Planes, Trains & Snow Delays - Costa Rica 2018

Pura Vida.

"Pure life." It's the phrase of Costa Rica, where I spent the last 6 days. I can say with certainty that the country measures up to this saying. It was beautiful: lush with wildlife, green forest, and full of amazing views and experiences. Every day, especially those where we ventured outside the resort, felt full of life.

Me and my best friend, who I've known since babyhood, traveled together and this is the farthest south we've gone so far. The flight from Newark was about 5 hours. We stayed in the northwestern part of the county, in the province of Guanacaste. This was my first trip with my Omnipod as well. Overall, my diabetes wasn't troublesome during vacation.

What I packed.

To say I over-pack for vacation is an understatement. But hey, better safe than sorry, right? For this trip I knew I would have to change my pod twice, so I packed six pods - four more than needed, just in case any didn't work or fell off in the jungle. I packed extra batteries for my PDM. An extra pump - my old Medtronic - with two infusion sets and reservoirs to go with it if needed. A full vial of insulin, an extra glucometer, charger for my glucometer, some extra lancets, and two full bottles of test strips. Oh, and low supplies.

For my lows I packed a big baggie of gels, and two juices. I've learned recently that you can bring your juice through TSA at the airport in your carry-on. If you inform them why you're carrying it, they will swab it and let you bring it through. We didn't check any baggage, so this was super-helpful. I also have a small army of pills I take daily, so I filled up my 7-day pill case and packed all the bottles as well - that way I can show what the pills are and that they are prescribed to me, if needed. 

Lately I've been using Vial Safe to keep my insulin safe during travel. I kept my PDM, libre, and glucometer with a gel in my Clark double zip bag from Myabetic. This was my go-to bag for vacation - brought it to the beach, carried it in my backpack at the airport, and used it as a little clutch at night. I also brought the new Jay sling bag from Myabetic which I found VERY helpful during our excursions. It fit lots of stuff and is more sporty and water-resistant than the other bags, which was good because it poured during our rainforest walk. When we went zip-lining, I was able to clip it around my waist like a fanny pack. All of my extra supplies go into my zippy "All My Diabetes Shit" bag by Casualty Girl.

Keeping the shoogs in check.

Something I've learned about myself is that I run high on vacation. Whether it's the adrenaline, the high fat food my body isn't used to, the drinking, or a combo of the three, I'm not sure. What I did this time is created a "Travel" basal program with doses .2 units higher than my regular basal. It worked well with a little tinkering. After dinner I still would need a jacked up temp basal for a couple of hours. It's amazing how sensitive our bodies are to change. At home I really don't drink with dinner and we eat very healthy. Even having 1-2 drinks on vacation and eating food that was richer but that I didn't necessarily think was "high fat," my sugars would skyrocket without that extra basal.

Something else I strongly recommend is water. It's so important to stay hydrated when you're laying out in the sun, especially if you're drinking. I grabbed a water with every drink I had, and every hour or so out by the pool even if I wasn't drinking. It just makes my body feel better. 

Excursions.

As lovely as it is to lay by the water, have some cocktails and just do nothing, mixing in excursions is a must for me on vacation. I love to see the country I'm in, learn about its history and its people, and experience everything I can in the time I have.

Our first trip was to Diamante Eco Park, which has an animal sanctuary and an aerial zip-lining course. We got to see monkeys, jaguars, sloths, and toucans! I never realized how beautiful toucans are and now have developed just a tiny obsession with them.

After the animal sanctuary it was off to zip-lining over the mountains. I've zip-lined before, but this was something else. The second zip was Superman style - face first. It was high over the ocean, and we could see our resort in its entirety from above. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but an amazing experience for those who love these kinda things.

