LIVINGLIVING
MY DIABETES KIT
JEN GRIEVES
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Earlier this year I was
lucky enough to head to
South Africa for work for
a month (I know, tough
gig…) I couldn't resist
the opportunity to add a few weeks
onto the end to explore this fascinating
country. But in 22 years of living with
Type 1 diabetes, this would mark my
first proper stint as a backpacker. Which
gave me a lot to think about, not least
because I didn't even own a backpack
when I booked my flights…
Say yes, figure it all out later. This
is generally my mantra for life, and it's
served me well for the most part. But
WOW there's a lot of figuring out to do to
set off safely on a backpacking trip with
a chronic condition. I've been fortunate
to have had many mad, incredible and
bizarre experiences in my life, but I've also
made enough mistakes along the way to
know that Type 1 diabetes is fine until it's
not fine, and I didn't want 'not fine' to be
hundreds of feet above sea level with only
my echoing cries for company. Dramatic,
much?
I will happily declare that I was
incredibly nervous as I approached this
trip. Travelling with Type 1 can seem
daunting, and possibly even risky, but
I'm here with my feet and my busted
pancreas back in the UK, to say that it's
absolutely worth it.
In the moment
I hiked, canoed, swam and even
paraglided my way across South Africa's
stunning Garden Route, and made
memories that will stay with me for life.
I met people from all over the world,
sharing bedrooms with them as well as
buses, bathrooms and oceans. I climbed
mountains, witnessed breathtaking
scenery and got close to elephants, lions
and even a whale. Did I have hypos? Yes.
Did I have to think about my diabetes? Of
course, a lot of the time. But did it dictate
my experience? Not in the slightest.
What I learnt from this adventure
was that it's all in the planning. Allowing
yourself adequate time to figure out what
you need to take with you (and how
you're going to carry it) will make for a
much smoother, less scary experience
once you're miles away from home and
out of your comfort zone. I was adamant
that I wanted to be fully immersed in
all the incredible experiences as they
happened, not feeling frantic about using
up all my glucose strips. Thanks to a bit
of diligent planning, my trip was about the
adventure, not about my Type 1.
I started making a list of everything I
would need a couple of months ahead
of my departure date, adding random
things as and when I thought of them. I
soon clocked that this was not a packing
job I could leave until the last minute, as
is my usual approach. I had to make an
appointment with my GP, for instance, to
ask for surplus supplies of test strips and
insulin outside of my normal prescription.
I ordered some Libre sensors, which took
four weeks to arrive. The sheer quantity
of Omnipods I had to carry with me was
quite something. There were insulin vials,
insulin cartridges, backup injections just
in case, spare glucose meters, hypo
fixes… all taking up precious room in my
backpack that ideally would have allowed
for extra dresses. But by removing a
lot of the packaging, and stuffing test
strips in shoes and socks, I saved a fair
amount of space - and weight. Supplies
and equipment are getting smaller and
smaller, so lugging all my kit around was
not as laboured as it would have been just
a couple of decades ago.
Feeling secure
Airport security I know makes a lot of
people feel nervous. I thankfully have
never had an issue here - airport staff
see all sorts of medical devices every
single day. I always carry a doctor's note
outlining my condition and the supplies
I need to carry, and if the scanner does
go off when I walk through, I always flag
that I have an insulin pump on before I
get a closer inspection. Oh, I NEVER put
my diabetes supplies in the hold - just in
case my luggage goes walkies! Once I've
landed however, I do split my supplies
into different bags to make sure it can't all
get lost at once.
Along the route, I kept my insulin
in a Frio cooling wallet (a god-send in
hot countries) and made sure that any
supplies I didn't take out on day trips
were stored in a padlocked locker (most
hostels offered these, but don't forget