I am a type II; using Lantus, Humalog, Janumet, diet and exercise to control my diabetes. I have been using insulin for about two months now…and have never left home that I needed to think about these things. But in two weeks we will be traveling to TX;and I don’t travel after November because of midwestern weather, snow, ice, etc. So although I am praying and not looking for a winter storm, we will be traveling through four states that are known for sudden snow and ice storms. So what do I take in a car already firmly packed with kennel, clothes, food, extra winter clothes, dog, husband and me and the “just in case”. How do I store my insulin if our room (two hotels enroute) don’t have frigs? What about food on the road…I think I can handle that…but when we arrive my schedule won’t be my own, I can tweak it a little, but how do others take care of themselves, when others are calling the time schedule? Any travel trip or visiting hints you can add will be appreciated, (OH thankfully everywhere we are staying has a pool for exercise —YIPEE)
Hey sdkate:
It's a little daunting the first time you do it, but I can assure you traveling with your required meds is not that difficult. I travel almost every week, often to far corners of the planet. I make sure I have my insulin requirements for my entire trip covered in both my carry on bag and my briefcase, just in case. Redundancy is key. I rarely ever check a bag, and if I do, I make sure only to include non-perishables like needles, etc.
It sounds like you're driving, which makes it even easier. I would not worry about having access to a fridge. The insulin you bring is good for a month at room temperature. In fact, due to the likelihood of very cold weather, make sure not to leave your insulin in your car overnight. Freezing will destroy it.
I would still follow a redundancy approach, though. Bring what you need for the entire trip both in your luggage and your husband's. Also try to bring insulin pens/vials from different lot numbers. Lastly, since you're in the US, transfer your prescriptions to a major drugstore chain with a national presence (Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, etc.). This way, if something goes wrong, you can get a refill wherever you are. They will honor prescriptions from your home pharmacy and can quickly look them up on their systems.
Regarding food: I've been everywhere from the most mundane to the most exotic locations in the world and one thing they all have in common: I can always find meat and vegetables. Don't stress out about diet and foods, there are low glycemic options everywhere, even when fast-food rest stops are the only option. Wendy's makes excellent burger wraps, and Chipotle has great carb free options, for example.
Lastly - enjoy and have a fun trip! Don't stress too much. A little extra preparation will go a long way.
Christopher
Hi,
Just to add to Christopher's points - since you are new to insulin - be cautious with the dose of short acting insulin(Humalog)during travelling and don't forget to pack your glucometer and the carb in your pocket to be used in case of a hypo.
Have a wonderful trip.
:)
Indira
If you're traveling for less than a month, open a new container of each insulin and use that so you don't need a fridge. When I flew overseas, I used several single-use ice packs in a cooler bag.
I'm type 1 so I can't help you beyond that, sorry.
Thanks, Christopher. I should have known someone named Christopher would figure this out for me, my son is very organized as you are, and his name is Christopher, also. I am rather lucky in that we are traveling by car, 1200 miles from SD to TX and weather only changes 20 times along the way. I never thought about opening a new vial of lantus and humalog to take, good idea, Leah. My husband is on oral meds for his diabetes, so we will get a short term script for him from his doc....a little over 14 days supply. I have so many orals for many things, that I have to take what I have. So rather than filling pill boxes, am taking the real bottles and they are all from WalMart....which will make that part easy. Food, we are taking will be different now that we don't have the chocolate stuff....more fruits, vegies, crackers, cheese etc. We always take water with us...so we are good to go there. I have to remember as another person told me that we are going to experience and share time with our kids, we haven't seen them in 3 + years, so some things may not be perfectly diabetic --- food, etc,...but have fun, don't go nuts, and there are diabetics where we are going...so they must live somehow relatively a diabetic style.
Christopher -- why the different lot numbers for pens? Here's my reason for asking, I get Lantus and Humalog from manufacturer directly, they only give me enough for 3 months...if I use them up before my three months are up, too bad, I pay for them and that's almost impossible. But if there is a good reason, I want to know. Thanks
Thanks, all, I appreciate your help and guidance. Now what do I wear, coming from the artic climate of SD to the warmer (I hope) climate of TX?:)
Hi sdkate,
If you are concerned about keeping unopened insulin pens cold, you may want to check out the FRIO wallets at http://www.frioinsulincoolingcase.com/. The wallet's cooling properties come from the evaporation of water. When I took Byetta a few years back, the pens had to be kept refrigerated. I used the FRIO when I traveled. Worked fine. Enjoy your trip.