Holiday!

I’m back! From two lovely weeks in France, and feeling thoroughly holiday-ed. Once I’m actually on holiday I generally love it, but the build up can often make me quite anxious, and this time was no exception.

There’s something about having to pack medication for two conditions, for two weeks (plus contingency) that can dampen holiday excitement. We only went to France, which has an excellent healthcare system. But my mind can’t help but run through all possible scenarios before we head off:

• What if my insulin gets too warm and spoils – can I get the same type of insulin in France?
• If my insulin pump fails, I will have to use injections again, and the doses will all be different. And I can’t even remember how to calculate basal rates anymore!
• What if I get a chest infection or some other complication.

I know that these things are so unlikely to happen, but it doesn’t mean they won’t. I have had to seek out medical help on holiday before (luckily in the UK), so I guess that always sits at the back of my mind. The added new factor of not being able to eat gluten probably also played into the mix. I was going to the land of brioche and pain au chocolat – what the heck could I eat?! (Lots and lots of frites, it turns out :-p)

But as soon as we stepped in the car to leave, those worries left. It’s like I can finally embrace the idea that I’ve done all I can to prevent issues, and anything that does happens, we’ll just have to deal with. Nothing went wrong with me while we were away – in fact I was very well and managed to do so much more than I had imagined. So I’m feeling very thankful for that! Small was a little poorly at one point, but again I managed to be very pragmatic about it – we just decided we would go to a doctor if we needed to. Thankfully we didn’t.

I wonder if there is a way to get in that relaxed zone before we leave? Excitement is so much more fun than worry! At times I feel annoyed that there is no holiday from diabetes, arthritis or coeliac. But I can still experience amazing, fun times with my family, just like anyone else. And for that, I am truly thankful.