42 DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018 best health besthealthmag.ca
TEXT BY RICHARD LALIBERTE, EDITED BY ANN SCOTT; ISTOCKNEWS UPDATE
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Whether you’re travelling by plane
or train, it’s a good idea to confirm
that they have special meals on
board. When you’re en route, wait
for meal service to begin before you
take your pre-meal insulin to ensure
that you don’t experience low blood
sugar if food service is delayed
or cancelled.MEALS ON WHEELS
Travelling by car? Stick to your reg-
ular mealtime schedule to keep your
blood sugar stable. If that isn’t pos-
sible, carry glucose tablets 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 min-
utes for the feeling to pass before
continuing on.GET IN THE ZONE
Travelling across different time
zones can throw your normal insu-
lin and meal schedule completely off
kilter, but you can compensate for
the disruption if you’re careful.
When you’re adding hours to your
day by travelling west, you may need
to take more insulin. When you’re
losing hours by travelling east, you
may need less. When it comes to
timing your injections and meals,
keep your watch set to your home
time as you travel to your destina-
tion, but switch your watch – and
your schedule – to the local time the
morning after you arrive. If you
don’t feel comfortable making these
adjustments on your own, ask your
healthcare provider to help you cre-
ate a schedule. bhas they’re capped. You can also
carry a glucose meter with a manu-
facturer’s name printed on it. If you
use an insulin pump, don’t discon-
nect it prior to entering security. But
if you’re wearing a continuous glu-
cose sensor, you’ll need to disable it
because the radiofrequency it emits
can interfere with the plane’s in-
f light navigation system.BE SMART, NOT SORRY
At holiday time, security may be
heightened, especially at foreign
airports. Call ahead to your local
airport to find out current policies.
Consider working with a travel
agent, who can help you suss out
policies at foreign airports.CARRY ON TO CARRY ON
You want to ensure that you have
everything you need close at hand,
including medications, insulin,
syringes, test strips, lancets and
ketone strips. That means packing
them in your carry-on baggage.
With increased airport security,
expect your supplies to get a thor-
ough once-over, but don’t fret: You
should be able to board a plane
with insulin, syringes and insulin-
delivery systems as long as you can
document that you need them. Bring
a letter from your doctor and carry
your insulin vials in their boxes
(once you use the insulin, keep the
box). It’s OK to carry lancets as long
HAVE DIABETES,
will travel
Don’t let your illness stop you from travelling over the
holiday season. Just keep these five tips in mind when
planning your journey for a safe sojourn.