Disneyland and Diabetes?

[tinkerjo]

DS is a type 1 since 13 (oh my goodness, that has been almost 10 years ago!! Unbelievable how time flies) practice counting carbs a lot. It gets easier, believe me!! We did a lot of packed lunches at first so I could control the amount of carbs. Our first Disney trip post dx was stressful. He went low a lot and ended up needing very little insulin that trip. The heat and activity made him need much less. He always carries a string bag with kool-aid jammers or caprisun (both about 15 carbs which is perfect) and a few snacks just in case. beware of hard candy as it can be a choking hazard when you are low. Can’t help with the CGM DS won’t wear one but also has an omnipod and has done ok with the scanners. What others have said is good advice. Check readings often, hydrate well (very important) count carbs the best you can, prepare for lows and have a good time!!!

 

[Sadie22]

Free TCOYD (Taking Control of Your Diabetes) online conference coming up August 11. Endocrinologists and others providing information live and opportunities to ask questions of equipment vendors. The organization's site has information about traveling with diabetes and lots of other topics.

 

[acebatonfan]

Really late to the party. Just thought I'd share my experience with type 1 while at disney. I use an insulin pump and a dexcom CGM (it's similar to the libre but just a little more intense when it comes to monitoring and alerting). There's also some general FYIs:

• PACK EXTRAS OF EVERYTHING. Keep track of what you use in a week (or however long the trip is), and double (or possibly triple) it. You test your blood sugar 5x a day and you're going on an 8-day trip, so you need a minimum of 40 test strips - which means you're probably going to pack 100 since test strips more often come in 50-packs and you want to have at least 80 strips since Disney will definitely wreck havoc on your BGs. Disney is hot, and adhesives for devices are going to fall off like crazy, and your blood sugar may drop like crazy. It's better to have spares and not use it than realize you just ripped out your last insulin pump set on the hotel door handle or your only vial of insulin has gone bad in the heat.
• Have backup plans for in case something fails. You use a libre, so of course you're going to want to pack extra sensors and adhesives. During my last trip, my Dexcom transmitter failed (the only thing I didn't bring an extra of since you only change it once every 90 days), so I had to go back to the classic finger prick testing method. I brought my meter and a 50-count of strips with me, so I was good until a new transmitter was shipped, but if I didn't pack it I would have needed to go somewhere like Walmart or a pharmacy and buy supplies there.
• Make sure you have easy access to your diabetes provider in case you need to contact them for emergency refills or medical advice. Things happen, and it's a lot easier to just have a list ready just in case than be cursing like crazy while you try to find the on-call endocrinologist phone number while you're at 400+ and peeing ketones (true story... the insulin in my pump denatured like crazy from the August heat). What I also like to do for everyone in my household is have a general In Case of Emergency face/report sheet for each person that I take with me on vacation - stuff like medical conditions/medications, major surgeries and recent hospitalizations, physician phone numbers. I've actually had to use them at home a few times when calling 911 (or a family member calling 911 on me), and it makes it a lot easier just giving it to EMS and not having to worry about any major information being lost between the incident scene and the ED (clearly I am/was a bedside nurse...)
• Take your time in the park and plan breaks. ALWAYS keep a fast-acting source of sugar available. You're going to be more active than usual, eating different than usual, all these fun things that are going to affect your blood sugars (especially if you are on insulin or insulin-stimulating medications). And when you're excited or tired or hot or hangry, it might be harder to be able to tell if you are low or high. Take breaks frequently and test, since you never know if you might be chilling in the 50s and feel absolutely nothing. I usually just grab a resealable bag or two of any sugary candy and keep it in my backpack for lows, and if I'm having a really bad day will have a bottle of regular coke in there. In my meter case I keep these glucose gel packets, but I only try to use them for extreme lows since they can also be used by family in a first aid situation with my glucagon kit/spray.
• When flying, keep your diabetes stuff in your carry-on. Do not have anything in checked baggage unless you are OK with potentially losing that item. You never kinow when the airline might lose your bag, so I keep all the supplies that I need within my carry-on. When I get up to the TSA desk, I let them know that I have a medical device that cannot go through the scanners and that I have medical supplies in my bag. What ends up happening is that usually I go through the metal detector instead of the full-body scanner and get a pat-down while my bags go through regular scanning and often a hand-search too. Luggage tags and tape are my best friends since I use that to label which bags within my carry-on are medical supplies, which are sharps, and which are medications so that there's no chance an agent grabs a bag and gets suprised when a plastic baggie of pump and injection syringes falls out. With the libre, make sure you check your user guide or contact customer support to see if it is safe to go through the body scanners with it on, and if you're not 100% sure ask for a pat-down instead. You definitely don't want to start off your trip with a fried device and having that fun conversation with support to get new supplies shipped (even if it is a rare occurrence).

 

[Lugan]

Have backup plans for in case something fails. You use a libre, so of course you're going to want to pack extra sensors and adhesives. During my last trip, my Dexcom transmitter failed (the only thing I didn't bring an extra of since you only change it once every 90 days), so I had to go back to the classic finger prick testing method. I brought my meter and a 50-count of strips with me, so I was good until a new transmitter was shipped, but if I didn't pack it I would have needed to go somewhere like Walmart or a pharmacy and buy supplies there.

I had a similar experience in October, 2020. My Dexcom Transmitter failed a couple of days into the trip. Of course, that was the one thing I didn't pack, since I wasn't due for a replacement. Dexcom was understanding, and sent out a replacement transmitter right away, but since it was a weekend, I was stuck waiting until Monday (at the earliest). I went ahead and took a Lyft to a nearby Walgreen's, which had transmitters in stock, and had my prescription refilled. Now I always pack a backup transmitter.

When I get up to the TSA desk, I let them know that I have a medical device that cannot go through the scanners and that I have medical supplies in my bag. What ends up happening is that usually I go through the metal detector instead of the full-body scanner and get a pat-down while my bags go through regular scanning and often a hand-search too.

TSA Pre-check has been great for this. Though, with my new tandem pump, the all metal body sets off the metal detector. In order to avoid going back to the days of getting a pat-down for every flight (I fly often for work), I now do the following: 1) I detach my pump right before going through the metal detector 2) Inform the TSA agent that I have a medical device which can't go through the XRays and will set off the metal detector. They will take the pump from me, usually, and do a residue test on the pump itself, while I go through the metal detector. I make sure to keep the agent w/ my pump in LOS, and it normally takes less than a minute or two before I get my pump back to re attach, and I'm on my way.

My other general advise for Disney as an insulin dependent diabetic is: 1) Have some ways to keep yourself cool in the heat and sun. I always have a personal fan I can take out of my pocket, and those cooling towels they sell are great. Your worst enemy is dehydration. 2) If you're not on an insulin pump that adapts to your glucose levels, or you're not on an insulin pump at all, then have a frank discussion with your endo before you travel. Talk about options to reduce insulin dosage while you're on your trip. You might not need it, but I find that I tend to use as little as 50% of my normal insulin for a day at the park. 3) For travelling companions of the diabetic, be understanding. When I go to Disney, my glucose numbers can get into a roller-coaster of ups and downs on some days, and it is exhausting and can throw a wrench into some of the park plans. The worst part of it is feeling that I'm disappointing my kids because we're not making it to a ride / show in time, but having people that understand the challenges goes a long way to mitigate that.