using these and they were great.

Have a great time
 
jackvdbuk said:
Good morning all ☺

I am planning on going aus for a month or so after resigning from my job which I'm hoping to include Bangkok too.. In November if possible

Obviously I'm worried about the medical side especially with a 24 hour flight. And would need to take quite a bit of insulin..

Any tips?

I don't think you should store insulin in the hold of the plane should you? I will likely need about 10-15 pens..

How would the -11 hours affect my lantus? Would it need to be done differently or still follow the same 24 pattern?
Click to expand...


In the past few years I have toured large parts of the world with little trouble. OK the time differences and the type of insulin you take can have an impact but the following worked well for me:

- Test you blood sugars regularly during the flight
- Inject normal dosages before eating any meals
- Have glucose and Lucozade-type drink on hand in case of any low blood sugar incident

The blood sugars may be erratic during the flight, but this can only last around 24 hours. Once on dry land get back in to the normal routine of testing blood sugar and injecting accordingly.

I travelled to Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, Russia and most of Western Europe and Eastern Europe on my own. Other long haul trips were to Australia, Peru, Ecuador and Alaska with my daughter.

On such trips I take the normal volumes of "diabetic stuff" for the time period I am away (eg for a 3 week trip I take what I would use at home plus around one third more as spare. I usually take more blood testing strips and at least one or two spare testing meters). Also I usually take several packs of glucose tablets as well. As you are probably aware the glucose drinks work much quicker when in hypo. However the sugary drink contents may not be known in the bottles where you are going. Often I get a normal mineral water bottle and add loads of sugar. (The sugar is available in hotels, coffee bars, etc).

Make sure you have a copy of a prescription with all your diabetic items on in case of possible problems. Whilst away I have a plastic "jab box" which I put insulin pens, spare needles, spare blood sugar monitoring equipment and glucose tablets. This is ALWAYS in my shoulder bag and close to hand. My Novapen(s), normal blood sugar meter and test strips are ALWAYS on my person. The rest of the stuff goes in my suitcase.

Finally watch the heat. I find that the hotter it is the quicker my blood sugar levels will drop.

Hope this helps

BlueBoat55
 
In terms of changing insulin timings, I never gradually changed the timings as many do. I had mostly operated on two shots per day for some time and as a result had a little more flexibility with regard to timing. If I was heading West, I'd have a gap that I'd fill with fast acting, and if I headed east, I simply dialled down the dose to fit the timing change. I found it much easier to do that and continue for the rest of the time on my normal timings.
 
You guys are awesome! Nice to see lots of people have traveled far and wide.. Will take the advice on board and if possible speak to the dn before leaving

Thanks!
 
I adjust my Lantus timing by one hour per day until I'm at the time zone I'm travelling to. Has always served me well.

For example, I usually take my Lantus at 11pm. I'm going to Hong Kong next week so will take it at 10pm this Friday, 9pm on Sat, 8pm on Sun, 7pm on Mon, 6pm on Tues, 5pm on Weds and 4pm on Thurs. When I get to Hong Kong on Fri I'll take it at 11pm as usual and the time will match up. When I get back to the UK I'll do the same timings in reverse to gradually get back to 11pm.
 
looking at the frio wallet (is that required if max temp isw possibly 30?) it only supports 8 pens... im likely going to take 10-20 pens and try stay out there for two months.. is there a cheaper method compared to buying multiple frio wallets?

thanks :)
 
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