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T1 DM and going to a Third World Country Advice please

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xc23

Newbie
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4
Hello,

I have had Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus for 12 years (currently 21) and currently take Novorapid and Levemir Insulin. My diabetes is usually well controlled but can be varied around my lifestyle (I'm a second year student nurse). My last A1c have been an average of approx 7.5mmol/l this however is reflected over a period of gastroenteritis and hospitalisation.

I am just enquiring as to whether anyone on this site has been abroad to a third world country (specifically Kenya for me) and how they managed their diabetes, what problems they had and any advice they can provide.

I may have been given the chance to go to Kenya for 6 months (specifically Nairobi) however the only thing holding me back is the worry of my health and how I will manage my Diabetes when I am over there.

I have spoken to my GP about it and they didn't see a clinical reason why I cannot go they did however raise the following questions:

1) Where I will be able to store the insulin (have yet to determine this)
2) Access to healthcare (which there is a hospital nearby which has outpatient diabetic clinics)
3) Access to medication as I am only able to go over with limited volume of insulin (I have therefore emailed the hospital in Nairobi to determine what type of insulin they dispense there and whether they accept international prescriptions)
4) Health insurance (of which I have already looked into)
5) Vaccinations (already looked into and organising)

I am mainly seeking personal experience advice and opinions on what people think of this if possible.

Thank you all.
 
Hi, I have no personal experience with any of this but I have an opinion :) lucky you huh

1) dunno
2) dunno
3) dunno
4) dunno
5) dunno
6) stay where you are, why on gods green earth would you want to go to such as terrible place?

I have no medical or factual basis for this opinion, but I'm a father of two girls who would lock them in the basement for 20 years if they ever suggest doing this

Good luck :)


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1) Where I will be able to store the insulin (have yet to determine this) where will you be staying? A lot of Kenya has electricity, fridges etc. Remember that insulin can stay out the fridge for a month (especially if you use a frio or something similar in hot temperatures)
2) Access to healthcare (which there is a hospital nearby which has outpatient diabetic clinics)The public hospitals in most of Africa are no go places for decent medicine but there will be various private and international clinics around the bigger towns and cities, especially in more tourist areas
3) Access to medication as I am only able to go over with limited volume of insulin (I have therefore emailed the hospital in Nairobi to determine what type of insulin they dispense there and whether they accept international prescriptions) You should be able to get a local prescription with no problem
4) Health insurance (of which I have already looked into) Vital!
5) Vaccinations (already looked into and organising) When I went to west Africa I needed 6 different inoculations! Don't forget yellow fever and don't forget about malaria tablets, some of which need time to get into the system before you go and cost a lot of money plus you also need a reliable supply for when you are over there

Whilst you may see Kenya as a third world country it also has some very first world affluent areas so I'm sure you won't have too many problems accessing healthcare
 
Thank you both for your replies.

To Andy12345 - Because I am a student nurse and the experience that can be gained from going would be life-changing.

I understand that you would have concerns about your daughters doing this but I am not going along there is a team of 4 carers/nurses going too. If you kept such a tight hold of them think of the opportunities in their life they may miss.

Kenya is not all third world and as xAoifex has said, some of it is very much first world it just depends on what area you would go to.

Regardless, thank you for your opinion.

To xAofiex - thank you for your helpful advice. I haven't heard of frio before so may look into this? It would be worth looking into the private and international clinics and see what they offer too before I go.

How much approximately did the vaccinations cost?

Did you have any problems whilst you were travelling? My diabetes really is the one big concern I have.
 
Kenya's bl@@dy dangerous!

My dad used to go there (Nairobi) when hew was in the airforce. They didn't go out at night, there were armed guards all over the hotel and they only went out during the day in groups.

I think you'll find it a lot different from going there as a tourist.
 
xc23 said:
How much approximately did the vaccinations cost?

Did you have any problems whilst you were travelling? My diabetes really is the one big concern I have.
Click to expand...

I think the only vaccination I had to pay for was yellow fever, can't remember the price but google should tell you. The anti-malarial was the expensive one, I took malarone which gave me no problems but you need to check which one is advised for Kenya.
I'm a nurse and I work in both Egypt and Mozambique through a charity (only 1-2 weeks a few times a year though), and I visited a clinic in The Gambia. It's definitely an experience! You will be shocked as to the conditions in the public hospitals, people suffering and dying from things that are so easily treatable in this country. The poor really have nothing except their family.

As far as diabetes goes, the heat is one thing, not only looking after your insulin but also the way heat affect your insulin absorption, I always had to reduce my basal. Plus irregular meals and foods completely alien to me! The other thing is avoiding the dodgy tummy, I completely avoid any salads and fruit, make sure water is bottled and the seal is intact when you get it and no ice in any drinks. A dose of D&V is really best avoided at all costs! Also hypo treatments are not as easy to come by in sub saharan africa. sweets and the like are a luxury so make sure you have a good supply and stock up when you get the opportunity. Also "diet" drinks don't exist, in fact I swear they add extra sugar to all their drinks!
 
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