Steve Mathers, who lives with type 2 diabetes in the UK, shares his
tips on travelling and driving with type 2 diabetes.
If you’re living with diabetes, here’s my first tip: Focus on the
first part of the phrase. You are living! Diabetes will alter
your life, yes, but your condition is something you are
managing – not the other way around.
Travel is, for many people, a significant part of life. Whether
you’re simply commuting to work or flying abroad to explore the most
remote parts of the world, being able to get from A to B is essential.
Being mobile and independent allows us to do everything from solving
the simplest problems to pursuing the greatest meaning. In other
words, this is an important matter – almost as important as getting
your meal plan right and having access to medicine and healthcare services.
How to live on the go with diabetes
Let’s start with the basics. When you travel – whether by air, sea or
land – you expose your whole self to environments where the conditions
for your wellbeing are unknown or unpredictable. In these situations,
you will be less able to come to your own assistance when your body
needs it.
But with a little preparation, you can anticipate most of the
challenges that are likely to come your way – and focus on the joy of
travelling instead of the risk. We will do a deeper dive into this in
the following sections.
While travelling, make sure to check your glucose levels regularly
with a glucose meter – say, every 2 or 3 hours. Doing so will tell you
when it is time for your medication, or to have a snack of fast-acting
carbohydrates.
Share
“The more regularly you monitor your blood sugar levels, the more
healthy lifestyle you lead.”
Getting used to checking your glucose levels regularly works sort of
like an insurance policy! When you invest in taking full control, the
payoff is increased freedom to make (and keep) plans, be spontaneous
and have fun. It takes a little time and commitment, but it pays off.
How to approach driving with diabetes
Few things give people a stronger sense of freedom than getting
behind the wheel of a car and taking off. You may need the car to
commute to work in the morning, go out for groceries or get out of
town for the weekend. Many people also operate a car or truck as part
of their work.
Here is my tip: When you take your car – no matter where – pack with
forethought. Depending on what you keep your car stocked with, you can
turn your diabetic symptoms into little more than a blip in your
glucose levels, and avoid hypoglycaemia.
A little information about hypoglycaemia: Symptoms of hypoglycaemia
tend to occur when glucose levels drop below 70 milligrams per
deciliter of blood (3.9mmol/L)1. Common hypoglycaemic
symptoms include2:
Feeling sleepy
Going pale
Feeling dizzy
Hunger
Shaking
Feeling anxious
Sweating
Grumpiness
Irregular heartbeat
It does without saying that you don't want to lose control of your
body while you drive a car, so it is very important to avoid
hypoglycaemia while behind the wheel.
Share
“Check your blood glucose levels before you get into the car. It’s
something you should do.”
Here, “fast-acting carbs” refer to foods that cause a rapid increase
in your blood sugar levels. On the Glycaemic Index, which runs from 0
to 100, these foods occupy the 70-100 interval4.
A couple extra tips: Check your blood glucose levels immediately
before you get behind the wheel, and keep checking them every two
hours during the course of your journey.
And lastly, reference the list above and pay attention to the
symptoms you experience when your blood sugar levels drop. In the
future, you’ll have increased awareness of how your body reacts, and
you may be able to catch your glucose levels dropping at an earlier
point in time.
Needless to say, if symptoms of hypoglycaemia occur while you’re
behind the wheel, pull over to a safe spot and don’t continue your
journey until your blood sugar is regulated.
How to travel by plane with diabetes
Here’s another tip: The longer your journey and the farther away you
go, the more you need to plan ahead. Write a checklist and include
everything you might need in order to navigate every part of the
journey. Regardless of your health, modern air travel can put stress
on the body. This should be taken into consideration when you prepare
for your trip.
Share
“Prepare a check list for yourself. And bring enough medication to
last you for your whole journey – and a little bit extra.”
If you require medication, always board a flight with it in
your hand luggage – preferably a little more than you strictly need.
Ask your doctor beforehand to write a letter alerting the airline
staff for your need to carry your medication and other related
supplies with you. Bring both your doctor’s letter and your
prescriptions ensuring that all your medication bears legible pharmacy
labeling. These things will put you in a much stronger position if you
are asked to explain your need to bring medical items onto a
flight.
When you embark on a flight to a different time zone, log the time
and place you take your medication so as to not be thrown off by the
change in local time. Having your day either “shortened” or
“lengthened” by travel across time zones can destabilise your
metabolism. It is therefore your job to soften this impact and adapt
as precisely as possible to the new schedule and regimen. And logging
your time precisely is central to that end.
