An Interview with Type 1 Traveller

In February, Cazzy of Dream Big, Travel Far shared her experiences of travelling with type 1.  Today, we have another guest, Luke from @t1traveller on Instagram.  Like me, Luke was diagnosed in adulthood, after a significant amount of travel.  His diagnosis has not stopped his travels!

Can you give us a little background about where you are from and how you got interested in travelling?
​​I'm from the UK England and currently in my 4th of what will be 18 months travel across Asia and Australasia with my girlfriend.  So far on this trip we've been to India, Kuala Lumpar, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, and the Philippines.

Heading to: Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

When were you diagnosed with type 1?  Was this before or after you started travelling?

​Unfortunately I didn't travel much until my mid 20's. Around the time I turned 27 I started travelling every other month - mainly city breaks to different European cities. 

I then ventured to Vietnam for a 2 week holiday and experienced Asia for the first time which was a real eye opener for me; The new foods & smells, the crazy motorbike traffic, the pace of life and above all the people who whilst poor were incredibly hospitable. 

The 40 degree Celcius (104 degree Fahrenheit) heat and crazy humidity did take some adjustment. 

After this I really had the bug to travel further again.

Once I had enough holiday allowance and money I made my way to Sri Lanka and travelled the country solo by motorbike for 18 days which was hard work at times, but amazing! I say hard because I got so badly sunburnt I had to wear a jumper for a week and I got soaking wet several days and had to ride through heavy rains for hours.

Riding through tea plantations, mountain villages and along the coast the views were absolutely stunning. I didn't see any other tourists for days, at times I was in the middle of nowhere. 

I vividly remember stopping at a village shop for a drink. When I finished my drink and walked back to my bike I found 5 young men standing around it. They just stared at me completely speechless - I don't think they'd seen a Westerner before. That sort of thing happened often on that trip.

5 months later (September 2015) I became quite unwell. After checking a few symptons online I was pretty certain I was diabetic so I went to my GP. My fasting Blood glucose was 16.8mmol and my GP diagnosed me with Type 2, which seemed odd as I'd just turned 30, had a healthy BMI, an active job and zero family history. 

I started taking metformin and going back to the doctors every other week with a cold/infection/virus, eye ache and everything else associated with sky high BS. I waited 2 months and lost 10kg/22 pounds (and my patience) before deciding to go private to see an Endocrinologist. Within 5 minutes of my appointment he was arranging insulin therapy for me and I haven't looked back. I think its safe to say I must have had some pancreatic function left otherwise I think I'd have gone into DKA within those 2 months.

Having got off to a bad start with my GP I was fortunate enough to meet a superb team of Dr's and Nurses at Barnet Hospital, North London who got me on track. Regular appointments with my Endo, Nurse and dietician and then a FEFI course which taught me how to carb count properly and how not to bolus for Pizza (which I still have problems with).

Once I mastered the art & science of Insulin therapy I booked to go back to Vietnam with my new found appetite. 

How did your blood sugar cooperate on your first type 1 travels?
I found the heat and humidity really increased my insulin sensitivity. I'd eat a large meal with lots of carbs, test 1 hour after eating and be around 12, then 2 hours later be at 3.5 and sweating like crazy - but hard to tell I'm having a hypo because of the warm weather. Also Vietnamese food can be high GI so you do feel hungry before your next meal meaning I was ignoring hunger pains initially.

Fortunately in south east Asia, pressed sugar cane drinks are sold everywhere and are a perfect hypo remedy.

However, I always now carry glucose tablets or sweets with me everywhere I go. Though during my current travels I haven't experienced the same increased insulin sensitivity from the heat as before. Perhaps my honeymoon period has now finished.

What preparations do you make for your diabetes before a trip?​
Before I travel I make sure I order double the supplies I'll need - I won't be able to take them all with me (especially on this trip) but its good practice to take extra and leave some at home for when you return. I've got enough to last until I get to Australia where i hope to be able to see a Doctor and get more.

Frio bags are a lifesaver for storing insulin, currently got 6 with me.

​Have you met any other type 1s on your travels?  Do you tend to tell people you meet that you are diabetic?
I haven't met any other Type 1s on my travels. I don't tend to advertise my diabetes either. I don't hide it, ill inject novorapid at the table or in the street if we're eating out. If I was travelling solo I guess I'd be eating with/around new people all the time so I'm sure questions would be asked. I got caught injecting Lantus in my Glute by a Tuk Tuk driver outside a train station in India (we had a 14 hour train to catch) who asked if it was drugs. When I explained he started telling me his fasting BG - as did any man who spotted me injecting in India. Type 2 is endemic there and testing is cheap and readily available. Trying to explain that Type 1 and Type 2 are different - impossible as everyone's a doctor...

Thanks for sharing your travels, Luke!  

Do you or someone you know travel with type 1 diabetes?  I am looking to expand this in to a monthly feature so please contact me if you'd be interested in sharing your story!