What should diabetics pay attention to when traveling?

Before departure, please go to the hospital to ask a diabetes specialist for examination, and make clear the current fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels and glycosylated hemoglobin levels, so as to ensure good and stable blood glucose control and facilitate travel.

If the condition is unstable, the blood sugar continues to be high and fluctuates violently, it is not suitable for travel. People with serious chronic complications of diabetes, such as renal insufficiency caused by diabetic nephropathy and diabetic foot ulcer. Generally speaking, it is not advisable to travel far. It is forbidden to travel with infection, acidosis or other acute complications. Patients with stable condition also need to ask a doctor for guidance and write down a list of drugs and dosage materials with the doctor.

Prepare enough hypoglycemic drugs (oral drugs or insulin), generally more than twice the dose and put them separately to prevent them from being lost or damaged. If you inject insulin, remember to bring an insulin injection pen, alcohol cotton pad, etc. In addition, insulin should be carried with you, and it should not be put in the checked baggage when flying, otherwise it may be denatured and invalid due to the temperature change in the cargo hold, or it may be lost or delayed in the consignment. Don't put insulin in the trunk when riding, so as to avoid temperature change and damage insulin. Bring a blood sugar monitor, test paper and blood sugar record book as much as possible to monitor blood sugar at any time. Because of the excitement of traveling, changes in work and rest and food will affect blood sugar levels. If the blood sugar is too low or too high, you can make appropriate adjustments to control the blood sugar according to the records and explore the reasons.

It is easy to delay eating during the trip, so you need to bring candy, chocolate, biscuits and so on. As a way to deal with hypoglycemia.

Carry a diagnosis certificate or prescription. In particular, diabetic patients who inject insulin are easily refused to take insulin with them on the plane by airlines without prescription or proof. If you travel abroad, it is best to have a diagnosis or prescription in English. It can also be used as a reference for local doctors when necessary.

Don't wear shoes that are easy to walk and soft. Prepare foot care products, such as lotion, nail clippers (put them in checked baggage when flying), cotton socks or wool socks. Don't wear slippers when walking outdoors, and don't walk barefoot on the beach to avoid damaging the skin and causing infection.

Try to eat on time, ensure adequate water supply, and use drugs reasonably according to blood sugar monitoring. Keep the stool unobstructed, try not to stay up late to avoid blood sugar fluctuations.

It is best to get up every 1 hour for long-distance travel and walk around the corridor properly. You should also get off the bus and go to every rest area to promote blood circulation. When the amount of activity increases or the physical exertion during the journey is more, it is necessary to prevent hypoglycemia and add meals when necessary.

Before you travel, you should know the temperature of the destination. At warmer temperatures, insulin is absorbed faster, so be careful of hypoglycemia. Avoid dehydration, replenish plenty of water and avoid sunburn. We should pay attention to keep warm in low temperature areas.

If there is dry mouth, thirst, prolonged urination, etc., blood sugar should be monitored. If the blood sugar is found to be higher than 16.7mmol/L at any time, you should consult a doctor or go to the nearest doctor and adjust the hypoglycemic drugs according to the doctor's advice. High blood sugar can also cause the body to lose water. Those who are conscious and able to swallow should be supplemented with sugar-free drinks (such as mineral water). Some diabetics don't drink too much when their blood sugar is high, but their thirst decreases until they are thirsty. It should be comprehensively evaluated according to the weather, sweating amount and urine volume.

If there are abnormal manifestations such as palpitation, shaking hands, cold sweat, hunger, pallor, inattention, slow response, blurred vision, drowsiness and even unconsciousness during the journey, blood sugar should be measured. Those who have low blood sugar but can swallow should take sugary drinks and sweets immediately. If blood sugar is monitored unconditionally, it can be treated as hypoglycemia first, and those who do not recover within 15 minutes will be sent to the hospital. The unconscious person was immediately sent to the nearest hospital for intravenous injection of glucose.

In short, patients with diabetes must be fully prepared before traveling at home or abroad, maintain good blood sugar control, and pay attention to adjusting oral hypoglycemic drugs or insulin, diet and exercise according to the instructions of medical staff or nutritionists.