Many of you who follow me on twitter and Facebook know that I recently moved from Salt Lake City, Utah to Singapore! Quite the change. And when it comes to diabetes and pumping insulin, a 14 hour time change is something to consider.
Disclosure: I am not a doctor and as always, your diabetes may vary.
About 2 weeks before we moved, I met with my Endocrinologist. He updated all of my prescriptions and gave me a good plan for adjusting my insulin.
The plan:
- reduce my basal by 80% the day of my flight (or upon boarding)
- check blood sugar frequently
side note: It would have been really nice to have a working CGM but my loaner transmitter died so I was flying blind
- change pump clock to local time upon landing at destination
Some people suggested changing the pump to local time upon boarding. I would not recommend that because of the distance I was traveling. It takes typically 3-7 days to acclimate to the time change and changing pump settings in advance when your body isn't used to the change could be dangerous.
The results:
I took my doctors advice and the plan has worked pretty well. About three days after I was in my new home here in Singapore I was fully adjusted to the time change and at that point I probably should have changed my pump back to the normal basal. I did not. And as a result had some unstable sugars which resulted in a yeast infection--- fantastic! But, if I'm being honest, this is a side effect a lot of women with diabetes will suffer frequently. In fact, it was how I was diagnosed 12 years ago. So, while I understand it's gross and totally TMI, it's the facts of being a woman with diabetes. Polly wolly crappy too!
Next time: traveling through security with diabetes.
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