Mt. Sinai Hospital Liraglutide Clinical Trial

Travelling with Diabetes

Managing diabetes during travel is much the same as managing it at home. It is important to plan ahead for travel related changes, such as delays in meals and lost luggage. Here are a few tips.

TRAVEL TIPS

Take your testing supplies, injection supplies, medications and glucose tablets in your carry on luggage (car, bus or plane).
Keep a supply of snacks with you in case your meals are unexpectedly delayed. (Include a carbohydrate and protein – talk to a diabetes team member about what options are best for you).
Try to avoid sitting for long periods. Get up and stretch whenever possible. If you are in a car, make regular stops to get up and walk around.
On a road trip plan ahead so that the timing of your insulin, meals, snacks and exercise doesn’t change.
If you are going through customs, take a note from your doctor explaining that you have diabetes and you require special supplies like lancets and syringes.
Carry a prescription for your medicines and syringes. It’s not a bad idea to have a travel companion carrying duplicate copies.
Take twice as many supplies than you plan to use. You could be delayed or unable to find a drug store if you are traveling outside the country.
If you are crossing time zones your insulin schedules may need some adjustments. Talk to a diabetes team member about your travel plans.?
Test your blood glucose when traveling. This is a good way to see how the change in your routine is affecting your diabetes control.
Remember to drink plenty of sugar free fluids especially on an airplane.
If possible take an aisle seat and stretch your legs walking up and down the aisles.

Travelling with Increased Safety Measures >>

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition that affects how your body uses food for energy. When you eat, the carbohydrate found in most foods is changed into a type of fuel called glucose. Glucose circulates in the blood and is the major energy source for the body.

In order for cells in muscles and other tissues in the body to use glucose for energy, a hormone called insulin is required. Insulin is produced by the beta cells of the pancreas, a gland located deep in the abdomen partially behind the stomach. When you have diabetes, either the pancreas does not make enough insulin, or the body does not respond to the insulin that is made. Sometimes, a person with diabetes can have both of these problems. When insulin is not doing its job of moving glucose into the cell, glucose builds up in the bloodstream and tissues, and is excreted in the urine. When this happens, the body loses its main source of fuel.