Sea-ing The Sights In Seattle

Today, my adventure begins as I make my way towards Alaska by arriving in Seattle via Las Vegas, in order to pick up the cruise ship which will be 'holiday home' for the next few days. Although I know it's going to be the holiday of a lifetime, it's also one of the greatest diabetes challenges that I've faced so far in terms of logistics.

Scanning at the Seattle Space Needle

I've travelled all over the world plenty of times before, but there's something scary about being in the middle of the ocean, with now hospital nearby should something go wrong with my diabetes. Which means that the responsibility is on me to make sure I have everything I need to take care of my diabetes. For me, this means carrying more than enough supplies for my pump, back up injections and needles and carrying my insulin in a cooling wallet to help it remain at the right temperature.

One fine day in the Emerald City

Arriving in Seattle first to catch the cruise ship, meant a change in time-zones and sleep patterns. One of the benefits of being on a pump is that the date and time can me amended digitally. Which I tend to do when I arrive at my destination, especially if I'm planning to eat. I had a challenging flight from the UK to Las Vegas when I was given gluten on the flight mistakenly by the attendant despite ordering a gluten free meal. Which was frustrating, especially when you work so hard to make plans to ensure your health is in order.

Sea-ing the Sights in Seattle

The first day in Seattle was full of adventures, from discovering the Seattle Space Needle to riding on the land and sea amphibian tour around the city. We saw an alligator as we entered the water of Lake Union on our tour of the city, which was a great way to discover the old sets of the famous movie Sleepless in Seattle. After a day or two my glucose levels began to regulate again, thanks to the help of diabetes technology. For the trip I decided to use a Freestyle Libre scanner and my CGM for my insulin pump to provide more information and feedback regarding what was going on, which helped me regain my confidence after the flight and to start to enjoy the holiday ahead.

Regulating BG levels and trying the local delicacies with the family