6 tips on travelling with diabetes

6 tips on travelling with diabetes

There's no reason diabetes should hold you back from travelling, as long as you take some reasonable precautions to make sure that while you're getting away, your blood sugar isn't

By Richard Laliberte

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4. Mind your meals

If you're flying or taking an extended trip by rail, call the carrier a few days before you depart and ask what special meals they have available for people with diabetes or heart disease (there may be more than one option to choose from). When you're en route, wait for meal service to actually begin before you take your pre-meal insulin to make sure you don't experience low blood sugar in the event that service is unexpectedly slowed or canceled. When traveling by car, try to stick to your regular mealtime schedule to keep your blood sugar stable. If that's not possible, carry glucose tablets along with you and be alert to symptoms of low blood sugar, such as nervousness, sweating, and crankiness. If you feel a hypoglycemic episode coming on, pull over and take several glucose tablets. Wait at least 10 to 15 minutes for the feeling to pass before continuing on.