Our second trip was much longer. We took a bus to Lake Arenal, which was about a 3 hour ride. However, we had a great tour guide who taught us all about the history of the country and showed us all the sights. We had lunch in a local town where I met a little cat and fed her some of my tilapia. After lunch, we took a boat across the lake and had an amazing view of the volcano. Afterwards we stopped at another eco-park and took a walking tour through the rainforest, followed by some time at a hot springs lodge, then wrapped up the day with dinner at a beautiful hotel up in the mountains over the lake. There are tons of eco-hotels in the mountains near Lake Arenal that I would love to stay at one day. The views are amazing and you really are  surrounded by the beauty of the country.

Airport Shenanigans.

I'm a fairly light packer, so I try not to check baggage unless absolutely necessary. For this trip, I brought a mini-suitcase as a carry-on, and a big backpack for a personal item. Some airlines also allow you to carry a medical bag at no additional charge - make sure you look into this! It can be super helpful, especially if you have to check some bags.

Coming home to New Jersey, we were expecting some snow. Some snow. We were not at all expecting the hot mess that was to come.

In retrospect, we should have had some sense of foreboding when the hotel phone rang at 2:40 AM. Our shuttle ride was scheduled for 3:20 AM, but there must have been a miscommunication - the driver arrived at 2:30. We scrambled our things together and hustled down to the lobby, still half-asleep.

Things went relatively smoothly after that until we got to Houston. We had a layover there, and once we landed and had lunch we saw that our flight was pushed back an hour. Okay, not so bad. However, just as we were about to get on the plane, we were stopped. There wasn't anymore room for carry-ons. We would have to check a bag. Quickly, I crammed all my medical stuff into my backpack and forked over my little suitcase. We boarded, got comfy and waited.

And waited.

And...got delayed another hour.

Once we finally took off, everyone's nerves were a little frayed. This didn't improve when, two hours into the flight, the pilot made an announcement that Newark was totally iced out. We would be landing in Cleveland and waiting the storm out. It turned out that we would have to wait until the next morning to fly back home.

Small calamities like this are why it's so important to be over-prepared medication-wise. Also, to have everything essential on your person. We had no access to our checked bags overnight. I may not have had a toothbrush, but at least I had my insulin.

After an airport dinner with our fellow stranded souls, we made our way to a hotel airport, punch-drunk from exhaustion and missing our pets. At the end of the day though, we were happy to be safe and sound from the ravages of the storm.

Bottom Line.

Bottom line from this trip: Be prepared. Over-pack. Visit Costa Rica if you love the outdoors and love outdoor activities. And again: Over. Pack.

From packing to poutine and everything in between - my Quebec City adventures

If you follow me on Instagram I'm sure you know that I recently got back from a 5-day, 4-night girls' trip to Quebec City. For anyone who's never been, I highly recommend it. The sights were beautiful, the food was amazing, and the shopping was seriously detrimental to my wallet. We stayed right near Place Royal, a quaint little square with a killer breakfast cafe. Everything in the city was walking distance for us. We also took a ten minute drive to Parc de la Chute-Montomorency, a local park where the stunning Montomorency Falls are located. They have zip-lining and cable cars, and the park itself is amazing just to explore on your own.

Place Royal

Montomorency Falls

What I packed

Whenever I travel, I am nutty about packing medical supplies. Being in Quebec 5 days, I was scheduled for one site change. In addition, I brought three extra pump sites and two extra reservoirs. I brought the remainder of my Fiasp vial along with one unopened bottle. The vial of test strips in my kit was full, and I packed an extra vial of these along with about 20 strips for my Libre reader which doubles as a meter. For lows I brought two bottles of juice, three gels and of course the emergency Swedish Fish I keep in my car. I had a backup meter, a backup pump, an extra pump battery, and all the necessary chargers.

Now this may sound like a lot of supplies to most people, but believe it or not I spent a solid amount of time preoccupied about my test strip supply. Would I have enough? What if I ran out? Could you buy Contour test strips at a pharmacy in Canada? I was frustrated that these worries plagued me while I was trying to enjoy myself. I ended up having more than enough supplies, and no emergency trips to Canadian pharmacies needed to be made.

