Insulin abroad

Martin62

Martin62

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi all, just come back from a lovely holiday in Portugal. Our outward flight was cancelled so we had to hastily arrange an alternative meaning my insulin was out of the fridge for more than 24 hours. I know that it should be fine, but after a few days it didn't seem to be doing it's job, so I convinced myself it had gone off. I took myself off to a local pharmacy explained what I thought had happened, showed them a copy of my prescription and they supplied me with a new batch , no free prescription though so cost me a lot of money. This seemed to do the trick but in hindsight it was probably the 25 minute walk each way to the pharmacy and back that dropped my levels, as they still went back to being on the high side. So it was probably a combination of the heat and more lethargic lifestyle that was affecting my levels nothing to do with the insulin at all. Lesson learned, will just have to be more mobile and adjust my levels next time I'm away on holiday.
Martin
 
At least you'll have got some vit D into your system with the sunshine! I'm thinking of getting a sun lamp for home because it's been dreary for so long!
 
Yeah, managing diabetes when on holiday with a completely different daily regime and diet is challenging.
Well done on taking the leap to buy insulin in another country. I have always over prepared so never needed to.
If you are concerned about your insulin being out of the fridge when somewhere how, I would recommend investing in a Frio wallet (or two). Mine have survived nearly 20 years of travel so I have never needed to worry whether to rely on the hotel fridge or not (that’s if there is one).
 
I couldn't find my spare insulin one time when I was in Italy and fortunately I had a very friendly and helpful landlord of the apartment I was staying in. He took me to the local pharmacy who had some prefilled pens that he could sell me but he insisted that I should get a prescription so that I could get it free. Off we went to a local clinic and I got the prescription, again it was free, this was in the days when I had an EHIC card. I went to a different pharmacy to get it filled and agan I asked if I could buy the prefilled he had in stock but he wouldn't hear of it. But it's amazing that you can buy it over the counter.

Next time I was traveling I found the lost vial in the corner of the suitcase.
 
You have my sympathies @Martin62

I once slightly underestimated the different levels of holiday food / ice cream consumption / treats for a rare holiday in France and was running out of insulin for the last day or two.

I was able to get a prescription (as you say, it wasn’t cheap!), and learned my lesson to always take way more than I think I could possibly need!

Glad you were able to find a way through the confusion, and hope it didn’t dent the enjoyment of your holiday too much.
 
As others have said managing holidays with diabetes adds a bit of a challenge. I remember being told to take twice as much stuff as I would normally need and assumed it was because I could get delayed etc. however as @everydayupsanddowns has said carb intake can be a lot higher, and much more like guess work, as well as possibly being less active.

I find it good to have a checklist which is always in my case and then comes out as I start packing. Very useful. I also make sure that any spare insulin is kept in my hand luggage and not checked into the hold as that can freeze it and it then won’t work. You did the sensible thing if in any doubt about your insulin working. Well done.

Insulin can be out of the fridge for 28 days, and I would not keep an active pen in a fridge. It really hurts injecting cold insulin. When on pens I wrote the date of discard (28 days from taking out of the fridge) and then kept it out until it ran out or the date expired.
 
Great tip on having a checklist, @SB2015! Definitely going to start doing that myself. Never thought about the cold insulin thing either, makes perfect sense why it would sting! And good call on keeping spares in your carry-on. Sounds like you've got a great travel routine down pat for managing your diabetes. It also pays to be prepared in other ways too. I'm planning a trip to Porto next year and found this article helpful in planning: https://gowithguide.com/blog/touris...-2024-an-in-depth-look-at-portos-numbers-5746

Which part of Portugal did you visit, Martin?
 
SweetDany said:
Great tip on having a checklist, @SB2015! Definitely going to start doing that myself. Never thought about the cold insulin thing either, makes perfect sense why it would sting! And good call on keeping spares in your carry-on. Sounds like you've got a great travel routine down pat for managing your diabetes. It also pays to be prepared in other ways too. I'm planning a trip to Porto next year and found this article helpful in planning: https://gowithguide.com/blog/touris...-2024-an-in-depth-look-at-portos-numbers-5746

Which part of Portugal did you visit, Martin?
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Enjoy Porto. We loved it when we went. It's a hilly city so if, like us, you do your city touring on foot, make sure you have comfy shoes.
The best tip we had was to go to a Port Lodge away from the river front. The ones on the front are where the coaches disgorge their loads. We had a lovely small tour at Graham's (slightly up the hill) where they had the right balance of information without boring everyone. Even if you don't think you like Port, it's worth going.
We also had a wonderful evening on the other side of the river at a small restaurant where the table was the river wall and the food was cheese and sardines - simple but great.
 
SweetDany said:
Great tip on having a checklist, @SB2015! Definitely going to start doing that myself. Never thought about the cold insulin thing either, makes perfect sense why it would sting! And good call on keeping spares in your carry-on. Sounds like you've got a great travel routine down pat for managing your diabetes. It also pays to be prepared in other ways too. I'm planning a trip to Porto next year and found this article helpful in planning: https://gowithguide.com/blog/touris...-2024-an-in-depth-look-at-portos-numbers-5746

Which part of Portugal did you visit, Martin?
Click to expand...
We visited Lagos down on the Algarve, Enjoy Porto
 
helli said:
Enjoy Porto. We loved it when we went. It's a hilly city so if, like us, you do your city touring on foot, make sure you have comfy shoes.
The best tip we had was to go to a Port Lodge away from the river front. The ones on the front are where the coaches disgorge their loads. We had a lovely small tour at Graham's (slightly up the hill) where they had the right balance of information without boring everyone. Even if you don't think you like Port, it's worth going.
We also had a wonderful evening on the other side of the river at a small restaurant where the table was the river wall and the food was cheese and sardines - simple but great.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for the detailed insight into Porto, @helli! Your tips about staying away from the main riverfront area and wearing comfortable shoes will definitely come in handy as I explore the city on foot. Thanks for helping me get more excited about discovering Porto!
 
Martin62 said:
We visited Lagos down on the Algarve, Enjoy Porto
Click to expand...
Lagos sounds like a beautiful city full of history and charm. I've always wanted to visit the Algarve region as well, it must have been lovely to explore. Thanks for sharing about your trip, Martin! It makes me want to better plan my trip so I can visit Lagos as well as Porto.
 
nonethewiser said:
We holidayed in Albufeira which is southern Algarve, really loved it & people there were so friendly.
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Thanks for sharing about your holiday in Albufeira. The Algarve region seems to be really popular destination for tourists. It's great to hear the people in Albufeira were so welcoming during your trip, @nonethewiser
 
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