How To Manage Type 1 Diabetes In Disney World?
Im going to disney for the first time since i have gotten type 1 diabetes. Im fifteen and i have read a lot and i dont want to be too loaded down with supplies. Disney world is my favorite place ever and i dont want to ruin the experience with the stresses that i know come from this disease. Thanks for the suggestions!!
Drink loads of water because you will be walking/swimming a lot.
Use sunscreen.
Carry extra carbs always.
Take rest periods even if you don’t feel like it. Even a half hour laying on a beach chair will help.
Have your family plan as much as they can ahead of time.Including where you will eat.Buy several travel books that will help you plan your stay.
You can eat all foods so there is no reason you have to have special foods made.
Count your carbs.
You should be able to fit anything you need in a small backpack.
Have a great time.
Chocolate is not a good choice to carry as it never raises blood sugar fast enough due to the fat and the florida sun won’t be kind to chocolate.
What stress?
Just take your meter, insulin and snacks. Ta-daa…
Beware of the heat, send my sugars funny.
Keep your insulin and meter in a purse, and carry it with you all the time.
Keep a couple of chocolate bars / carb snacks.
You’ll be absolutely fine.
There really doesn’t need to be stress from this.
Type 1 for 16 years….. been heli-skiing, spent 8 months in the USA, 18 months traveling around europe, and disneyland florida survived.
Disney and diabetes didn’t cause any problems for my family. We had a small lunch bag that we had supplies in. We all took turns carrying the bag. Diabetes at Disney wasn’t any different that diabetes at home for my family. Just be sure to have snacks in case of lows, and keep your glucose meter with you.
Are you on an insulin pump? If so, adjust your basal rate to about 70% of normal to allow for your walking around and check yourself periodically to see if that’s doing the trick. Their food is similar to other fast food stuff, so bolus accordingly.
If you’re not on a pump, just bring a bottle and syringes (you can use each one multiple times as long as you use them just on yourself). Your bottle won’t need refrigeration for the one day as long as you keep it in your purse or pack. And of course keep some hard candy with you for possible lows – Skittles are my favorite, 17 of them are a perfect 15g of carb.
Keep your meter with you and check your BG every 2 hours and adjust as necessary.
Vacations will make your BG’s fluctuate more than normal, so the trick is to just keep a close eye on what they are doing so you can correct as quickly as possible. Try not to worry much about it and just enjoy.
You can leave health items with the first aid center that you won’t need frequently. Anything you need on a regular basis carry with you in a sling bag/backpack/fanny pack.
Contact the sit down restaurants you have ADRs for in advance so that they can prepare special meals for you. Guest Relations will have a special form for you to fill out and will forward you menus marked with items that are OK for you to eat.