What I ate

Being on vacation calls for indulging. These means a lot of guesswork when it comes to carb counting. Throw drinking into the mix, and it's easy to see why my sugars tend to run high when I'm away. During my trip my blood sugars were primarily in the 200s. I wasn't happy about this, but I also tend to be more cautious to avoid lows when I travel. We were doing a lot of walking, which made me more hesitant to bolus too much. This is something I hope to work on in the future, especially as I grow more comfortable with my sensor. It's been especially tough getting back to work and real life because as my blood sugars level out, I am having hypo symptoms in the 100s.

What I saw - and who saw me

The beautiful views in Quebec City are endless. Whether you climb to the upper part of the city to get a full view of the Chateau Frontenac and the city below, or wander along Quartier Petit Champlain to do some shopping on the colorful cobblestone streets, your eyes are in for a treat. We sat at the Port de Quebec and got a view of the upper part of the city from below, and climbed to the bottom of Montomorency Falls after ziplining over them.

Chateau Frontenac

Petit Champlain

Since I've started wearing my Libre, I've gotten more comfortable overall with my diabetes being "out" and people asking questions. While in QC I decided not to worry about hiding my pump or my Libre. This was partially because I wanted to embrace who I am as a diabetic, and partially a social experiment. Would as many people ask me what the heck was on my arm as I am used to in Jersey?

During our five day stay, I got two asks. One about my Libre, and one about my pump. Obviously I didn't spend enough time in Canada to do a thorough experiment with a random sample and all those things I learned about in stats class. My overall feeling was that people ask more often here. Are Canadian people less nosey? Anyone from the area please feel free to comment your thoughts below.

To sum up, Quebec City was a little slice of European-style heaven nestled within road tripping distance from NJ. I had a wonderful time and would absolutely go back. When it comes to type one and trips, I think it will be a continuous battle. You can't take a vacation from diabetes. But each experience helps me grow and learn how to travel better with type one. One thing I know for sure is that I will never stop exploring. Diabetes will just have to come along for the ride.

Don't Ruin Your Daycation

Overnight Stays & Daycations with T1D

If you've traveled with type 1 before, you know how much pack and prep is involved. Extra supplies, more extra supplies, keeping your medical supplies in your carry-on, and the works. But things are easy to overlook when you're just going for a quick overnight getaway, or taking a daycation to a local spot. Because you're going so close, it can be easy to under-pack and forget the essentials.

This past week I took the train into NYC where I stayed overnight at my brother & sister-in-laws'. While it's relatively close (about an hour by train), I would find myself in a real pickle if my tubing got caught in a subway turnstile and ripped my site out. Getting back home via NJ Transit without planning ahead is a real hassle, and it would cut my trip short, which would bum everyone out. To try to avoid this, whenever I go to places that aren't easy to get home from, I make sure to pack extra everything - even if it's a short trip.

Of course, this means bigger baggage. But this is a necessary evil that I've found to always be a part of the type 1 lifestyle. This week, I stuffed my new canvas tote to the top and tried to keep it safely tucked under my arm during my trek. Something I find helpful is stuffing everything important towards the bottom of the bag, or wrapping them in clothes so they're less likely to fall out. Of course, I keep my meter and some juice easily accessible in my purse. Top priorities are:

Batteries. I always forget about batteries, until I've got 30 minutes left in my pump and have to scramble around wherever I'm at, thieving from remote controls.

Test strips. Sneaky in every way. You watch them accumulate, used, on the floor of  your purse, but then are shocked to find the tube empty.

Chargers. Not just for your phone. If you've got a Contour meter like me, or a T-slim pump, pack that charger. There's outlets everywhere these days.

Extra pump site. I keep these everywhere. One in my car, one in my overnight bag waiting and ready to go, one in my office. You never know when you'll need one.

Extra low supplies. Swedish Fish and Skittles are particularly non-bulky and pack a lot of punch in one bag. I am always learning about new on-the-go low treatments from fellow T1s, so if you've got other ones, please share in the comments!

So whether it's the great unknown or just a city brunch, make sure you're fully packed and prepped for anything!  Don't let T1 spoil your daycation if you can help it.