When your go-to, tried and true T1D travel tips are thrown right out the window.
That’s what happened to me this weekend, and it was all my doing.
My husband and I went on a quick trip to Victoria, and I opted not to implement my travel with T1D precautions.
Usually I pack along breakfast for all days and multiple non-carb snacks to nosh on when needed. But the only thing I brought along this time were low blood sugar supplies.
Why?
Because, I just didn’t want to.
Diabetes distress & perimenopause taking a toll
I’ve been dealing with some elements of diabetes distress lately.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve experienced various levels of diabetes drama:
- My insulin pump broke
- I inexplicably ran out of insulin one day and didn’t realize until 10 at night – when I was scheduled to change my Omnipod infusion, and my pharmacy was long closed. Thank goodness for late-night pharmacies willing to accept us on late notice
- Blood sugar fluctuations; feeding lows and chasing highs
Part of this is related, I suspect, to perimenopause. That’s a post for another day, friends. But regardless, it’s taken its toll on my heart and head.
And so, for this trip, I just didn’t want to put the effort in.
Travel with T1D pivot
How did I manage without my tips and tricks?
I’ve had T1D for 38 years. If you have type-1, you know life is all about the pivot. Even with my tips and tricks, there’s always the potential for T1D surprises. No matter how hard we work to keep our blood sugars in check, there’s no perfection with this condition.
My pivot for this trip was to mostly focus on my activity levels.
My husband was in all-day meetings the first day, which meant I had the day of exploring and eating on my own.
I went for breakfast at the Blue Fox Cafe that morning. It was located about a 12-minute brisk walk from the hotel.
This place is so good, but the portions are huge. I ordered the ambrosia apple oatmeal (ohmygawd, so good!) and I requested they hold the 2 slices of toast and jam that were to come with the order. The bowl was still huge, though, way more oatmeal than I would normally have. And yes, I know I could have stopped eating, that I didn’t have to eat the entire bowl. But I was on my own, reading and eating, and before I knew it, that entire bowl was in my belly.
I dosed 60 grams for the carbs, however I suspect it was probably more than that all told.
I pre-bolused about 10 minutes before the food came (I’d eaten here several years ago and could recall the portion sizes and knew the delivery was swift).
After the meal, I walked briskly for another 20 minutes around scenic Victoria, before slowing my step to a more leisure shop and stop pace
In the diabetes world, we have good evidence showing that a 15 minute walk within three hours of taking meal-time insulin can lower BG levels by approximately 2 mmol/L and/or stop a rapid BG rise immediately after the meal. That strategy was my successful go-to for most of the weekend.
Because my breakfast was so filling, I had a much lighter lunch – a market bowl salad at Tractor Foods with the Green Goddess kale and quinoa salad side and a half avocado. Minimal carbs, no protein, healthy fats. This meal didn’t need much insulin, but it was enough to tide me over until dinner.
Travel with T1D challenges
Those were the successes. Now let’s look at the challenges.
The first night, we attended a reception where appies were served for dinner. Many of the foods were deep fried, had hidden carbs, and no vegetables to be found as far as the eye could see.
These types of meals are sooooo challenging. No opportunity for pre-bolusing. Foods coming out at different intervals. And those blimey hidden carbs trying to beat you at every turn. Plus, deep fried kills my belly!
My blood sugars were mostly steady throughout the reception, but as we started our way up to the hotel room – BAM! – they started rising fast. Hello fat, thanks for that!
My stomach was dealing with discomfort. I was super tired. All I wanted to do was huddle under the blankets and go to sleep. But again: activity. I knew it would likely bring my numbers down.
We were staying at The Empress Hotel. A super lovely, old-school, historical hotel with so many unique nooks and crannies throughout. I walked those halls for a good 15-20 minutes. Although the activity didn’t immediately bring the numbers down, as soon as I stopped, the trend arrows shifted downwards. That was the result I was going for.
Activity for the T1D travel win
Activity is a huge part of our management strategy for T1D. And clearly, it doesn’t have to be hours and hours of activity at once. Yes, the general recommendation of 150 minutes a week or 30 minutes five days a week is going to be great for blood sugars and overall heart and diabetes health, but small bouts of activity have good results too. Again, we have good evidence for this.
My weekend had me walking back and forth and around all the floors of the ferry ride. It had me exploring Victoria at both a brisk and leisure pace. The pace was increased any time I felt I needed a boost in lowering my blood sugars without adding insulin. I also explored nearly every floor of The Empress Hotel – and may have found a few tasty gems along the way 🙂
So, if you’re ever feeling like you just don’t want to do all the intricate things we often have to do to manage our T1D with travel, know that a little bit of brisk activity can be a huge benefit, allowing you to let go of some of those other things.
Because sometimes, we just need to let go.
