Holidays can often feature a surprise sick day or two. Here are some tips from our diabetes educator NARELLE LAMPARD about preparing a personalised plan for any illness while travelling.
No one wants to get sick while on holiday, but it does happen. Eating new foods and drinking different water, being in confined places with lots of people, exposure to new viruses and diseases and the added stress and excitement of being somewhere unfamiliar can all contribute to becoming rundown and unwell.
The Diabetes WA Helpline often gets calls from people who are about to go on holiday and wondering what they need to pack and what else they should consider. Some people are understandably worried about what to do if things go wrong and they get sick, because the health care systems in other countries can be quite different to Australia. Even within Australia, access to health care can be limited in some regional and remote areas.
Creating a sick day plan for your holiday
As well as packing the right medicine and other equipment, we advise creating a sick day plan. This is a written document that gives you instructions about what to do if you become unwell or your glucose levels stay elevated (15.0mmol/L or higher) or if you have type 1 diabetes and your blood ketone levels are 0.6mmol/L or higher.
Your sick day plan will give you instructions that include:
- how often to check your glucose levels and ketones (if you have type 1 diabetes.)
- what adjustments to make to your diabetes medications (some diabetes medications need to be stopped when you are unwell.)
- what adjustments to make to your insulin doses (being sick is a stress to the body and means you often need more insulin.)
Being unwell with diabetes can cause severe dehydration and in type 1 diabetes can cause diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA). Your sick day plan aims to prevent severe dehydration, illness or DKA but also, importantly, will give you an idea of when to seek urgent medical help.
The NDSS website has several sick day plans, each specific for the type of diabetes you have and tailored to how you are managing your diabetes (with a pump, for example.)
As part of preparing for your holiday, ask your credentialled diabetes educator to write up and discuss with you a sick day plan that is specific for your circumstances. Keep a copy of it on your phone so you don’t lose it.
Avoiding illness while on holiday
Fortunately, there are easy ways to look after yourself and avoid illness while on holiday.
- Wash your hands regularly, particularly after going to the toilet and before preparing or eating food. Consider carrying a small bottle of hand sanitiser in case clean water isn’t available.
- Look for unopened, factory-sealed bottled water or other drinks. While this may add to the expense of the holiday, contaminated water (even if it looks clean), can cause severe illness. This doesn’t just apply for international travel either, as there are also some parts of Australia where drinking the tap water is not recommended.
- Ensure your vaccines are up-to-date and, if you are travelling overseas, find out if any particular vaccinations are recommended for the countries you are visiting. More information can be found on the Smart Traveller website.
Planning a holiday? Call us
We often advise callers to put together a sick day plan to help reduce anxiety and prevent serious illness if you do become unwell. Feel free to book an appointment at our Subiaco clinic or call us on 1300 001 880 to talk about your travel plans – we’re here to support you.
