Part of a community ethos is not reading bad intentions into other people’s words. Nobody is judging anyone here.
I don’t have limits from diabetes, and I prefer to teach my kids that they don’t.
I do not regret the things I have done. I regret the things I did not do when I had the chance.
So you do carry around IV equipment with you everywhere you go? It’s that big of a deal?
I’m not assuming anyone’s ease or difficulty, at all.
Well, sorry to hear that. I do like the “unlimited” concept, a lot… and it’s disappointing to see that some people don’t feel that way. On the rare occasions I’m able to help someone feel that way even though they have diabetes, it’s extremely satisfying…
Let’s recognize those that are a bit more sensitive @Sam. It is disappointing to you when others don’t feel that way.
OK, I don’t think this disagreement in approaches has anything to do with being unlimited. I think it has to do with how each of us approaches life, and it is a question of temperament and personal decisions. We can all be unlimited as we want and need to be, in the way we think is right for us, and still in the full meaning of the word.
I agree with this statement. I have a full artificial joint from a free climbing accident in college. I am unable to run for more than a few hundred yards without having a knee twice the size of normal the next day. I will never be able to be a runner again. When my kids go running, I take a bike along 
But, within the strict limitations imposed on me by my knee (such as no running), I want to live a life that I see as unlimited.
In the same way, my son (as well as @Sam) is limited by the fact that, the rest of his life, he will need synthetic insulin to live, and he will die if he does not carry some with him. So, obviously, he will never be able to do things where, for instance, he cannot keep or carry synthetic insulin with him. This is a limitation. What I believe in is that, within his limitation, I would like him to live a life unlimited by diabetes. It means, to me, that we will plan around this limitation that comes with the disease and make it possible for him to do whatever he wants to do by finding ways to carry insulin along in a safe manner whatever he does.
I don’t think we are. But I do think that we all have a different way to look both at risk, risk management, and being unlimited — and there is nothing wrong with that!
Kevin, I would LOVE to read more about your past There are plenty of fascinating stories waiting to come out, I know!
I can’t agree more with that!
But I also think that the more you plan ahead, the less you need to improvise.
I spent more than 8 years of my life living as a professional sailboat sailor, among other things delivering other people’s boats in all oceans of the world except at the poles, many times single handed. I have saved my life and my boat several times by improvising. But I also spent a lot of my time, before my trips, planning for what might go wrong, and making sure that either it wouldn’t or that it would be possible to find a way around it. I have been saved many more times by the planning than by the improvising! Several of my friends died doing what I did during that time (or afterwards): this is not an activity without danger. For some of them, I am sure nothing could have been done. But, for some others, I thought it would only be a question of time: they relied too much, imho, on reacting rather than planning.
I agree with you and @Sam that it is important to do that. But I do not think that planning for eventualities means that
It simply means that we are more ready.
I don’t think anyone was.
I love your approach. But I don’t think I am teaching my kids they do. Planning for something does not mean being limited by it.
I don’t believe anyone here doesn’t feel that way. They may not understand unlimited like you do, and their own conditions may not leave them unlimited like yours do, but being unlimited is in each one’s mind, not in another person’s view of it.
So I think we should all agree that each of us has his or her own understanding of it, and respect that! As for me, I think I survived my years as a sailor when others didn’t because I planned well, because I was able to improvise when I needed to, and because, in a fundamentally dangerous occupation, I took the risks that I thought worth taking and I refused to take the risks that I think I should not have taken—and also, let’s face it, because I was lucky. I think this is something each one of has to make his own call on. And I certainly don’t think that planning in order to be unlimited means that you aren’t
I actually am genuinely ambivalent about the unlimited concept, and maybe this is as someone who has multiple health conditions in addition to diabetes. I am definitely limited in some very real ways by my health conditions—there are things I cannot do and will never be able to do. Doesn’t mean I don’t have a life I value and enjoy though, but that’s through a balance of challenging myself and acceptance of some of those limits (both of which are hard fought battles). But if the concept works for others, I think that’s great, and I mostly shrug it off my concerns about it. Here though, I’m objecting because it’s being used to dismiss/devalue the important of very legit parental concerns, as well as potentially really smart precautions.
I specifically said I didn’t think there was any bad intent. I do think there was judgments and dismissal of concerns as unimportant that happened, but neither of those things assume ill intent whatsoever.
Not to most of the places I typically travel (which are developed countries with better medical care than much of the US), but if I traveled to some parts of the world (including some of the ones under initial discussion), I absolutely would take medical supplies like that and seriously consider how I’d handle medical emergencies and being sick. I’ve had these very discussions with my family and doctors about what would be involved. I would recommend that to others as well, probably anyone with any increased likelihood of needing medical care, which is simply true for diabetics. For instance, there many areas of the world where anyone is at risk for food poisoning/digestive disease, and those just are way more severe of a deal for diabetics, who are more likely to need IV treatment and potentially hospitalization. There’s also a substantial overlap between places with heightened risk of those infections and ones where hospitals are less safe. And if someone chooses not to travel to a certain location to minimize those risks or to take extra precautions or whatever to increase their safety, that’s a perfectly valid life choice. It may not be what you’d do, which totally ok and your call, but my issue was the suggestion that it’s a problematic example to be setting for kids to discuss it like this on this forum, because supposedly diabetes isn’t that big of a deal.
Well, to bring it all back to IV’s, because what is a good thread hijack without a circle. Learning how to put in IV’s can help you live really unlimited after a night of crazy drinking. I definitely believe the hangover is lessened by a bag or two of IV fluids, but can’t confirm or deny that this was from experience.
