Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jenn Zapata on January 15, 2011 at 6:55pm

I have been on a few trips to third world country's. One to Nicaragua for a month. I will say, keep all your supplies in your carry on bag and with you until you get to your destination. Have the original stickers on all supplies. Get a doctors note saying what you take and why you take them. Take anti-malarial pills before you leave and while your there. You want to avoid illness while your there. Find someone who knows someone who lives in the country and have that person find you a doctor that specializes in diabetes. Or go on line your self and contact a doctor that may be able to see you in an emergency. If you can keep the last 3 month's medical files, or them on a jump drive. In an emergency this information will be needed. Appoint someone that will be there and around you 80% of the time, give them a chart that says what the symptoms of high BS and low BS looks like, and teach that person to help you get either sugar or a glucagon shot if needed.

Permalink Reply by Kristin on January 16, 2011 at 12:57am

Since I have been on the pump, I spent a year of mission service in Ukraine. The children that I worked with were very curious about my pump, but I just explained to them that it gave me medicine that I need and then they just got used to it and even explained to others in the community that it is not a cell phone. I brought all my supplies with me (about twice as much as I thought I would need). My only concern was if my pump failed. I would have needed to switch back to injections until I could get it replaced.

I brought all my insulin, test strips, ... everything. If I had an emergency, I could have gotten insulin and test strips from near by, but my supplies were enough and I had no pump failure that year.

If you are going on short term mission trips, then you can either request a loaner pump from your pump company to take with you in the case of pump failure OR just be sure to bring some long acting (basal) insulin with you so that you can easily switch to injections if you need to.

Hope that you will have great experiences of service!

Permalink Reply by picklebird on April 10, 2011 at 2:38pm

I haven't been on an extended mission but I do know that my denomination does not hire full time missionaries who have chronic health conditions such as insulin dependent diabetes, advanced cancer, etc. The reasoning given is that overseas areas that need to be filled usually do not have access to full range of medical care, and even refrigeration is a problem. However, once hired, if a missionary develops a chronic health condition, he/she may be called in stateside only if the country that the missionary is in cannot meet the particular health need. He/she may be reassigned to a different country if possible.

Times have changed. Temporary mission stints of two week to a month will take just about anyone, including 95 years old.