Travel is a great way to move around the world and see brand new parts of it, but doing so with a disease or disability that requires pretty regular attention can be something that winds up with a lot of extra difficulty involved. Diabetes is just one condition of this type, and if you need to travel with it you’re probably going to have to do a pretty fair amount in the way of making sure you’re completely prepared. There is a lot you need to account for when you’re living with diabetes, and if you’re going to be away from your “home base,” so to speak, where you keep all your equipment and medication, then you’ll definitely need a way to make sure you’re able to stay prepared in case anything unexpected happens (as it so often does). These five tips will help to make sure your trip doesn’t turn sour.
1. Keep Snacks Around. It’s really important to maintain your blood glucose levels when you’re living with diabetes, so you want to definitely make sure you have some snacks that are handy at all times when you’re on the road or traveling somewhere far away. The ability to quickly munch on something and restore that blood glucose balance will seriously come in handy, should you have to go a longer than normal time without eating anything.
2. Have Your Info with You. Carry copies of all your medical information, prescription information, and literally any other piece of information that might possibly come in handy should any kind of emergency arise. When it comes to your health, you really don’t want to take any chances or leave out any steps just for the sake of effort. As early as possible, it’s great advice to learn how to prevent Peripheral Arterial Disease.
3. Carry-On Some Insulin. Bring some insulin onto the plane with you if you’re traveling by air. It’s never a smart idea to completely separate yourself from your insulin supply, so you want to make sure you bring some onto the aircraft with you in case of any type of emergency. When you do this, however, make sure you’re able to keep your insulin very cool.
4. Don’t Stay Still for Too Long. Deep vein thrombosis is maybe something you’ve heard of, and it’s a pretty real thing that can get serious if you don’t move around enough while you travel. Don’t let yourself stay in one spot for a very long time without getting up to at least stretch your legs. Walk around, move a bit, and make sure you take care to get up and get some movement in.
5. Carry Local Emergency Numbers. Know where you can stock up on one touch test strips or other such equipment if you run out on your trip. Be aware of the emergency numbers to call, should you have a serious problem. It’s smart to know where everything is when you’re in an area with which you’re not familiar so that you can take care of any situation that might arise.
