Posts
July 27, 2015
I had the privilege last month to travel to California and be a bridesmaid for one of my best friends. Now I know how it is to travel with diabetes when you're driving. Essentially you just pack another suitcase strictly for your medical supplies. Okay, it's not that bad, but they definitely get their own carrying case. I've researched the proper ways to travel with your supplies on dozens of websites. Most of which were blogs like mine, because what's proper is so unique to you and your situation.
Did you guys know that diabetes changes all of the time? Your body changes so frequently that your disease adapts and changes too. If someone with diabetes tells you that they've never had to change the way they treat their disease, they're lying. Otherwise I am so impressed by them, and envy the way their body functions. Anyway, that's beside the point.
When I get ready for a trip I have a checklist of things that I bring. I will spare you my entire list and go through strictly the medical part. ;) The first thing that I pack is my insulin. I pack a vile and then I also pack one of my pens just to make sure that I have what I need if my insulin pump malfunctions. When you're traveling with insulin they recommend that you try and keep it the same temperature. This means that when you're flying you should always take your insulin on the plane, because underneath can sometimes get really cold. Anyway, basically insulin keeps me alive so I of course am going to take it and be extra cautious.
The next thing I always make sure to pack is a way for me to give myself the insulin. With my insulin pump I of course make sure that I pack my pump... :/ Then I pack the reservoirs for the insulin to be held in, and my infusion sets. That's the tubing and the needle that I stab into myself. With all of that I have to take my tool that helps me insert the infusion set. I really, for the life of me can't remember what it's called, and I'm not about to get up and go look. We'll just call it the poker. Since I am bringing my pens as a backup I also have to bring my pen needles, that's the part of the pen that I stab myself with. I also bring a few syringes just in case everything else fails for some reason.
The next things that I make sure to pack are for my safety, and everyone else's. I make sure to bring a case so that I can store all of my used sharps safely until I'm home and can dispose of them properly. I won't go anywhere without my alcohol swabs. It freaks me out to think about a needle going into my body, but it freaks me out even more to think about stabbing it through dirt/sweat/whatever I got into that day on my skin. :/ Ew. I then make sure I have my glucometer (the blood checker thingy), and enough supplies for that. I need to make sure that I have enough test strips and lancets (that's the actual needle inside the pokey thing). It's also a really great idea to make sure it's fully charged before you head out.
Anyhow, this particular trip I thought I would wear my sensor to help me keep better track of my levels. I was going to be on the go a lot and I thought it'd be really helpful. Well, with the sensor and the insulin pump there are things that could ruin it because it's so sensitive. The biggest one is to never put your insulin pump or sensor in an x-ray machine. Well, that's fine because I'll just wear it in airport security and not put it in my bag. The next problem that I faced was that there was a metal detector and then an imager. I don't fly a lot, so I'm already nervous as it is. When I asked the lady at the airport she only gave me those two options. How was I supposed to know that I could've just subjected myself to an awkward pat down??
Really, what I'm trying to get at is I went in the imager thinking it would be fine. Well, then I just felt sick about it because I was pretty sure I had just ruined my very expensive medical devices. Luckily, I got to the airport about an hour early and my flight was delayed for 40 minutes. That means I had a good hour and a half to freak out about my airport security experience. Let me tell you, I was almost in tears in the waiting area because I really did think I ruined everything. I was calling everyone and praying, A LOT that it would work. Thankfully, I was able to calm down on the plane and my insulin pump has been fine ever since. However, when I landed my sensor actually started to malfunction so I just turned it off and I was going to test a new one when I got home. I haven't yet, because I'm terrified it's broken. I also haven't had much room to put it since I had my surgery. Let's just keep praying that it's not broken. :/
What I'm really trying to get at with this post is that there is always a new experience to have with diabetes. It's like I get to do everything in my life for the first time, because it'll be the first time with diabetes. This flight was unfortunately not the best experience I've ever had, but at least the flight back was a lot better. Besides my awkward pat down, that I'll now be volunteering for each time to avoid any added stress. Hopefully they are always really nice ladies.
