Check lists are great. After a few faux pas because I had forgotten something my wife insisted I make a checklist. Everything worked out great for the next trips until… I had everything ready to go in triplicate and because I wanted to keep the insulin cool I put it in the fridge thinking I would grab the package as we headed out the door for Europe. Skipping ahead to the First Class flight it dawned on me as we were ordering our meals that pump being near empty I didn’t have supplies that were still at home. Neither I nor she ate anything on the long flight. To shorten the story, the insulin on basal lasted till just after I purchased some more at the airport pharmacy, held open, I’m sure at the Captain’s request.
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Back in the day when I did injections, I drove 200 miles (about 4.5 hours on that particular road) to stay with my parents for the weekend, then realised I hadn’t taken my insulin with me. Luckily a pharmacist who knew my parents was able to sub me a couple of vials and I got my GP to write a prescription and send it to the pharmacist the following week.
This has definitely happened to me before.
I once got on a plane to China without insulin.
Most recently, I had a sensor fail while out of State and didn’t have a backup.
For those of us who lived for a long time without the supplemental tech, I’m certain that it does not cause the same amount of anxiety that it does for you. I went for long periods during covid with no sensor.
Maybe it helps to do a couple test days at home under safe conditions where there is no sensor. I think its a great training exercise for the family to rely on BG machine alone. Its totally possible and just might require a little experimentation in order to develop strategies and comfort level. I think its good for diabetics to rely on their body to tell them what their sugar is and see how well they read those symbols without looking at the sensor.
I used to make my EMT friends play a game to guess my blood sugar. We called it diabetic Price is Right and whoever came closest, without going over, won a candy bar. That taught them, and me, how good/bad we were at identifying symptoms using pure patient assessment. Can you identify someone’s BG just by looking at them? Not always. But sometimes you can. Its good to know HOW successful your guess rate is.
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Very true mohe. I have only had a CGM for 2 of my 62 yrs of having type 1. I still had a non diabetic A1C for almost 16 of those years. Now that I am used to using a CGM, I am fairly amazed at how well controlled I was without one. I love my CGM, but am glad to know that I would be fine without it.
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I have been many a times stuck on vacation or trips and something or another failed. I have many times just gone to the nearest walmart and bought the store brand. Most used to come with a few (maybe 5-10) test strips- enough to get me through. Over the years I’ve forgotten insulin, had multiple site failures requiring extra extra infusion sets I didn’t pack (because I only packed extra 
). So annoying, but honest just a part of the diabetes life. I wonder more about those people who never have anything go wrong. They’re either super human, or lying. I tend to think the latter.
When I was young, could tell you my sugar at any given time, I could just feel it. Now I can’t do it so well.
I could also smell sugar on my skin back before cgm.
I think that’s how I managed to stay sort of half way controlled for most of my life, I would hover around 7% a1 c with out really trying, testing sporadically.
I’m better controlled and far more consistent now with technology. I can still smell high glucose though, like one of those service dogs