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November 21st, 2008
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sixuntilme

I knew that walking around the huge Texas airport carrying two pieces of luggage would be strenuous. I also knew that the stress of making a flight and worrying about forgetting things would be a factor. So I lowered my basal by two increments about an hour before hitting the airport.

 

When we finally made it to the terminal, I checked in at 150. Perfect. I wanted to run a little higher than normal to avoid a low. I didn't bolus and kept my basals the same.

 

Shortly after taking off to Mexico, my blood sugar was 143. I was satisfied. Despite the minimal drop in my blood sugar, I could feel that "low" creeping up on me. Luckily, we would be getting lunch on the plane soon so I left my insulin the same again.

 

I ate the lunch provided by the airline: a small turkey sandwich, a bag of chips, and a soda. I should have tested again, but the people around me were creeping into my seat and my lunch was already precariously sitting amidst my book and iPod. We had one hour to landing, so I decided to wait. I bolused for the carbs as if I was in range.

 

I had been fighting off a headache all morning, but shortly before landing, my head started throbbing. I automatically attributed it to the wonderful blessings of being a woman and blew it off. I hadn't checked my blood sugar in two hours.

 

Upon hitting the ground, I sought out a bathroom bigger than a cardboard box. I've kept my infusion site on my hip for a few months now. I haven't had any issues so far, except for a few "No delivery" alarms when I'm wearing tighter jeans. As I pulled down my jeans, the tubing came loose. The site had disconnected itself.

 

I had been disconnected for some time (at least thirty or forty minutes). I immediately checked my blood sugar to make sure I was in range after my meal. 416 blinked up at me from my meter. Holy...bananas...

 

I bolused, cussing the whole technology and freaking at the high. The "signs" mocked me that I had been so dumb to ignore them (the headache, the bathroom). A vacation does not give me the right to ignore blatant blood sugar checks.

 

Within an hour, I was down to 253 and feeling much better. My site was staying connected, but for the next few weeks, I'm sure I'll be paranoid about sites with a mind of their own.



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The site disconnection could have occurred while you were lugging your suitcases around. Such things happen.. Not to fret, you were able to 'catch and correct'. Yes, you ignored the check blood sugar signs for a couple of hours, even though you had planned well to avoid lows.. Sometimes even the "best-made plans go awry" ( is this a Shakespeare re-worked quote?) This is the nature of the big "D" and it's management.
Do not get paranoid about the sites pulling out.. I had similar fears about site insertion in sny other place than the front and sides of my abdomen, particualry if I was wearing pants or jeans: they tended to "disengage more when placed on the hip . I started to use an adhesive ( Smith-nephew Iv prep swipes) and my inseron sets STICK and STAY in place. You might want to try that when you get back from your great holiday.. Have Fun


Ugh, what a pain (no pun intended). I had one site disconnect on me while I was sleeping, and I'm still paranoid about it! No problems since then though. Don't beat yourself up about not checking - airplane travel is enough to give anyone a head-ache. Put it behind you, learn from it, and most importantly, have a great vacation!!

Karen


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Lindsey Guerin
Lindsey is a typical, yet unique, Texas girl who loves shopping, movies and reading. She loves to travel and take risks. She dreams of diabetes cures, never-ending cheesecake and her own airplane. The rest you can discover in her blog!(Read More)

Latest Posts: Oh So Fickle Diabetes | A Cure on the Horizon? | True Recognition

Carey Potash
Carey is a full-time hater of diabetes. The benefits stink. His 6-year-old son, Charlie, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 22 months old. Carey's parenting humor has appeared in various websites and print magazines. He resides in the suburbs of Philadelphia with his wife and three children. (Read More)

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