Travel

Holi-daze

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I’m back home this week after some much needed time out in Melbourne, and unfortunately back to the grind tomorrow. I didn’t really believe that Melbourne was capable of producing so many nice days (sans an icky 44 degrees at the Australian Open on Thursday), but it was nice to spend so much time outdoors. 

As I was on the plane home over the weekend, I came to this realisation that I hadn’t once given a thought to work throughout the week. Nor e-mails. Nor meals. Nor agendas or general life admin. 

It was a stark contrast to the (very limited) time that I had off over Christmas. I spent my time clearing out my filing cabinet. Catching up on the magazines and newsletters that I hadn’t gotten around to over the year. Clearing some virtual space on my Macbook. Vacuuming the dust from the floor and wiping away the coffee and bloodstains from my desk. 

I was still thinking about the daily grind. The time was over before I knew it.

Going away is truly amazing in its ability to pull me away from my environment and take my mind away from the grind. No morning alarms. No work. Nothing to think about except for what I wanted to do today. By the time it was over, I felt as though I had been gone for ages. 

The only thing that I did have to bring with me, unfortunately, was diabetes.  

Holidays are always a bit of a fine balance. There are lots of extra carbs (read: plenty of coffees and trips to Brunetti). But there’s also a lot of extra walking, which has the potential to send me low. 

Overall, I was pretty happy with my BGs while I was away. I was more generous than usual with my insulin guesstimates, thinking about the greater likelihood of going high after the carbs rather than low. There were a couple of lows, but all of the walking around mostly helped to keep things level. There were a few stubborn blips, particularly in the evenings, but overall I didn’t spend my nights battling sustained highs. 

Now, reality has sunk back in. But I feel somewhat refreshed. And ready to tackle what this year has in store for me. 

Road Trip.

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When I go travelling (and that’s a very loose term, given I have never ventured beyond Australia), I spend a lot of time thinking about whether I have packed enough supplies to last me the distance. I give a lot of thought to how I will manage if I get stranded, lost, delayed or even robbed. I pack for the trip through airport security and the plane, in an attempt to make my load as light and convenient as possible.

What I don’t really give a lot of thought to, however, is how I will manage my diabetes on the trip. Travel tends to be a break from the daily grind, and diabetes management unintentionally tends to go onto the backburner. It’s also full of spontaneity which, for me, includes a lot of unplanned carbs (read: Cannoli) and physical activity.

This weekend, my travel plans were a little different to what I was used to. I wouldn’t be travelling by air, with the luxury of being able to sleep, write or watch Netflix from the comfort of my seat. I wouldn’t be sightseeing or walking a lot, either. I would be seated behind the wheel of my car, making a road trip three hours south of Perth to spend some time with family.

This time around, I was increasingly conscious of looking after my blood sugars while I was making my way through country roads at 110 kilometres per hour. I didn’t particularly want to be sharing screen time with my insulin pump, pricking my fingers or thinking all that much about blood sugars.

Even though I would inevitably be eating out, I was increasingly conscious of ordering something that would be simple to carb count. I chose bacon and eggs at a local Dome along the way, with an iced latte. I gave a small bolus for the coffee and half slice of toast that I ate, and ran an extended bolus to cover the protein over two and a half hours.

I might have pulled my Libre reader out three or four times during the drive home, which came back with a number that remained fairly steady the entire time. The most eventful moment was me needing to pull over to take off my jacket as the overcast south western skies transitioned into warm Perth sunshine.

I didn’t spend too much time thinking about my diabetes during the road trip, and the spectacular drive was a surprisingly nice mental break.

During a conversation over the weekend, one of my family members suggested that I must know my body really well, and how it reacts to all of the variables that affect blood sugars. It couldn’t be more spot on.

I have so much accumulated knowledge when it comes to managing my diabetes, and I definitely need to channel some of that into a better game plan next time I hit the road (which is more likely to be a plane).

Solo Travel.

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I’m the kind of person who likes to make my way on foot when I travel. No tour buses or schedules that I need to stick to, telling me when or where I have to be.

I always like to choose somewhere central to stay, so that I’ll have everything within close proximity to me. Although after several visits to Sydney and Melbourne, I have taken a big step out of my comfort zone recently and braved public transport. I say braved, because my biggest fear is getting lost in frightfully massive cities.

In addition to my insulin, blood glucose meter and glucose tabs, my iPad and pocket wifi are essentially my lifeline for navigation. As well as multiple backup power packs, USB cables and my brown Billabong satchel to stash it all. Jacket pockets are also greatly appreciated.

But essentially, the rewards have far outweighed the risk. Meeting up with my diabetes friend Bec in Parramatta earlier this year after first connecting online, finding Cannoli in the ‘Little Italy’ of NSW, or seeing sights such as Glenelg beach in a South Australia, which I’m en route to as we speak.

Having never ventured outside of Australia, I wouldn’t exactly call myself a seasoned traveller. However, travel has definitely helped to liberate me from the daily grind of living with type 1 diabetes. Stepping out of my comfort zone gives me a rush of excitement. Taking in new sights and surroundings helps to remind me that there’s so more to life beyond managing diabetes. A stunning sight has the power to give me a very brief moment away from Diabetes.

Equally, I’m grateful that diabetes blogging has opened my world to new places, people and experiences.

This week is no exception, as I find myself in Adelaide a few days ahead of the rebranded Australiasian Diabetes Congress on Wednesday. DA – that’s Diabetes Australia, and not Dumbledore’s Army – have invited me along to the Congress as one of their consumer reporters. Better known as the ‘Peoples Voice’ team, we will be attending sessions and delivering a consumer voice out of a conference attended largely by industry. I’m super grateful to them for giving me this opportunity once again.

Until then, I’m happily enjoying a few days off in Adelaide.

Stay tuned.

Travelling With an Insulin Pump

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My latest column is now up over at Diabetes Daily, and I’m tackling the topics of travel and insulin pumping.

When I first started on insulin pump therapy last year, I was given an overload of information in the space of a day and a half. At the time, I was still trying to get my head around the strange new device that was attached to me. I took all of the information packets away with me and tucked them into my diabetes file at home. However it wasn’t until I embarked on my first flight with an insulin pump earlier this year, that I began to consider some of that information in more depth.

You can read the rest of my column over at Diabetes Daily, so grab a coffee and settle in.