Pre-diabetes/travel

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your posts on diabetes and pre-diabetes. I have

been diagnosed twice in the last year as having impaired glucose

tolerance. I regularly arrange now to have the GTT test and/or

fasting glucose blood test. It is a bit harder to test muself with a

glocometer because, although I've bought one, the sharps/needles (??

forgotten what they are actually called!) etc. that you need to test

are only available on prescription if you are a diagnosed diabetic,

in which case they are free. Otherwise you have to buy them and they

are very expensive indeed. You can be tested at most local

pharmacies though, so that is what I do from time to time in between

the major GTT's which I ask for every few months.

I'm interested that you say that patients with pre-diabetes can also

experience symptoms. I have discussed this with Heidi as well. I do

think I have experienced some of the symptoms from time to time. I

have had impaired GT for about four years anow, that I know of; it

may be longer but I wasn't tested earlier.

I'm also interested in what you said about travel. It is inevitably

a sobering thought that we could be very ill and away from our usual

specialists or even away from a major hospital at all. I have

certainly had second thoughts since my diagnosis about some of the

places I'd planned to visit in the future.

I intend to have a basic description of my condition and possible

complications/treatments translated into the language of whichever

country I'm visiting. During the summer hols I will also look up the

Medic Alert details which people have been discussing.

I've just come back from Cambridge where my son was graduating.

There is a very fine teaching hospital there, attached to the

university, but even so, I didn't like being away from my own

specialist!! I felt quite ill to-day (not pain this time but

weakness, sweating and faintness.....which is what made me think

about the pre-diabetes....)and I was just delighted to get back home

after the four-hour journey. Just feeling I was close to my own

hospital made me feel better! I haven't let this fear stop me in my

planned travelling so far but I've only had my diagnosis for just

over a year and I have a feeling my movements will be curtailed as

time goes by. Sad, but that's life.

Hope you are keeping well. Keep up the good work! Much appreciated.

Fliss (UK)