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Holiday without a CGM

B

Bazarama

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
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He/Him
I’m going on holiday abroad in a few weeks and considering not having a CGM with me. I’m just wondering on peoples thoughts?

Obviously I’ll take plenty of finger prick test strips etc.

I have been using the CGM for 7 months since being diagnosed 8 months ago.

Thanks
 
As I was diagnosed with Type 1 over 20 years ago, I have years of holidays without a CGM. It is very doable (as is "normal" life). But I finger pricked far more often - I was one of those people who qualified for a CGM in the early days because i pricked 10 times a day.
I find a CGM most valuable when I am not following my daily regime - doing more or less exercise than usual, eating different foods at different times, etc.
But, ultimately it depends why you are thinking of not CGMing on holiday. If it is to avoid the white ring on your arm, I would try placing the CGM elsewhere. If it is to avoid the mental overload that you find the CGM brings you, I understand but I would take a "CGM holiday" when my BG is more predictable. If it is the fear of airport security, after literally 109s of flight, I would not worry. My CGM is unaffected and never been spotted.
 
Thanks Helli

I’ve gone through airport security a few times since having them so that’s not a worry. It’s more for having a white patch on my arm, having to be connected to my phone all the time (and alarms if I disconnect!). I want to spontaneously swim and be in the water for as long as I want. The libre, from what I understand, can be submerged for up to 30 mins. Also the concern of sunblock being an issue with the adhesive.

We are going to a resort we have been to many times over the years, which is somewhere we feel so relaxed at as soon as we arrive so thinking that wouldn’t play too much havoc with my BG.
 
I take breaks from CGM for a few days here and there, but I would find having my CGM more convenient on holiday rather than less, so I too wonder why you would consider not taking it on holiday, where things can be quite different from your normal day to day life and therefore you might benefit from being able to keep a closer eye on things and also just the sheer convenience. Libre definitely makes my life easier and I don't fully appreciate that until after I have had a couple of days break from it.

Have you had a CGM break since diagnosis? It might be worth "practicing" before you go.
 
Bazarama said:
We are going to a resort we have been to many times over the years, which is somewhere we feel so relaxed at as soon as we arrive so thinking that wouldn’t play too much havoc with my BG.
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The choice is, obviously, yours but it sounds as if you have considered the pros and cons.
If you will be spending lots of time in the water, the concern about it falling off probably outweighs the benefits of a relaxed and predictable break.
If you have time before you go, could be worthwhile taking a CGM break before you go to make sure you are happy. And even then, maybe take a spare away with you in case you change your mind while you are there. Shouldn't take up much space amongst your bikinis.
 
Thank both, that’s a good plan taking a break before I go to see how I get on.

Yes, taking a spare with me is a sensible suggestion - although I don’t think it’ll be too much of an issue with space for bikinis , I’m more a shorts kind of guy lol.
 
As I haven’t been on holiday for a few years, all my holidays have been without a CGM. I didn’t find any problems at all. I tested lots, especially when walking (I did a hiking holiday in the mountains) and after meals (to check my carb estimate had been ok). It was second nature to test and not a problem.

I agree with having a go without a CGM for a few days before you go, so you get used to fingerpricking as needed.
 
It’s your holiday and your diabetes, do what you like. A break from cgm is enjoyable every now and then.
 
Bazarama said:
The libre, from what I understand, can be submerged for up to 30 mins
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You’re misunderstanding there. The libre is tested for 30 minutes under water. That doesn’t mean you can only swim for 30 minutes.

Even when you swim your arm will be coming out of the water every stroke or two anyway, so you won’t be submerging it for 30 minutes at a time. Also just because they’ve only tested it for 30 minutes doesn’t mean that’s the limit of what it can manage, many people swim much longer than that with no problems at all, the manufacturers just haven’t tested longer than that.
 
I need my CGM more on holiday than at home. Firstly because I am very active on holiday. Trekking, swimming, scuba diving, kayaking etc. The first couple of times I went away I had a couple of incidents when I started to go into a hypo, once halfway up a volcano. Also trying to do a finger prick on a boat between dives is very tricky. (although I don’t dive with bolus on board, as diving is strenuous) I just put a plaster patch over the sensor and it works fine. Also I eat low carb but need to take insulin. Because I often holiday in developing countries, it’s sometimes hard to avoid carbs because I can’t always find alternatives to eat, and because I’m not used to bolusing for higher amounts of carbs, I sometimes take too much insulin, It just keeps my mind at rest.
 
louisew said:
I need my CGM more on holiday than at home. Firstly because I am very active on holiday. Trekking, swimming, scuba diving, kayaking etc. The first couple of times I went away I had a couple of incidents when I started to go into a hypo, once halfway up a volcano.
Click to expand...
You shouldn’t need a cgm to warn you that you’re hypo though, you should be able to identify the symptoms without a cgm and fingerprick and/or treat. If you’re relying on a cgm to tell you that you’re low then your hypo awareness isn’t good enough.


louisew said:
because I’m not used to bolusing for higher amounts of carbs, I sometimes take too much insulin, It just keeps my mind at rest
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This sounds like a problem you might need to speak to someone about? If taking an overdose of insulin puts your mind at rest?
 
Lucyr said:
You’re misunderstanding there. The libre is tested for 30 minutes under water. That doesn’t mean you can only swim for 30 minutes.

Even when you swim your arm will be coming out of the water every stroke or two anyway, so you won’t be submerging it for 30 minutes at a time. Also just because they’ve only tested it for 30 minutes doesn’t mean that’s the limit of what it can manage, many people swim much longer than that with no problems at all, the manufacturers just haven’t tested longer than that.
Click to expand...