So there is more than one way to use the knowledge you decide to acquire.
What would you suggest for the fluids?
Whatever is in the bag seems to work well in my experience. I think it was just the regular dextrose IV solution. But the hydration is what is important anyway.
And there’s not a reason on earth your son couldn’t excel at this as well should he opt to pursue it. I’m currently the captain of a 400 foot ship with a crew of 40 headed into British Columbia’s inside passage. I just happen to be a type 1 diabetic.
I will acknowledge no ill intent was meant.
And there was none on my side either.
You know, @Michel, I believe shutting down disagreements by glossing them over and not allowing people to talk them out makes for an unhealthy community. Better to try to mediate.
Glad you agree with me.
With great risk comes great reward. A smart person takes informed risks.
Never said it meant that.
You have no idea. I’ll refer you to my blog one day. It covers maybe 10%.
We’ll have to compare notes one day. I have more than a few myself. It makes things a juggling act.
I’ll let you take it back now. A Russian would say it is best to kill everyone on the plane to ensure the hijacker is dead, or he will hijack again.
@Sam, I think everyone has a different comfort level, which is fine. For me, knowing I won’t have to go into a filthy hospital would be enough reassurance that I might consider going, but it’s not like that’s the only reason we haven’t gone (the long plane ride + week of jet lag, lack of vacation and plethora of other family we need to see, $$$ of taking five people, my husband’s thoughts on the matter, and the difficulties of traveling with young children, period, all factor into the consideration).
And, like @Michel, I think it would make Samson feel a lot more unlimited if we’re prepared for eventualities. What do you think would give him the feeling that he’s more hampered in life – knowing his parents drag a bunch of stuff with them on a vacation to be prepared for a health issue when it comes up before it becomes an emergency, or feeling like he might die in a foreign country and no one close to him knows how to help him?
I think you’re imagining that coming along with the IV bag would be an anxious, fearful approach. But to me it’s the opposite – having those things would make me relax and be better able to project an air of confidence, the idea that diabetes is no big deal and you can do anything. Now, once Samson’s grown up, he has to decide for himself what he needs to be comfortable and safe – and in that instance I can see how feeling like he had to bring an IV could make him less likely to do stuff. But we’re not teaching him that lesson – he doesn’t see or take part in packing our bags. The whole point is that we would carry all that burden for Samson (at his current age, at least) so that he can be as free to do things as possible.
I’ve read this statement a few times, and I still can’t figure out what exactly they were trying to do or why. What is the situation when “BG dropped too much but he needed insulin”? Maybe this was supposed to say “BG dropped too much or he needed insulin”? Even then, why would they administer IV instead of just simple glucagon or insulin subcutaneous injection? I really do not understand the logic behind the plan to carry IV around in the context of D management. To mitigate DKA, perhaps?
Well we started out talking about toddlers who can fall into DKA relatively quickly as compared to an adult. And we were discussing when travelling way off the beaten path what could you do if your toddler diabetic got pukey sick and administering an IV was what they needed. Then we traveled a fair distance from that conversation.
This is ridiculous. No one is talking about carrying IV supplies with them everywhere. Most places have adequate medical care. They are talking about carrying IV supplies to areas where medical care may not be adequate or safe.
Planning ahead has nothing to do with being unlimited or not, unless you are equating unlimited with spontenaity. In which case, I’m not unlimited at all, because planning is essential to everything I do. There is no way I’d be where I am in life if i didn’t know how to plan ahead and make backup plans and learn skills that other people don’t need to know.
The idea of being truly unlimited and having no limits whatsoever is silly. We all have limits. And, yeah. Some of us have more limits than others. There are some things I will never be able to do. Acknowledging that is not negative, in fact I would argue that it’s a positive skill. The key is working around those limitations so that they don’t hold me back from doing what I want to do in life. The discussion I see here is encouraging exactly those kinds of work-around strategies. I can’t understand how that’s possibly a bad thing.
That reminds me of a trip I took to Romania in the early 2000’s, and I had a tooth infection. Despite the fact that the dentist practiced in the living room of a house converted to an office, used a1950’s foot pedal drill, no x-rays, and no Novocain, I could either let her do the work or risk more serious complications from the infection.
I admit I would have been more comfortable had I planned ahead and brought pain meds and my Makita, but it was unforseen and necessary.
Hm. Not my only medical emergency experience in that country. But that is another story.
I think you’ve just illustrated exactly why parents of toddlers with diabetes are having this conversation.
I agree with @cardamom that I feel like sometimes some members of this forum forget about the huge differences in age, experience, disease, and personality encompassed here. Or, if they don’t forget, they forget the fact that everyone handles their vastly different situations in unique ways and that there’s nothing wrong with that. Just because someone chooses to take precautions that others wouldn’t, or some people are comfortable in situations where others would choose to bow out, in no way means they aren’t both being unlimited!
thanks for the clarification
I’m not sure the question was clearly posed that way:
Sorry for missing that toddler distinction.
I mean, I would still also suggest that other folks considering planning in some of these ways, even if not talking about toddlers, depending on the specific area of the world being traveled to. The areas I’m thinking of are generally quite off the beaten path/not places most people tend to go just for fun, but relevant for the serious adventurers and/or people who work in fields that go to developing nations. Again, I think one of the more significant risks to consider is contracting a significant GI infection and then needing IV fluids and possibly IV insulin/glucose.