Ko Phi Phi with Type 1

When I first mapped out my journey, I wanted to stop in southern Thailand and see the famous islands. Based on my dates, the weather, and the group tour I joined, I wasn’t able to go in November. However, I decided to go back to Thailand after finishing my stay in Vietnam just to see this tropical region.

I was happy I did.

The Best Thing I Saw in Ko Phi Phi

The Phi Phi Islands, a collection of islands just east of Phuket, were so magnificent it felt as if I was staring at postcard pictures for four days straight.

I took a full-day boat tour around the islands, which included some snorkeling, swimming, beach spots, and after sundown gave the group a chance to see the glowing plankton in the dark water.

Here are some shots from the tour:

 

Ko Phi Phi Viewpoint

Massage on Beach

There were many massage options, some cheaper than others, but choosing one right on the beach was a Thai experience I wasn’t going to miss. At $10 USD, it was hard to find better value for an hour on the islands.

Night Beach Parties

 

Buckets. Neon lights. Loud music. Lots of young tourists drinking too much. The Phi Phi Islands checked off almost all the boxes for nightlife in this region. It was fun, even if I felt a little old and had to take extra precautions with the diabetes.

The Sugars

Highest high: 261

Lowest low: 82

Avg Morning: 204

Avg Afternoon: 126

Avg Night: 125

Insulin Pods: 2

Avg Basal Rate: 1.10

Emergency sugar supply: Skittles, glucose tablets, energy drinks

 

I was only out on the Thai islands for a few days, but I did need to be smart about a few things. As visible above in the morning readings, my sugars were a little higher than I would have liked when waking up, but it wasn’t all that surprising. I spent a few of the nights drinking and enjoying the nightlife and that sometimes resulted in higher morning sugar readings. I would always eat carbs before and after the drinking, a crucial piece to avoid any kind of low after a night of drinking.

One of the questions I got asked the most along the trip by those with a healthy pancreas was about drinking alcohol. It’s one of the questions I get asked the most by anyone when they are trying to learn about Type 1 diabetes. The answer isn’t a simple one or one that can be answered with a yes or no, but needs a bit of explaining.

I didn’t drink excessively too often on the trip, but when I did choose to have more than one or two drinks, like I did in Ko Phi Phi, I needed to prepare before and after drinking. Because I knew I would be out late drinking these nights, I made sure to eat plenty of carbs for dinner (lot of pad thai and noodle dishes in this case). I also would check my blood sugar more often than normal, usually before I started drinking, at least once while drinking, and then when I was ready to go to bed. The hardest part about trying to balance for the alcohol was that many of the drinks (beer, wine, mixed drinks) had sugar in them and I needed insulin to balance out the carbs. But, when the alcohol broke down in my body, it could cause my sugar to drop and drop rapidly, which was always the fear when going to sleep after drinking. I would usually have a snack before going to bed to make sure my sugar would not drop, but I knew there was still a chance I may wake up with a low and need my Gatorade or Skittles for an immediate sugar spike. It’s not all that different from a normal night, but drinking just added more variables, and when on a remote island with limited medical facilities, I needed to ensure I wouldn’t require medical attention if possible.

I also had to be smart on the full day boat tour that ventured around the islands for about eight hours. I brought all my supplies and sugar on board the boat, but I needed to keep them safe and dry throughout the day. At each stop, I’d have to decide what I’d need to take with me, what was staying on the boat, how long would we be on the beach etc, and so forth. I wore the Omnipod every day of the trip and although it was waterproof, I never wanted to be in the ocean for more than 20-30 minutes. A pod failure or temperature change to the insulin while on the islands could have caused headaches so I would try and eliminate these risks by only snorkeling or swimming for 20 minutes at a time.

After leaving Ko Phi Phi, I took the boat back to Phuket and then flew from Phuket to Bangkok where I would prepare for the next two weeks in The Philippines and experience my first Filipino Christmas.

Keep the sugar levels steady.

Jeremy

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