My sister moved to Greece and of course wants me to visit her. I use the Dexcom G7 and Omnipod® 5 with my iPhone as my CGM. I’m really hesitant to travel because it just seems that there’s always some kind of an issue with these products and I don’t wanna be caught traveling and have a problem. Has anybody traveled overseas?? anybody have any input?
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Hi @jane-d
Welcome to FUD!
The key is to have backup of everything, not just extras.
Like, yes you bring extra Dexcom sensors. But you also have a BG meter (and a backup BG meter if the trip is of sufficient length).
You bring not only enough pods in case they have occlusions, but you also bring a basal insulin and syringes or pens so you can inject insulin in case your whole OmniPod system goes down.
So have extras AND backups of everything you need.
There are a lot of threads on FUD about traveling.
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Plans A, B and C
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And those would be what?
Not so much what, specifically. More of contingency planning. IF A plan fails, then what would I need Plan B to be in order to be able to manage my diabetes? Then if Plan B failed, what should plan C be?
The plan is different for everyone. But it’s how I would think about it…My main plan is X. But if something happens that makes x no longer possible…what is my next plan?
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I travel a lot and have never had an issue. It’s a good idea to have the prescription labels for anything you’re traveling with, and of course I never check anything I can’t go without….
I’ve never had any kind of issue at all
Yeah backup plans are important. I always have a couple long acting insulin pens and novolog pens and a blood sugar meter with me for backups too
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Thanks. This is helpful.
I wouldn’t worry about the medical supplies; that’s much more a US thing and everywhere in Europe is familiar with CGMs and insulin pumps.
The main problem I’ve encountered over the years is officious airline representatives; one of them managed to end up asking about the prescription items I was carrying (I think it was insulin pens then) and, again once, the slight problem that the Greeks did not stamp my passport.
I arrived in, IRC Switzerland, having entered the Schengen zone through Greece (this was before Brexit; I had a direct flight from Heathrow to Athens). The Greeks Had Not Stamped My Passport. The Swiss were suspicious, but as soon as they worked out I had come from Greece they developed a very, well, I suppose it has to be Swiss, attitude. The corresponding US attitude can be summarized as, “Whatever”.
Not sure that helps. I always carry fast acting and slow acting pens along with the pod and the CGM.
Actually im considering visiting my sister in Greece!
I am concerned about the pod/sensor being defective snd needing replacement.
Murphy’s law says sensors snd pods will fail prematurely on your trip. Since they are pretty easy to pack, I usually bring triple the number of sensors and double the pods normally used for the trip duration. i am guessing (but don’t know) that Dexcom or Insulet could ship replacements to Greece but wouldn’t want to count on that.
Also bring the controllers for Omnipod and Dexcom (and charge cords for them) in case phone is lost or broken. And some fast carbs to treat lows at least enough for the first few days. Smart to also bring a pen or vial of basal insulin just in case something unexpected gets you off the pump.
Only other word of wisdom is do not ship anything of value back home, carry it home in your luggage or check an extra bag for it.
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THANK YOU!!! This really helped!