• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Taking my newly dianosed child on holiday in need of tips and advice !!!!

T

Twiggey

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Parent
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi ive never done this forum things etc for anything so please bear with me. In febuary this yea my 11year old was diagnosed Type1 I thought she was mothers instinct i suppose ?? Anyway we have no direct or close friends or family with the condition so it was all new still is !!! So we are travelling from UK to Jamaica in november this will be our first holiday with the condition. Is there any advice tips help in general !!! Its going to be 31c so hot ! Also all inclusive so non stop food and drink. Swimming pools and excursions so exercise im literally freaking out panicking !! What do we do lol. What about insulin on the plane in the luggage at the beach !!!??? What about all you can eat buffetts ??? Any advice greatly appreciated
 


get a frio pouch to keep insulin cool out and about.

Don't pack any supplies in the hold, speak to the airline about getting an extra carry on bag for medical supplies. take at least twice what you need.

Do you use pump or dex/libre? might be worth getting one to save the little fingers a bit
 
Thanks for reply she uses injections ? I will see what they say about having extra carry on. She can take her own bag thats 5kg i think ?
 
I second everything from @Engineer88 and would add
- take a letter from your doctor
- expect unexpected BG - the stress may rise the BG, the non-stop food may rise it but the exercise may lower it. So, you may need to test more often and be ready with corrections so make sure you take many test strips (possibly more than twice what you think you need), batteries for the meter and plenty of hypo treatment.
- buffets are fine - depending on where you are with carb counting, you may want to count (and inject) after the plate has been ladden or to set a carb budget and try to fill the plate to this budget.
- if your room has a fridge, store spare insulin in the fridge, if not, Frio is the way to go.
- have an amazing time - don't let diabetes stop you or your family doing what you want.
 

https://jdrf.org.uk/information-support/living-with-type-1-diabetes/everyday-life/travelling/

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday
 
Hi @Twiggey I can only second what's been said above about travelling, however whilst you are there be aware both heat and exercise will impact on blood glucose levels, so generally speaking less insulin will be required, take the first few days easy and be prepared with lots of glucose at hand everywhere, kids will want to run about and use the pool so keep checking every couple of hours and less if possible, also take the Abbott Libre sensor with you to check more easily, but keep it covered with a tegaderm plaster so it doesn't come loose, that way you can see which direction the blood glucose levels are going and take action before levels drop. A friend went on hols last month with her type 1 daughter who was really active and her levels dropped suddenly one day by the pool requiring assistance, needless to say it scared all involved how quickly they dropped but it was a direct result of heat and exercise. Unfortunately with hols there is more to be aware of due to changes in the routine, food, environment etc but being able to carefully monitor levels and have a plan to manage this is important, I would also do a double check with your diabetic nurse before you go too, with the correct planning it should be fine
 

Tewiggey - I won't comment on the diabetes side of things as I think the others have done a great job already. Where I will comment is it could be worthwhile contacting the airline you are travelling with to ask if they will allow an additional piece of hand baggage to accommodate your daughter's diabetes supplies, which should be going in the hold.

I have travelled many, many times to the Caribbean, mainly with Virgin Atlantic, and taken some bonkers things with me - including bicycles, and sailing boat sails - and they have always tried to accommodate my needs. If you enquire via email, please keep a copy of their response as eveidence as the folks on check-in will not necesserily be aware of any accommodations that have been made for you.

Whilst it'll be a good deal warmer than the UK at that time of year, it won't be as humid as in the summer months. It will be important for you all to keep well hydrated.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday.
 
Sounds like you have a lovely holiday planned & the Caribbean has always been my favourite place to holiday, so have fun!
I think others have given you good advice for managing type 1 diabetes on hols with a child that wants to be active & partake in everything. I would definitely second the benefit of investing in a Freestyle Libre for your break, it will make it so quick & easy to check on what your daughter's blood sugar is doing with no inconvenience to her whatsoever. It will also give you a snapshot of trends on the scanner, so you can easily identify any high/low trends at specific times in a different environment with different food options.
When I started using the Freestyle Libre a few years ago, I initially struggled with getting the sensor to stay on my arm, which was a rather expensive way of managing blood sugar when it would only initially last for 3-4 days!. However, when I discussed it with Abbott, they advised that the hot & humid conditions I love & swimming meant that I needed a stronger adhesive to keep it stuck on. Therefore, if you do decide to invest in the Freestyle Libre for your daughter whilst on holiday, it would definitely be worth getting some Torbot Skin Tac wipes to wipe on the skin before applying the sensor, so that it definitely stays stuck on & you can get the full benefit & value of the Libre.

Plus lots of people have mentioned about how hot conditions can lower blood sugar.....I have always been the opposite and freezing cold conditions represent hypo risk to me, so just play that one by ear, as we are all different.
 
It's also worth taking some compact/folding food scales too. It's all too easy to load your plate with more carbs than you thought at a buffet...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…