If possible, mention your trip to your doctor at least one month
before you leave. That way, he or she can help you plan for any
changes required in your medication.
Note that being diagnosed with diabetes raises the risk of blood
clots, also called deep vein thrombosis (DVT)5. And whether
diabetic or not, flights of 4 hours or more have been associated with
an increased risk of DVT6. To address that risk during a
flight, I suggest that you:
Exercise your feet, calves and ankles, even while seated
Walk up and down the aisle once 2-3 hours
Wear travel
socks, support socks or stockings
Drink plenty of
water
Avoid alcohol and caffeine
Sit with your legs
uncrossed
These tips may help lower the risk of DVT during air travel7.
Share
“Do as much research as possible in advance. Look at foods, look at
medicines, look at sanitary conditions.”
Being diagnosed with diabetes does not mean you cannot travel the
world. If you are visiting a culture where customs and attitudes
deviate from your home culture, you may run into surprising and
unforeseen reactions to your diabetes. The local population may, for
example, think taking medications in public are an unusual and
triggering occurrence. What has become routine and second nature to
you may be a little shocking or disagreeable to another.
Besides being discrete and thoughtful towards your surroundings, do
as much research ahead of time as possible:
Take the time to find out something about the food culture at
your destination. What do the locals like to eat? What might be
difficult to find in supermarkets and restaurants? When you know the
nutritional facts about the common foods and delicacies, you can
immerse yourself more fully in the culture.
If the country you’re visiting uses different units of measure
(for example, they use grams but you’re used to ounces), make a
little overview of the differences and keep it in your pocket at all
times. Convert the most common portion-size measures to the local
system – for quick reference when you’re deciding what to put on
your plate.
Food labels vary around the world. Use Google or another
search engine to find images of food labels from where you’re going.
And practise using them so that you will save time when you
encounter them on your journey.
Consult an online dictionary and find the local words for
glucose, diabetes, blood sugar level, hypo- and hyperglycaemia,
insulin and other related terms.
Lastly, your research should focus on sanitary conditions and
the availability of medicine and health professionals at your
destination.
Enjoy your trip and stay!
Share
“Be thoughtful while taking your medication in public if you are
visiting a new culture where it can be seen as a little bit shocking
to the local population of that culture.”
In principle, there is no activity you need to give up on completely
when you’re diagnosed with diabetes. But it is crucial to develop a
good sense of your own metabolic and emotional reactions to the things
you either enjoy or have to do in your life.
If you are newly diagnosed, try to assume that you know nothing
about yourself and have everything to learn. The less you take for
granted about your body here and now, the more you will learn in the
next minute – and the quicker you will adapt to living with diabetes.
This applies to travel-related activities, too. When you travel, you
open yourself up to the world. In order to stay as safe as possible,
you are required to take certain precautions. I suggest keeping a
close watch on your blood sugar and general wellbeing. By planning
ahead and learning from experience, you put yourself in the best
possible position to take care of yourself and have a great time
wherever you are.
Every diagnosis can lead to the worry that you will be unable to
pursue the things you love, the things that add meaning to your life.
I am here to tell you that while living with diabetes, you can still
tap into nearly all your favourite activities – you simply need to be
smart and careful about it. Start by taking the relevant precautions,
planning ahead, doing your homework and enjoying everything in
moderation.
References
Committee ADAPP. 6. Glycemic Goals and Hypoglycemia: Standards
of Care in Diabetes—2024. Diabetes Care. 2024; 47:S111–S125.
American Diabetes Association. Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Glucose).
Available at:
https://diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-care/hypoglycemia.
Last accessed: March 2024.
Diabetes UK 2023. Why
understanding carbs (and how to count them) matters. Available at:
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/carbohydrates-and-diabetes/nuts-and-bolts-of-carb-counting/learn-about-carb-counting/the-basics.
Last accessed: March 2024.
Know Diabetes. Glycaemic Index.
Available at:
https://www.knowdiabetes.org.uk/be-healthier/nutrition-hub/glycaemic-index/.
Last accessed: March 2024.
Diabetes UK. Deep Vein
Thrombosis (DVT). Available at:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/conditions/deep-vein-thrombosis.html.
Last accessed: March 2024.
National Institute for Health
and Care Excellence. DVT prevention for travellers. Available at:
https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/dvt-prevention-for-travellers/. Last
accessed: March 2024.
Patient. How to Prevent DVT when
Travelling Avaliable at:
https://patient.info/allergies-blood-immune/deep-vein-thrombosis-leaflet/preventing-dvt-when-you-travel.
Last accessed: March 2024.
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