Diabetes and Travelling

Don't worry if you are a Diabetic and you need to travel. Your Blood Sugar does not come in your way of seeing the world, or just goig about your work in other cities or countries. Just be careful about some details

Medicines

Take an ample stock of medicines with you, atleast 10 days more than that of your anticipated stay. ( Many countries have different regulations and all medicines are not available everywhere- some medicines which are easily available in Europe may not be availabe US at all.

Prescriptions

Do take a copy of the latest prscription by your doctor with you, together with a breif history or summary of your earlier reports including ECG. In case you have to visit a locoal doctor , or are admitted to a hospital or emergency room for any reason, it really helps in making right decisions and saves costs of treatment as well.

Food

Be careful about your food always, this does not mean avoiding local delicacies and experiences. Try to taste everything, but control your portion sizes. Do take lots of fruits and salads.

Insulin

If you are on insulin, you must keep ample extra vials, and an icebag which could maintain appropriate tempratures, such bags are easily available.

Its always better if you keep your glucometer together with spare strips and lancets so that you check and be sure that your on everywhere on target.

Bon Voyage!!

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Diabetes and Infections

One on the common problems faced by Diabetics with high blood sugar levels are the common infections like, cold, influenza, sinusitis, Ear ache and discharge, pimples, abcesses, Gum infections and Urinary tract infections - which refuse to go.

Compromised immune system

Our body fights these infections through a variety of mechanisms, Either with help of speciallized cells which first of all 'recognize' then 'catch' these disease causing agents, subsequently some chemical reactions- complement cascade- take place which finally neutralize these infecting culprits.

With high blood sugar levels immune system is affected at all levels. Macrophages are not able to engulf 'catch' bacterias or viruses as they generally would, complement cascade also malfuntions so the bacterias or viruses even if 'caught' may not be neutralized.

Glucose itself is a rich medium which promotes the growth of bacterias and viruses, infact it is used in all laboratories as a culture medium to grow bacterias. High blood glucose levels make us prone to infections.

Our body is actively fighting against infections all the time, even when we may not have any obvious symptoms. Most of the infections are healed by the body itself without any medicines or other interventions. Most frequent and common are viral infections like influenza (flu, grippe or common cold), cuts and scratches. If the immune mechanisms mentioned earlier are impaired, healing is delayed, illness prolonged and more severe.

H1N1 influenza or the swine flu is just another example of influenza which may become severe in and uncontrolled Diabetic.

Fungal infections-

occur more frequently in diabetics. Fungus are ubiquitous organisms present everywhere and always, they only need fertile soil to grow. The only reason normal human beings are not affected by funguses is due to the active role of our immune system, whenever it is impaired, as happens in uncontrolled Diabetes- fungal infections causing itching, or sores develop, specially in moist areas like between toes and fingers.

Boils and pimples are also frequent in Diabetes-

reason again being the presence of causative microbes on the skin surface which are warded of by our immune system, but once it becomes weak as in uncontrolled Diabetes,

pathogens take over and run havoc with our skin.

Urinary tract infections-

which cause pain and burning while passing urine or frequent urges to pass urine is also very frequent in uncontrolled Diabetes.

Thus, there’s one more reason for controlling Diabetes -To stay healthy and quickly recover from unavoidable common infections.

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