Thursday, August 2, 2018 - 08:14

I have always loved travelling and riding motorcycles in the mountains. But is that even possible with type 1 diabetes ?? i had serious doubts when i was initially diagnosed. 

My first trip after my diagnosis in sep 2011 was from Jalandhar to Haridwar, and trust me i was scared to hell. food, insulin, what if i experience a hypo on the train ??

But what helped me most was getting organised before leaving for the trip, instead of having to figure it out along the way. 

Soon after that i travelled to Mumbai, then Goa, Hyderabad, Pune, Uttrakhand, Himachal and J&K and many more wonderful places. The list had only just begun. Some destinations i reached by air while others I drove myself to on Motorcycles or Car. 

I dont have a desK job. I am on field most of the day driving around Delhi, so managing food, snacks, storing insulin and meeting new clients daily and making them understand about my condition is a battle everyday. However, the thought of changing my profile due to such hardships never once occurred to me. 

I have done theatre and modelling while juggling my full time job for almost 2 years and now i am currently undergoing certification in Personal training. All of this entails long hard hours outside of home. i travelled directly from work to the theatre and my classes, always believing in taking food and snacks from home. i dont trust the packaged stuff plus you always end up eating some high carb or unhealthy food once you are out at a food court. 

Recently, i went for a two day trek to Prashar Lake. Unlike last year when i had many hyper and hypos, my blood sugars were completely normal this time, except one reading of 204. i believe i carb counted better while planning to eat LCHF diet wherever possible and check my sugars at every 4 hour interval. there is really no point in travelling and then falling sick after returning home. monitoring and observing the pattern is the key.  

Top 5 travel tips :

1. Take your food with you or organize/plan your meals if travelling for long.
2. Always check the climate where you are travelling, low temperature will cause the elcectronics (glucometer/ pump/ sensor) to act erratically. 
3. Immediate hypo treatment. 
4. Extra insulin, strips, lancets supplies.   
5. Do not skip your workout regime when you are travelling because it will effect your basal requirement. 

Connect with me on Instagram and lets get on this journey together. 

With Best Regards, 

Sahil Om Madan - Type 1 Diabetic

DISCLAIMER : “Views expressed in this blog are independent views of the author. Any  information contained herein is not intended to be a source of medical advice from us. Please connect with your physician for more information.”