Bazarama said:
Thanks Helli

I’ve gone through airport security a few times since having them so that’s not a worry. It’s more for having a white patch on my arm, having to be connected to my phone all the time (and alarms if I disconnect!). I want to spontaneously swim and be in the water for as long as I want. The libre, from what I understand, can be submerged for up to 30 mins. Also the concern of sunblock being an issue with the adhesive.

We are going to a resort we have been to many times over the years, which is somewhere we feel so relaxed at as soon as we arrive so thinking that wouldn’t play too much havoc with my BG.
Click to expand...
I swim and scuba dive wearing my Libre, dives are often around 40 minutes, and it has no effect on my it. I always wear a strong patch over it to ensure it doesn’t get knocked off putting my wetsuit and gear on. I’ve been on several dives over the last 2 years with no problems.
 
Lucyr said:
You shouldn’t need a cgm to warn you that you’re hypo though, you should be able to identify the symptoms without a cgm and fingerprick and/or treat. If you’re relying on a cgm to tell you that you’re low then your hypo awareness isn’t good enough.



This sounds like a problem you might need to speak to someone about? If taking an overdose of insulin puts your mind at rest?
Click to expand...
No, wearing a cgm means I can keep a close eye on my numbers so it puts my mind at rest. The incidents I had were soon after starting on insulin and not knowing how my body would react to different sorts of exercise. I was well aware I was going into a hypo, and that my blood sugar was dropping, but got really anxious after that. At home, I don’t go into hypos because I don’t climb volcanos, annd I’m not used to treating for them. And my hbac1 is 38 so my blood sugar is always in the 4s -6s. I just need to run it higher on holiday and I’m obviously on it now after 2 years
 
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Lucyr said:
You shouldn’t need a cgm to warn you that you’re hypo though, you should be able to identify the symptoms without a cgm and fingerprick and/or treat. If you’re relying on a cgm to tell you that you’re low then your hypo awareness isn’t good enough.



This sounds like a problem you might need to speak to someone about? If taking an overdose of insulin puts your mind at rest?
Click to expand...
Seriously, no! Overdosing on insulin does not put my mind at rest. What puts my my at rest is knowing whether i have taken too much insulin so I can eat some carbs. I usually take only 2 or 3 units for meals, because I eat 60 carbs a day. So taking more to cover more carbs on holiday is always a balancing act
 
@louisew i understand what you are saying is that you do not have experience of bolusing for higher carb meals (I know from my experience that insulin to carb ratios do not always multiple up as you would expect) so you are more likely to make mistakes with your insulin dose. This will be on top of varying basal needs due to a change in regime and more exercise - I am guessing you don’t spend as much time underwater at home.
The start of this thread is about going without a CGM on holiday and one of the suggestions is to trial it for a few days at home. I wonder if this is a similar approach that you can take to higher carb meals. Could you spend a week eating higher carb at home to arm yourself with dosing techniques when on holiday?
I understand your preference for a lower carb diet is not due to diabetes. I am hoping an extra week on a higher carb diet as holiday prep (maybe thinking of it as “easing yourself into the holiday spirit”) would not have a big impact on your lifestyle whilst making holidaying easier.
Although you may have good hypo awareness, the mental need for a CGM make be difficult if the CGM fails so everything we do to reduce the reliance can benefit us.
 
helli said:
@louisew i understand what you are saying is that you do not have experience of bolusing for higher carb meals (I know from my experience that insulin to carb ratios do not always multiple up as you would expect) so you are more likely to make mistakes with your insulin dose. This will be on top of varying basal needs due to a change in regime and more exercise - I am guessing you don’t spend as much time underwater at home.
The start of this thread is about going without a CGM on holiday and one of the suggestions is to trial it for a few days at home. I wonder if this is a similar approach that you can take to higher carb meals. Could you spend a week eating higher carb at home to arm yourself with dosing techniques when on holiday?
I understand your preference for a lower carb diet is not due to diabetes. I am hoping an extra week on a higher carb diet as holiday prep (maybe thinking of it as “easing yourself into the holiday spirit”) would not have a big impact on your lifestyle whilst making holidaying easier.
Although you may have good hypo awareness, the mental need for a CGM make be difficult if the CGM fails so everything we do to reduce the reliance can benefit us.
Click to expand...
My low carb diet is precisely due to my diabetes and recommended by my diabetic nurse. I have tried what you suggested, and i manage it fine at home. But sometimes it difficult to know exactly is in some dishes when travelling, And therefore it can be a bit hit and miss. And although I do a lot of exercise at home, it’s obviously more structured and broken up, rather than going on an all day hike, or diving which I don’t do in the UK. And I couldn’t go without my cgm, it causes me too much anxiety. I even freak a bit when I’m waiting an hour for a new one to boot in. I know, but I can’t help it. I’ve had a lot of bad things happen the last few years, and though my anxiety isn’t overwhelming, it does affect some things. And my need to tightly control my diabetes is one of them. I always take a spare on holiday. But thankyou
 
I also have a break from time to time, just a few days, but I have had a weeks break when on holiday and had no issues just used finger pricks, I hope you have a lovely holiday.
 
louisew said:
I couldn’t go without my cgm, it causes me too much anxiety. I even freak a bit when I’m waiting an hour for a new one to boot in.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a break from cgm to get over this would help. Those of us who have had diabetes for a while had to manage without cgms before they were invented. You don’t *need* a constant cgm.
 
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