holidays and drinking with t1d

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daisymae19

daisymae19

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi all I'm a newly diagnosed type one (march 16th 2023) and am going on holiday this month, I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice, really? I've already got things like a letter from my nurse to fly and frio wallets to store my insulin pens in. But I was a precious person and my diabetes is causing me a bit of anxiety at the moment. Does anyone have any tips and tricks for holibased? I dont really do well in the hot weather. But I'm going with my partner in his family. And they're really understanding, However, im also very apprehensive about drinking whilst abroad. As im not too sure what drinks are safe to have. And what anyone would advise is a good go to drink. I have always been an anxious person and its getting worse surrounding my diagnosis at the moment. Does anyone have any tips and tricks for holidays!!

Thanks all,
Daisy <3
 
When it's a hotter, drier climate - I have often found I generally need a lot less insulin than at home in the UK - some other people do also. But - some find they need more. It's very individual to yourself, like quite a lot of other things with T1 I'm afraid.

When you say 'drinking' - do you actually mean alcohol? Or drinking generally? Whereabouts are you off to - because what's generally available differs between countries?
 
daisymae19 said:
I've already got things like a letter from my nurse to fly and frio wallets to store my insulin pens in.
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When you get back (so for next time) consider changing to reusable pens (the cartridges take up much less space than the disposable pens).
daisymae19 said:
However, im also very apprehensive about drinking whilst abroad. As im not too sure what drinks are safe to have. And what anyone would advise is a good go to drink.
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Water, coffee or tea (specifically espresso, cappuccino; some local versions can have lots of sugar). For alcoholic drinks, wine's pretty safe, though beware that alcohol can reduce BG and being hypo can be mistaken for being drunk. I've heard people (with T1) recommending spritzers which makes sense. I've also had Diet Coke (etc.) in many countries without incident, but (as in the UK) beware if you don't get the bottle or can because mistakes can happen.
 
Welcome to the forum @daisymae19

How lovely to have the chance to go away with your partner and family. I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time!

If it’s warm you may find you need to reduce your insulin doses - or perhaps just treat yourself to a few extra goodies to keep your levels up 😛 but either way it’ll be a wise move to check more frequently than you might usually. You may find your checking many times each day - so take plenty of supplies!

Alcohol can also lower glucose levels in the hours after you have been drinking - and into the following day too. Some alcoholic drinks can be quite sugary or carby, but be cautious about treating any of those high levels if you get them, because the alcohol may drop your levels later/overnight.

The precise nature of whether, and how much your levels reduce us very individual. Some people find their BGs crash after a couple of drinks, while others see little effect at all. You’ll have to experiment a little and see how things work for you.

But most of all, enjoy yourself! Don’t expect perfect levels - it’ll be harder to manage in the way you normally would, so cut yourself some slack, and just concentrate on keeping yourself safe and well so that you can enjoy the holiday 🙂
 
Hi and welcome. What is your usual tipple.... assuming we are talking alcoholic drinks?
Toi my mind, you would be well advised to have a practice run or two with alcohol in the safety of your own home before you go abroad to experiment. This will give you an idea of what to expect from your chosen drink and develop a strategy to manage it rather than winging it when you are away. Alcohol usually lowers BG and a hot climate can also lower BG or reduce your basal insulin needs so the two together could have more impact than you expect, so at least if you practice with alcohol at home you will at least have an idea of how your body responds to that factor. Personally, I tend to go for low carb drinks like rum and diet coke or gin and tonic or dry wine and generally these don't seem to have an impact on my levels at all, but obviously moderation is wise and I have not drank enough to get roaring drunk to find out if a lot of alcohol will drop my levels. Some people find that a glass or two of wine with their evening meal will drop their levels overnight so they need to reduce their basal insulin or eat carbs before bed.... depending upon which basal insulin they use. Which basal insulin are you on? Some are more flexible to adjust and some less so, so how you manage your levels with heat and alcohol may depend upon which basal insulin you have and how confident you are at adjusting it.

Have you had a DAFNE course or similar as the effects of alcohol is part of the syllabus on the course?
 
