Living with diabetes

[Charliewatch]

How have members coped with going on holidays with diabetes have you stopped going on holiday or changed your type of holiday?l must stress l am not alcoholic but part of relaxing is having a beer or two whats the point of going on holiday to the sun drinking dodgy diet drinks for a week.am l overreacting to the condition any comments appreciated.

 

[Northerner]

I can't think of anyone on here who has let diabetes stop them from going on holiday Charlie. Diabetes doesn't need to stop you doing things you want to do, you just need to plan ahead a bit, so that you have the medications etc. you need to take with you, and look after yourself as you would at home, but with a more relaxed attitude. It shouldn't stop you from having a drink if you want one, or sampling the local food - the key thing is just to keep everything in moderation. You can't simply forget it, as diabetes will unfortunately make you feel bad if you overindulge - eating too many cakes, for example, will raise your blood sugar levels high and this will make you feel ill, depress your moods and spoil your enjoyment.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

D has never stopped me goijng on holiday, or enjoying myself while I'm there. It can mean just a little more planning though, and I have found that I have to expect at least a little BG upheaval because of the 'out of the ordinaryness' of it. But as it is only short term, I'm not very worried about the long-term consequences of a week or two here or there.

It is quite a lot easier if you are on insulin IMO, as you can 'cover' a few treats with extra doses and/or reduce doses to account for activity... But members on D&E will be able to offer suggestions/tips if that is how you manage your D.

As far as drinking goes, beer does give me a bit of a BG spike, especially real ales. Ciders and lagers are just a little more forgiving. However alcohol can reduce BG too - so you need to cautiously experiment with a BG meter to keep yourself safe. Red wine doesn't raise my BG at all, neither do spirits and/or diet mixers so i know I have drinks choices which are more BG friendly if I want them (though I do still enjoy a beer or two 😉 ).

And if you are walking/sightseeing/swimming/whatever then you may find the increased level of activity allows you a treat here or there without too much BG fallout.

At the end of the day - enjoy it. It's only a few weeks a year!

 

[Helenp479]

I have been diagnosed only in the last couple of months and I am trying to do it on diet only and stay off the medication.
I went on holiday a few weeks ago and found as long as I was careful what I ate ie watched the puddings which I substituted for melon which I really enjoy anyway I could have a couple of drinks and I didn't feel bad the next day. I have a good way of gauging whether the previous day was a naughty one for me in that I have got dermatitis with the diabetes and this flares up the next day and I feel really tired if I have over indulged but I managed all holiday to not have one flare up.
I did flare up after someone bought me normal coke to put in my Malibu at a party a few weeks before though and I was shattered next day so use something like this to help you through your holiday.

Helen

 

[DeusXM]

There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to drink alcohol. I've got smashed on dodgy moonshine on top of a mountain with a Thai hill tribe without any issues (other than finding out it's a lot harder to teach someone how to play Wonderwall on an acoustic guitar when you've had a few, and neither of you share a common language!) so I think a beer in the sun isn't necessarily a problem.

 

[Maryanne29]

I have been T1 for 54 years and have never not done anything I wanted to. Holidays are no problem at all. We go wherever we want to and I just make sure my insurance cover is good - not that I've ever needed to use it. I think the only things I couldn't do are get an HGV licence or a pilot's licence. But I can't say I'm bothered!
I still enjoy a drink, eat what I want, do what I want, work a very long week and have a social life.
Get out there and enjoy yourself!

 

[Cleo]

By all means have a drink or 3. Don't know if you're on oral hypoglycaemic drugs, but if you are make sure you have some fast acting sugar in case you get a hypo. If you're in the sunshine try to remember to stay hydrated as alcohol + sunshine + lack of water don't mix very well and will make your diabetes go very wonky. And enjoy the holiday !

 

[LeeLee]

Enjoy your holiday and relax! From memory, I think you're a T2 on diet/exercise/metformin... Nothing bad will happen if you lapse for a few days - it takes years for the cumulative damage to build up. Be as 'good' as you can, when you can - and then be saintly when you get home. 🙂