Traveling with T1D

Traveling at the best of times is exciting, fun and complicated all at the same time. Especially when going overseas you need to arrange tickets, accommodation, things to do and see and insurance just to name a small portion. What adds a great amount of complexity to this is traveling with 2 T1D's.

When nearly away for 3 weeks on the other side of the world I am predicting on a suitcase just for T1D supplies. I will need my lines and resivoirs for my pump, my insulin, my test strips to last the whole trip, my BGL meter, my spare BGL meter with spare test strips. Now that isn't it for me but now multiply these things out for my daughter. She will need even more lines and resivoirs (different to mine), her insulin, her test strips to last the whole trip, her meter, a debate on whether 1 spare meter or 2 is sufficient, oh and maybe some more test strips.

The items mentioned above are just the staples, next you need to think of all the worst case scenario's. Possibilities include -
1. Pump failure - luckily I have a spare old pump which is still in working order so for this to be used existing pump settings need to be both stored manually and electronically on the Medtronic site (user name and passwords need to be remembered).

2. A secondary plan if spare pump fails. This includes syringes and novo pens along with short acting insulin and long acting insulin. For us that is Novorapid and levimer. As with the spare pump we will still require the manual settings so that we can calculate the shots needed with food and the longer acting shots morning and night. We do the long acting broken down into the shorter time frames as we would be unsure of when a replacement pump will arrive and when it does we would want to connect again ASAP.

3. To split our supplies. If we are to put all supplies in the checking luggage and the bag goes missing then all hell would break loose. So the general plan is to take half on board and half in the check in. This ensures if the bag does go missing we would have enough supplies to get us through until the bag is found.

4. Sickness - this would have to be one of the biggest fears about going overseas with T1D. Luckily we are going to a first world country and we have taken out full unlimited insurance but to tell you he truth with a T1D that is only nearly 3y/o there are some countries I would bypass. If it was just me I could manage anywhere but the uncertainty of a 3 y/o not being able to express what is wrong is a problem. Any way things to take for sickness, ketone strips, back up ketone urine strips, clear identification stating medication and condition, if possible some hydro lite sachets (even if it is only 1or 2 it will help) and just a good plan of attack if sickness does come.

5. Try to know what is around in the area that we are going. For example shopping malls, supermarkets, shops and hospitals. If we end up in an emergency I need to know where to get things or where to get help.

6. Hypo treatments. Even though this point is an everyday plan it needs to be heightened as emotions and excitement could play a part in the unknown part of T1D. Take more than we think we need.

7. Hyper treatments. Other than insulin and water there isn't much else but we do have to take into account the extra insulin just in case.

Ok now that we have gone through and packed our T1D supplies now I suppose we need to pack the normal stuff everyone packs like clothes, toiletries and such. I tell you what the supplies that will be with us will more than likely take up enough room to fill 1 suit case or near enough to. I wonder if airlines would take that I to account. I guess not but I always like to see there faces at the airport when they see a full bag of needles and supplies go through the scanner.