I’m back! Had a lovely week catching up with my best little friend and seeing where she lives, works and drinks in Dubai!
Overall George the pump had a good trip! There was 1 stubborn high and 1 stubborn low episode during the week but that was all the drama really, so I’m counting that as a win!
We did uptown, posh Dubai, and old town, traditional souks (including my favourite wooden boats for 20p a ride)
A few things I learnt along the way:
•Even when travelling from Heathrow you still encounter security staff that have never seen or heard of an insulin pump! On the way out I unclipped it for examination and the lady took it away for sometime to swab it! An anxious few minutes! I’ve since discovered it’s best to leave it attached and it’s ok through the body scanners- better to mention only when needed eg if selected for hand scanner. It cannot go in the bag X-rays though. I carried a letter from my hospital to explain too.
• The advice is ‘adjust pump by up to 4 hours to new timezone’ I was exactly on a 4 hour time difference so went for it and adjusted to that time at airport. A combination of that plus the inactivity of a 7 hour flight meant blood sugars of 18. Temporary Basal Rates were applied- 180% eventually did the trick! On the way home I kept the pump in the time zone I had adjusted to until I landed and then changed it in two 2-hour slots. All bloods in range 😁
• Take loads of cannulas! I did- but I was still surprised at how many I used! Going in and out of the pool or the sea and getting hot meant they were easier to accidentally knock or pull off.
*The beautiful Nasimi beach at The Palm, Atlantis. *
•Frio wallets are fantastic! I had larger one to carry insulin whilst travelling and a smaller pump on for sunbathing at the pool/beach. Kept my pump safe and cool and happy in the sun! ☀️
• Hotter climates make blood sugars run a bit lower (in my experience) but most of mine stayed in 4-6s. My lovely friend had bought a big bottle of orange juice though for topping up, especially before bed.
My hypo night occurred when I had 4 Rossini cocktails (prosecco and raspberry puree) which were lovely but sweet. So I bolused for them but probably shouldn’t have, as when we got home I then spent time grumpily drinking juice, eating biscuits and testing when everyone else was asleep. I tweeted out of frustration about it but it wasn’t aimed at anyone except Mr D! A small price to pay for a lovely night out anyway!
•Holidays are awesome! Take loads of everything- batteries, cannulas, back ups, spares and bikinis! 👙 for peace of mind. I had all my Diabetes kit in a separate bag so I could put it separately at security easily. I also had spares (but not insulin) in my case too.
I now have the post holiday blues, while my friend is still living there- no fair!
*Frio doing it’s thing at the pool!*
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