Hi, I have just booked a flight to Australia, looking at my itinerary I will need to go between 6 hours and 8 hours with out food because of the flight timings, over several time zones. If anyone can give me any advice on how to manage insulin when traveling, I would be grateful. TYIA.
-
Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
-
Learn more about joining the Diabetes UK Support Forum team here: https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/volunteering-opportunities-why-dont-you-join-us.112862/
Long haul flights
- Thread starter Digger
- Start date
- Status
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi and welcome.
It would help if you can tell people which insulin(s) you use and when you normally inject them? I am sure it will make a significant difference on the advice given, if you are on a basal/bolus regime rather than a mixed insulin and perhaps if you are on a twice daily basal insulin like Levemir or a very long acting basal like Tresiba, so the more info you can supply about your current insulin regime, the more people can relate to it and give appropriate advice.
I haven't personally flown anywhere since diagnosis, so can't help you but we have plenty of experienced fliers on the forum.
It would help if you can tell people which insulin(s) you use and when you normally inject them? I am sure it will make a significant difference on the advice given, if you are on a basal/bolus regime rather than a mixed insulin and perhaps if you are on a twice daily basal insulin like Levemir or a very long acting basal like Tresiba, so the more info you can supply about your current insulin regime, the more people can relate to it and give appropriate advice.
I haven't personally flown anywhere since diagnosis, so can't help you but we have plenty of experienced fliers on the forum.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
What is the name of the insulin? From what you say, it could be a mixed insulin or it could be a long acting basal insulin..... probably a mixed insulin if you have been told to take it before breakfast and evening meals.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I think you will need to take plenty of snacks with you in your hand luggage.
Mixed insulin can be a bit of a task master, and needs to be ‘fed’ in my experience.
The one time I flew long-haul, I opted to switch to the landing timezone quite soon after boarding the aircraft (which was quite late at night UK time I think). That meant that during the weirdness of the flight you will need to firefight your levels, but after that hopefully you can just enjoy your trip.
If you know what the tome difference is, you could plan whether your doses would be overlapping more than usual, or will have a bit of a gap between them - and then adjust your strategies accordingly 🙂
Mixed insulin can be a bit of a task master, and needs to be ‘fed’ in my experience.
The one time I flew long-haul, I opted to switch to the landing timezone quite soon after boarding the aircraft (which was quite late at night UK time I think). That meant that during the weirdness of the flight you will need to firefight your levels, but after that hopefully you can just enjoy your trip.
If you know what the tome difference is, you could plan whether your doses would be overlapping more than usual, or will have a bit of a gap between them - and then adjust your strategies accordingly 🙂
Thank you so much, this has been really helpful.
- Status