Travelling from Orlando Florida to Dublin Ireland is no easy task. My expedition included 4.5 hours of travel by car and a layover in London Gatwick before the last leg to Dublin. I put extra emphasis on keeping my blood sugars in check while travelling. This is something I personally have struggled with.
This time I managed better than usual with a few minor setbacks such as going low right before boarding. I think the other passengers thought I was a very nervous flyer as I was shaking and sweating profusely looking for my seat. After that little setback my blood sugar settled for the long flight ahead. My flight ran 45 minutes late which meant I had very little time to make it to my connecting flight. I didn’t have time to check my sugars when I entered London airport and I had to frantically stampede across the airport to make my flight. I was extremely hungry and knew I needed food soon but I couldn’t stop. I was greeted at the boarding gate by a lifesaving vending machine brimming with chocolate and crisps. I checked my blood and it was 5.2mmol/l and I was starting to feel very mild hypoglycemia so I ate a chocolate bar and boarded with a large sigh of relief.
Upon arriving to Dublin airport my blood had settled nicely and although I felt delirious with tiredness, in terms of my diabetes, I felt pretty good. Even with my bag not showing up and I had to file a missing bag report which took an hour but I was almost home.
The 3.5 hour car journey home was the easy part I stopped and got food and my blood was good. I finally arrived home at 2pm. I went straight to bed and awoke at 6.30pm as I was going to my girlfriends house to surprise her as she did not know I was home. When I woke my blood was low and I gorged in chocolate and bread which caused a massive spike in my sugars. I took my girlfriend out to dinner and my blood settled once more so although my trip had some ups and downs for the most part my blood was right in range but travelling is a tricky task for insulin dependent individuals like myself.
Also since I have returned to Ireland I find my blood sugar still a little unstable and my insulin sensitivity has most definitely changed as well. When your body experiences such dramatic change in climate and atmosphere like moving from the intense heat of Florida to the chilly climate of Ireland I recommend being extra careful with taking large doses and I think it’s a time when you need to keep your wits about you regarding blood sugar and diabetes.
The Life of Leo 