LIVINGLIVING
A year ago Tim Omer, a T1 on a pump, picked up his bags and headed
for a world tour, taking as much kit with him as he could carry.
OMER'S ODYSSEY
Not a holiday or a
trip, this was oldfashioned off-the-grid
bit of backpacking,
and taking care of
your diabetes while you do it. It's what
faces all of us who are on daily injections
or who use a pump and who want to
keep a handle on our blood glucose by
regular testing. It takes a lot of planning
but there's no point going on a trip
like that and having your diabetes let
you down. Here Tim, who travelled
with his fiance, shares his experience.
"
As a diabetic what did I have to
worry about when travelling? Very
little really. Things were normal
because the challenges where
the same. But, I can share some
advice with the benefits of my newly-found
hindsight. After approximately 20 flights,
26 boat trips, 15 train journeys, countless
bus trips and one canoe adventure I have
travelled more than 21,000 Miles around
Southeast Asia.
I'm back now and I'm still struggling
with highs and lows, to guess my carb
intake, resisting the temptation of high
sugar and processed carb foods. I'm still
diabetic, so everything is normal and after
a hospital check-up I can confirm that in
a year I am the same height, I have lost
5.3kg and my HbA1c has improved from
6.2 to 5.8 (which was a bit of a surprise!).
My diet has improved now I'm back to
familiar Western food, though I'm trying to
get my background insulin (basal) correct,
though I'm sure that in time this will be
resolved.