New T1 Diabetic questions about control

[Agent555]

Hello Everyone!

I am a new T1 diabetic and I have a few questions for other Diabetics.

1. Do any of you find it difficult to remain stable while on Vacation? I am worried about my isulin getting too hot or getting a carb counting wrong by a lot... do you find it easy to stay within target?
2. Sharps container.. In WDW you can request one be put in your room upon arrival when I called the Grand Californian they weren't sure if it was possible. Is there a specific number I can call to make this happen? or do they not do it in DL?

I would appreciate any insight or advice.

Thanks!

Jenny

 

[buffettgirl]

1) yes it's hard to keep in control..in general. You're playing the part of a major organ..it's hard. Very hard. Disney is really hard because the food is full of fat which sneaks up on you as a rise in glucose hours and hours later. Plus, you never quite know how many carbs are in foods, AND you're probably doing a lot more walking than you're used to. So all those things combined cause for a vacation full of weird blood sugars. Take a frio pouch for your insulin (http://coolerconcept.com/ ) and you won't have to worry. Bring along an app for your phone (calorie king, calorie counter,) or the Calorie King book.

2) yes, you should be able to request a sharps container from housekeeping when you check in, but most of us just use an old water bottle or something else (just label it)

So is it easy? no, it's an extra layer of planning. But honestly, you're going to have good days and bad days with blood sugars at disney. Try your best, shoot for the middle ground, carb count the best you can, give yourself the right amount of insulin based on that, and then let it go. You're on vacation.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I think this goes for anyone with medical issues but my tips are to make sure the people you're traveling with have a list of your medications and dosages. I'd also suggest taking some sort of quick dose of sugar with you (tabs/gel) for emergencies. Even if you keep your dosages and numbers and all that jazz right, you may find just being in a different environment doing things you aren't used to may effect you in ways you can't predict. As far as having that sugar on you, while you're out and about in the park there's lots of stuff to grab to bring your sugar up but if you're in a long line or ride, you'll feel much better knowing you have that on you until you can get to something else.

 

[ttintagel]

My advice is to test a lot. In addition to the things the others mention (different food and exercise), I sometimes find that just the stress of a long trip can have an effect on my BG.

At WDW, I test before eating, an hour or two after eating, whenever I feel strange (even if it's not my usual high/low symptons), and bascially whenever my group sits down to rest and it's convenient to test. A couple of times I thoguht I was just really tired, and it turned out my BG was a little on the low side.

 

[buffettgirl]

My advice is to test a lot. In addition to the things the others mention (different food and exercise), I sometimes find that just the stress of a long trip can have an effect on my BG.

At WDW, I test before eating, an hour or two after eating, whenever I feel strange (even if it's not my usual high/low symptons), and bascially whenever my group sits down to rest and it's convenient to test. A couple of times I thoguht I was just really tired, and it turned out my BG was a little on the low side.

+1 yes yes

count on doubling your testing each day - some days you might not hit that many, but if you're new to it all , you just might. And it's easier to test if you're not afraid of running out of supplies, so bring WAY more than you think you'll need. (I'm sure your dr probably said 4x a day haahah ...sometimes I WISH!) But at Disney, you could easily (and probably should) at least double that. And definitely add in a middle of the night check if you don't do that at home.

More things I was thinking about:
This is what we normally carry in our park backpack (and I like to carry light...)

• glucose tabs
• glucagon (and someone who knows how to use it)
• enough insulin and syringes to get you through the day and then at least an unexpected stay in the park (or an unexpected mickey bar!)
• Something like a granola bar or pb crackers to hold BG after a low.
• a water bottle (we grab free water at the counter service restaurants) but we find that staying hydrated helps BGs. We've experienced just as many weird stubborn highs as lows while in Disney and those make you thirsty. So you want access to water, when you want it.