Trouble abroad?

[Northerner]

When I was diagnosed it was 4 days before I was due to fly out to Stockholm to take part in the Stockholm Marathon. With hindsight, I find it somewhat amusing that I still believed I could go if I got discharged even on the day before! Needless to say, I didn't go. I was also supposed to be going to Hungary in September to do the Budapest half-marathon, but had to let that go by too as I was too unwell from the medication side-effects.

So - I still haven't been abroad and encountered the joys of travelling with insulin, needles, lancets etc. Has anyone any tales to tell of experiences when travelling?

 

[aymes]

Whenever I travel I always get convinced I'm going to have trouble going through security etc so always have my doctors note ready but i've never had any questions at all! I did get quite ill with gastroenteritis (no idea if that's spelt right, sorry!) whilst in France a few years back and developed ketones so we had to ask the hotel for a doctor, they initially sent a fireman to assess the situation first, very bizarre!
The issue I have when travelling is insurance, cover for pre existing conditions can be so expensive which I find very frustrating, I have regular medical checks, am in control of my sugars etc yet on paper I'll be a bigger 'risk' than the huge number of people estimated to be unaware they have diabetes! (sorry, that's a pet hate of mine, although I do gave to say the situation has improved over the last year or so in my experience)

 

[Northerner]

Whenever I travel I always get convinced I'm going to have trouble going through security etc so always have my doctors note ready but i've never had any questions at all! I did get quite ill with gastroenteritis (no idea if that's spelt right, sorry!) whilst in France a few years back and developed ketones so we had to ask the hotel for a doctor, they initially sent a fireman to assess the situation first, very bizarre!
The issue I have when travelling is insurance, cover for pre existing conditions can be so expensive which I find very frustrating, I have regular medical checks, am in control of my sugars etc yet on paper I'll be a bigger 'risk' than the huge number of people estimated to be unaware they have diabetes! (sorry, that's a pet hate of mine, although I do gave to say the situation has improved over the last year or so in my experience)

Do you get a new doctor's note before each trip? Someone told me it's a good idea to take a repeat prescription with you too, to prove that the drugs/insulin are prescribed for you.

Travel insurance really bugs me too. It took me 5 months to get back the money from my Stockholm trip - they only paid up when I threatened to make an official complaint to the FSA, they were squirming and dodging paying out for as long as they could hoping I'd give up. I'm thinking of going to Diabetes UK when I renew my policy.

 

[aymes]

I don't get a new letter each time, once every few years or so. The first time I had to pay but since they tightened up the hand luggage regulations I've got one free. It says something along the lines of 'amy has type1 diabetes and needs to carry the medication un the attached list when travelling, including needles and lancets' that way you can just update the list, or your repeat prescription list, each time instead of getting a new letter.
I now use the diabetes uk insurance when I travel and have never had a problem with it.