Welcome @daisymae19 🙂 My advice is to take twice as much of everything as you think you need for all your diabetes supplies. Also take hypo treatments. I found it really useful to pack some packets of Dextro glucose tablets in my suitcase as well as my handluggage. Check your airline’s policy. I was able to take an additional medical bag as well as my normal hand luggage, which was useful and helped me be organised.

Make a packing list and before you leave triple-check (minimum!) everything on your Diabetes list!

For drinks, for non-alcoholic coffee and tea is fine. Be careful with the coffee as sometimes it’s very milky. I describe what I want and then learn the local name for it. Bottled water is fine. Bottled/canned Diet Coke and Pepsi is ok, as is full sugar if you need a sugar boost. For alcohol, I tend to stick to a max of two drinks at a time. You can intersperse them with non-alcoholic drinks if you want. Dry wine and spirits are ok. Make sure the mixers are sugar-free. Depending on the strength and size, you might need a small amount of insulin for beer and cider, but I’d err on the side of caution and not bolus for it to start with.

Hot weather can make you low (or high!). Extra activity on holiday can make you low too. Always carry glucose and carby snacks if you’re sightseeing.

I second the recommendation to get proper reuseable insulin pens when you get back. They’re so much easier, better, more environmentally friendly and take up much less space in your fridge (and luggage).

Have a lovely time 🙂
 
rebrascora said:
Hi and welcome. What is your usual tipple.... assuming we are talking alcoholic drinks?
Toi my mind, you would be well advised to have a practice run or two with alcohol in the safety of your own home before you go abroad to experiment. This will give you an idea of what to expect from your chosen drink and develop a strategy to manage it rather than winging it when you are away. Alcohol usually lowers BG and a hot climate can also lower BG or reduce your basal insulin needs so the two together could have more impact than you expect, so at least if you practice with alcohol at home you will at least have an idea of how your body responds to that factor. Personally, I tend to go for low carb drinks like rum and diet coke or gin and tonic or dry wine and generally these don't seem to have an impact on my levels at all, but obviously moderation is wise and I have not drank enough to get roaring drunk to find out if a lot of alcohol will drop my levels. Some people find that a glass or two of wine with their evening meal will drop their levels overnight so they need to reduce their basal insulin or eat carbs before bed.... depending upon which basal insulin they use. Which basal insulin are you on? Some are more flexible to adjust and some less so, so how you manage your levels with heat and alcohol may depend upon which basal insulin you have and how confident you are at adjusting it.

Have you had a DAFNE course or similar as the effects of alcohol is part of the syllabus on the course?
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thankyou for the advice !! And I'm waiting for the dafne course, i still haven't been seen by the dieticians at the mo. I'll definitely stick to diet coke and white spirits, thankyou all so much ❤️
 
trophywench said:
When it's a hotter, drier climate - I have often found I generally need a lot less insulin than at home in the UK - some other people do also. But - some find they need more. It's very individual to yourself, like quite a lot of other things with T1 I'm afraid.

When you say 'drinking' - do you actually mean alcohol? Or drinking generally? Whereabouts are you off to - because what's generally available differs between countries?
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I'm heading to Spain! And yes I mean drinking in regards to alcohol 🙂 x
 
Enjoy your holiday! I'm from Spain myself, but living in England for over 3 years and I was diagnosed type 1 here.

I got back home a couple times a year and I find my BG goes higher, but that might be reduced exercise and increased eating with family :D other than that I agree with others than the higher temperature is likely to lower your BG, but the only way to know how it affects you is checking regularly.

I think people already gave you all the advice I could think of regarding travel and alcohol. Not sure if is already mentioned but don't put any insulin in the check in luggage because it could freeze in the hold of the plane and it stops working. And Frio is a good idea. Keep in mind "room temperature" in Spanish summer is not the same room temperature you have at home and is probably not safe for your insulin. I'd suggest keep it in the fridge if you have one available, and use the Frio when you are out and about.
 
@daisymae19 i don't know whether you will be staying in a hotel or self catering, but if you put your insulin in the fridge just make sure the fridge is the correct temperature.

