The dLife weekly poll question this week focuses on diabetes and traveling, and asks: “Does diabetes keep you from traveling?”

My answer: “No Way! Have diabetes. Will travel!”

Type 2 diabetes does not keep me from traveling; neither does congestive heart failure. In fact, I have done more traveling in the last year and a half than I had in several years prior to my diagnosis. The only real limitation that I have is I can’t fly because of my heart. Honestly, though, that really doesn’t bother me at all, because I prefer road trips to flying. Driving may take longer, but it allows for a slower pace, and provides the opportunity to see things that might have been missed by flying.

No matter where I go, my diabetes and other health issues go, too. Just because I go on vacation, that doesn’t mean those things are left behind. And while they don’t keep me from traveling, they do make planning and preparing for trips interesting.

Along with the usual items that one would pack for a trip, clothing, toiletries, laptop, camera, etc…, I now have a box of medications and diabetes testing supplies, a blood pressure monitor, and a BiPAP machine to pack for the trip. For those who aren’t familiar with them, BiPAP machines are used in the treatment of sleep apnea.

And, of course, my road trip supplies wouldn’t be complete with out some diabetic friendly snacks and beverages. I usually pack peanut butter and bread, granola bars, low sugar Gatorade, and water. There are other items that I take occasionally, but those are the must haves for me.

I do tend to test my blood glucose a little more frequently when I’m traveling. Considering that I can spend hours at a time behind the wheel, I have to know where my numbers are. It’s a safety thing.

So, while my health issues do complicate traveling, they most certainly do not keep me from it. Life is far too short to let something like diabetes or congestive heart failure keep me from going places.