Hi,

I have moved your post to our General Section so it can be read by a wider audience. Members in the Ex Pat section are still abe to see it and reply freely.

Mark

Many Thanks,
Yes - would really appreciate hearing from some-one with knowledge of this - at the moment, seems the biggest unknown factor for us.
Cheers,
Topsy

I am sure that there are many Spanish residents who are treated locally for Type 2 diabetes.

Your husband will need to register with a doctor to continue with his prescriptions - and most UK medications are available abroad though possibly under a different name.

The heat will mean that he will need to drink a lot more water to stay well hydrated. Mosquito nets/screens will help the incidence of being bitten at night and he may have to use repellants more often than in the UK.

I think that your doc might have more information or try the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London. They won't treat it as a laughing matter, and their collective expertise should set you on the right track. All the very best to you and your husband.

My 10 year old son is a Type 1 insulin dependant diabetic. We holiday in Spain 2- 3 times a year and find that we actually have to reduce his insulin when it is very hot.

He has never been bitten (touch wood) and we always use Soltan Aftersun with Insect Repellent.

The only problem we ever have is with the Spanish bread as it is much sweeter than our bread here, so we try to buy british wholemeal loaves.

Be aware if seeking medical advice that Spain measure blood glucose levels in mg/dl rather than mmol/l, as we do in the UK.

Diabetes UK has some good information on it's website under info centre/travel.

Alsacienne - Thanks for the information. Will certainly contact them for any advice. The situation with GP - is to be laughed at - comments "they must really like you" - and "best stay indoors then" don't help at all - and this is just in the UK !

Wodge - again will contact Diabetes UK ( husband still an "amateur" ) - again didn't think to try them for advice.
VERY interesting to see that the blood glucose levels are measured differently !

Cheers,
Topsy

Hi Topsy,

My mum has type 2 diabetes which is controlled by diet and tablets. Whenever she goes abroad we've found that she has to to take more care about monitoring her blood sugar levels and do it more frequently as it does seem to shoot up and down more. However, we've come to the conclusion that it's got less to do with the heat and more to do with any change of diet.

For example, last November in the Canaries her levels were shooting up much higher than usual and we decided that this was partly due to the local white bread being sweeter but luckily we were able to track down wholemeal bread baked by a local German-run bakery but in the end we decided that it was also partly due the increased amount of delicious fruit that she was eating. So no more fresh mango for breakfast and back onto the nearest equivalent to the wholegrain cereal that she ate at home. Porridge would have probably been the best of all but we never tracked any porridge oats down and who wants to eat it anyway in that heat? But we also came a cropper because we didn't notice that some of the longlife milk contained higher levels of lactose than you'd get here and fresh milk was difficult to come by where we were staying. So by judicious continuous adjustment of her diet we get her back to being reasonably stable.

As for mozzies, well she's always been more likely to get bitten than the rest of the family and there really is no alternative to using a decent repellent but there are othre things you can do too. Mozzies really are heatseeking missiles and 'see' at the infra-red end of the spectrum, just as gun nightsights do, I'm reliably informed by a scientist I assume knows about these things! So keeping as cool as possible will help. This is why it's best to avoid dressing in black or dark clothing - it both absorbs ambient heat more and it radiates your body heat out more efficiently. White clothing can be a pain from the laundry point of view but it is better at reflecting suinlight away and doesn't absorb heat from the surrounding atmosphere in the same way so it makes you less visible to the mozzies, especially at night! So I've come to conclusion that the reason my Dad and I get bitten less often than my mum and younger brother is not because we are less tasty or that we eat more garlic but that we both tend to wear a lot of white on holiday! He mightn't be the most fashionable of dressers but his tendency to pack 7 white shirts for a week in the sun does have its advantages it seems :-) So traditional male tropical dress of white shirts (long sleeved at night) worn with white trousers rather than shorts does seem to be based on good science after all. Certainly following the same practice in West Africa came me bite free too.

SM

Slightly O/T, but for anybody taking their insulin abroad I can recommend the FRIO pouches http://www.friouk.com/ to keep your insulin cool - works great, but a tip if you have paper labels on the bottles of insulin they do tend to disintigrate so I usually put the insulin in a clear sandwich bag and then into the pouch.

Have used these pouches to keep the stuff cool travelling to thailand, eygypt, cyprus, carribean etc and has always worked great, but the stuff goes in the minibar in the room as sooon as we get there.

Thanks SM - collecting all this information - we will beat this yet.

Robbooth - Link you sent - whow - great idea - certainly ordering one of those

Cheers,
Topsy

Hi Robbooth,

All the countries you have visited - do you suffer from insect/fly/mosquitoes biting ?

Husband now seems to have re-action and long time healing from bites even in UK. Doesn't mind the bites - it's the length of time to recover drives him mad - and GP just laughs and says to stay indoors !

Cheers,
Topsy

No I don't seem to suffer unduly from bites, they seem to prefer my other half to me!

Have a look for the threads about Avon Skin So Soft, Woodland Fresh - it seems like a lot of people recommend this to prevent mossie bites.

Forgot to add: A lot of colour comes out of the frio pouches the first few times they are used so its worth soaking them then letting them dry a couple (at least!) times before you intend to use on your travels (and don't put them next to any light coloured items!).

topsy.
i am also a dieabetic on insulin.
and go to spain by coach.
i get bitten quite alot,i have insect repellent wrist bands,also a strong spray repllent.keep out of grassed areas.
my blood sugar never seems to bad,only its a bit high on the journey over and back.
i have a really good dieabetic nurse here and she says dont worry to much as long as you dont over do it every day you should be fine.
i found i do get tried very quick,but always have a siesta before my evening meal.
regards angelica

There ia a diabetic support group on the costa del sol Tel: 952464184

My wife is Type 2, and a mosquito magnet
A couple of years ago she started using the 100% spray from Blacks, the camping shop, and has had little or no trouble with the little s**ds since
On the blood sugar front, they do fluctuate more due to dietary changes, mainly because you cannot control what goes in to your meal, so just monitor more closely and take care.
On another note, mango is a big no-no for diabetics, as it contains "quick release" sugar and will send your levels soaring. Another big no-no is coconut milk, for the same reason, so watch those Thai curries!

My husband is a magnet for mossies and gets a bad reaction, in the summer months he takes Vitamin B complex tablets after taking for a couple of weeks apparently it gives off an aroma through your skin and they don't like it, works for him and he works outdoors, they are cheapest to buy as supermarket own brands he takes 2 per day not sure if it is ok with diabetes though you would have to check maybe the chemist could tell you failing that your un-helpful doctor, good luck

Please note that we have a seperate topic on Mosquitos and their bites, which can be found HERE for additional information.

Mark

Hi there topsy,

I know you have already had many replys but i thought i would just like to say that i am an Insulin-dependant diabetic and have been for 14 years , i have travelled most of the world and even though at times i have found my sugar drop from the weather or much activity overall i had no problems at all, in fact the honest truth is, is that my diabetes is at its best when i am abroad, my sugar levels are well controlled and overall i feel healthier than i do back home in London.

Just make sure you are always well organised and prepared, extra medication, always carry a sweet drink ( can of cola, i find is the quickest when sugar levels drop) and test your blood regulary. Its common sense really if you know you are going to be out all day walking or swimming then prepare, make sure you eat a good breakfast always and have lots of snacks so you dont have many dips in your blood sugar during the day , because the heat can bring on a hypo but if food is on hand it shouldnt have to be a huge problem.

Good Luck and enjoy yourself , diabetes should not stop you doing anything i have done wild things from a bungee jump in Mexico to scuba diving with sharks in the Maldives ! Have fun !