LIVING
Keeping your cool
If you take insulin and you’re traveling Nomad insulin carrier (below). It comes
somewhere hot this summer, you may with a car adaptor, portable bag. The
want to consider ways to keep your battery will work for 12 hours in up to
medication cool. Check the leaflet that 35ºC temperatures and is rechargeable.
comes with your insulin for guidance as Portable and lightweight keeps insulin
to best practice for keeping it cool (it’s 2-8ºC. Interior Refrigeration space is 170
normally not necessary to keep it chilled x 46 x 18cm (L*W*H), weighs 540g and
all the time. When it’s in use -- in your costs £235.
pen or pump -- it need not be kept cold There are other models in the range
but it should not get too hot either, so from small to large so you can big-up if
be sensible. Frio bags (right) are good you need to carry a lot of insulin or other
to keping insulin cool for short periods medications that need to be kept oool for
of time. But anyone concerned with a sustained period of time.
keeping their kit cool can consider the Happy packing up and have a good trip!
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TRAVELLING WITH DIABETES
For the traveling diabetic, overnight stays and short trips should
not cause any real anxieties, other than if you are newly
diagnosed or the diabetic is a young child. For adults, short trips
are easy enough. You will need to take all your normal stuff with
you, and might need to remember to take your long-acting
insulin with you as well.
1. Check your supplies before you go – do you have enough blood test sensors to
last you? Enough insulin and a hypo treatment (just in case). Longer trips and
overseas travel need a bit more fore-thought and planning. Two weeks’ before
you go check all your supplies and to get any extra you may need from your GP.
2. Keep your insulin in your hand luggage (If it goes in the hold of a plane it
could freeze and be deactivated). Keep all your diabetes equipment in your hand
luggage – the last thing you need is it being part of any lost luggage.
3. Security is now such an issue, it’s a good idea to keep all your diabetes kit and
medication in one place that you can easily access and show to anyone who may
need to see it at customs. As diabetes is now quite common, you should not
have real issues with this in the UK, US and many Western countries.
Some tips for traveling overseas:
□ Contact Diabetes UK to see if they have a factsheet on the country you
are visiting.
□ Get the address of the British Consulate in the country you are visiting and
have that handy in case you need advice from people who speak your
language but know the local culture.
□ If you’re traveling with people whom you do not know it is wise to tell them
you have diabetes. It’s not fair on them if you’re suddenly taken ill, and
they don’t know what to do to help you!
□ Keep a hypo treatment handy at all times – new cultures and new foods
may well lead to high sugars, though.
□ If you are traveling to very hot climates, you will need to keep your insulin
cool. See below for more info.
Keeping insulin cool: Each bottle or box of insulin cartridges has an information sheet
in it. You can also check with your diabetes nurse and GP, but in the main if you use
some common sense and keep your insulin away from extremes of temperature, you
should be OK. When it’s not in use (unopened and not in an insulin pen), it should be
kept in a fridge. If it’s in use – an open bottle of insulin or a cartridge already loaded into
a pen, the insulin should be fine at room temperature for a few weeks. If you think it
necessary, there are specialist bags and carry cases that keep insulin cool and there are
even mini-fridges that you can plug into the car to keep insulin cool if you are traveling in
very hot countries.
Travel resources: See the Desang Directory at www.desang.net for a list of all
sorts of diabetes management equipment. *
Another excellent diabetes and travel website can be found at
http://www.diabetes-travel.co.uk/home.htm