I made the mistake a couple of weeks ago on holiday that it was but later found that previous users of the apartment had turned the temp up fully and everything was frozen, including my insulin!! Cue two days wasted of my holiday and lots of panic trying to source both basal and bolus insulins.

I hope you have a lovely holiday.
 
My advice would be not to bother using an unknown fridge for insulin unless your room/apartment is very hot. Just avoid leaving it in the window in direct sunlight.
Insulin is fine at room temperature for up to 30 days.
 
We tend not to go away for more than 28 days, and that means we don’t need to worry about having a fridge or using one about which we are uncertain (I also managed to freeze mine in a hotel fridge) Take twice what you think you might need, and a bit more of necessary. If it is out of the fridge you can just replace it when you get home.

With regards to alcohol, it is as others have said an individual thing. Lots of advice above, and I would second the idea of practicing before you go. Perhaps have a Spanish evening. I tend to stick to wine, as I find the alcohol balances the carbs in there, and If I have more than one glass I have something to eat too.

When away from home the main focus is staying safe, so keep hypo treatments with you wherever you are, and do a bit more checking than you usually do, but cut yourself some slack and enjoy yourself even if levels are a bit higher than you like.

You mention that in general the diabetes diagnosis has led to some increased anxiety. My top tip is to recognise that you CAN NOT get your levels perfect. I tried hard to do that before I accepted that this was the case. Doing DAFNE will be very helpful, especially as you get. Chance to chat to people who are living with T1 day to day. There is also a wealth of experience to tap into on here, so fire away with any questions that you have. Nothing is considered silly on here. Just ask.
 
SB2015 said:
You mention that in general the diabetes diagnosis has led to some increased anxiety. My top tip is to recognise that you CAN NOT get your levels perfect.
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I completely agree with this to the extent of getting angry when anyone talks (or writes) about "controlling diabetes". There are far too many variables and things that affect our diabetes for us to control it.
We can MANAGE diabetes like we can manage a group of toddlers: most of them do what is asked most of the time but all of them will never do what is asked all of the time.
We mitigate the risk of toddlers misbehaving by doing things like keeping them away from deep water or teaching them to swim in case they fall in. This is what I think of as managing a group of toddlers.
In the same way, we mitigate the risks of diabetes misbehaving my carrying hypo treatments with us at all times in case our levels go too low and learning how to correct highs with insulin if our levels go too far the other way. And this is managing diabetes.
 
Elenka_HM said:
Enjoy your holiday! I'm from Spain myself, but living in England for over 3 years and I was diagnosed type 1 here.

I got back home a couple times a year and I find my BG goes higher, but that might be reduced exercise and increased eating with family :D other than that I agree with others than the higher temperature is likely to lower your BG, but the only way to know how it affects you is checking regularly.

I think people already gave you all the advice I could think of regarding travel and alcohol. Not sure if is already mentioned but don't put any insulin in the check in luggage because it could freeze in the hold of the plane and it stops working. And Frio is a good idea. Keep in mind "room temperature" in Spanish summer is not the same room temperature you have at home and is probably not safe for your insulin. I'd suggest keep it in the fridge if you have one available, and use the Frio when you are out and about.
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Thankyou so much!! I've already double checked we have a fridge in the room!! And have checked my insulin as hand luggage!! Thankyou fkr all the advise!! <3
 
daisymae19 said:
Thankyou so much!! I've already double checked we have a fridge in the room!! And have checked my insulin as hand luggage!! Thankyou fkr all the advise!! <3
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No worries! 🙂 I see many others have mentioned after that some fridges can be too cold so keep that in mind, I gave that advice with my best intentions but don't want to cause you any trouble! I know you can generally leave your insulin out of the fridge for a month but I was thinking of the recent heatwaves where temperatures were higher than normal.
 
Hi all !! Thank you all so much for all your support and advice!! I got home on Monday and had an amazing time!! All went smoothly with my insulin and only a few hypos!! I even had ice cream!!
Again, thank you all so much I feel so loved and looked after with all this amazing advice and support ❤️
 
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