Greetings:
My wife and I are traveling to Canada this summer (i.e., in late June) from the Middle East. My wife was only very recently told to discontinue a certain medication (i.e., glucophage) and start taking two injections of mixed insulin twice a day. I think she should take enough insulin, if even possible, to get her to Canada and then see a Canadian doctor ASAP to get totally checked out and get a new prescription (if necessary). The doctor she sees in Saudi Arabia is fantastic but a second opinion is always, in my opinion, a very good idea especially in such a serious matter. However, my wife says she is tired of doctors (she was totally devastated by the news of the need for injections from our doctor). But can she even take enough insulin or, in fact, any insulin on our long journey home? Here is our basic itinerary:
To get to Bahrain, we will be in a taxi for approximately four hours.
At Bahrain Airport, we will be waiting for our flight approx. four hours.
Flight from Bahrain to London (Heathrow), between 7 to 8 hours.
Two or three hour wait in Heathrow International Airport.
Flight from London (Heathrow) to Halifax (NS), appox. 6 hours.
At Halifax International Airport, it will take about one to two hours before we can get to our accommodations and a nice cool fridge.
Ok, members of this Forum, can it be done? Can insulin be kept stable and usable for the periods of time described above or does my wife have to see a doctor has soon as she gets to Canada to get a prescription for insulin? Also, if we can transport insulin to Canada, can anyone give me some tips on how to do it? For example, would we need the co-operation of the airline to help keep the insulin cool and usable? Any information given, directly related to the above and/or extra information we should be aware of, is greatly appreciated.
This may be off the mark, but if the glucophage wasn’t causing that big a problem, and she didn’t go off it that long ago, what about trying to go back to that just until this trip is completed? That is so much easier to use, you don’t have to worry about storage or lows, and even eating can be more flexible.
It would be good if you could get a wide mouth thermos bottle big enough for the insulin and a small piece of ice. Put the ice in water for a minute or so to make sure it is not below freezing. The cold packs for insulin are based on water evaporating this works well in a dry climate like Alberta but not so well if the humidity is high like Toronto or Montreal. Otherwise a big styrofoam coffee cup with a piece of ice. Make sure to not have too much volume because of the airport security. In Halifax a cool evaporative pack should be fine it is not so hot and humid.
In Spain I was able to buy insulin from the pharmacist without a prescription. I you are comming to Alberta I can check if it is possible to do so here also. It may be different in each of the 10 provinces and 2 territories.
I don’t think they will cause trouble about bringing insulin into Canada but to be absolutely sure it would be good to have a letter from your doctor in english.
If you need insulin and continue with glucophage only this will kill her pancreas completly and then the disease becomes your worst nightmare. so her present doctor may be very very good. In Canada they are very anti-insulin so I would beware of any advice it could be catastrophic. She should have a C-peptide test to see how much insulin she is producing. the general practicians in canada usually know very little about diabetes and with the Endos it depends on the individual.
Make sure that she does a lot of walking on the airplane and in the airport. no alcohol or coffee as this dehydrates you even more. Drink a lot of water. Compression socks on the feet would be also good. Deep vein trombosis is a very big threat on these long hauls. the more so for diabetics and older people.
Have a happy trip and make sure to visit Peggy’s Cove a spectacular place.
These are very nice pouches for traveling with insulin (click here). I have traveled with months of insulin in these pouches.
Also, insulin can be kept out of the fridge for 1 month before it expires. So as long as you keep it from very high heat, it should be OK. She can take all the insulin that she needs for the trip with her!
Also in Ontario, Canada, I know that insulin is available without a prescription. I don’t know about the other provinces.
