Moving Abroad and Type 1 Diabetes

[ScottyScot]

Hey,

I have been type 1 for over 10 years and have been offered a secondment by my work to live and work in California for 12-18 months.  As I currently live in London and will be continuing my healthcare here whilst I am away (12-18 months = 1 annual review meeting with my healthcare team), I am reviewing my options for getting my insulin.  I am currently on Levimir and NovoRapid (Insulin aspart).

What I am interested in is if anyone has any insight into the options that I have available.  My view is that I have the following options:

1) Get my insulin by registering with a US based healthcare profesional and paying for it via the health insurance cover I will be given by my work - not sure how the surcharges and in-out of care really works with diabetes so if anyone can help explain it to me I would be grateful!
2) Get my free prescriptions from the UK and arrange for someone in the UK to have them shipped into the US - is this legal?  Can UPS or FedEx ship it without subjecting it to temps that will damange the insulin?  Does anyone know if this is possible?
3) Get my free prescriptions from the UK and fly someone out with them (friends will be coming to visit).  Can they carry this on board a flight even though it is not for there use given current restrictions???
4) Get my free prescriptions from the UK and fly back ever 3-4 months to pick them up.  Safe option but very expensive given cost of travel.

I have a friend who has diabetes and he was in the US for 12 months and done this through option 4, although his work funded his flights.  Mine won't.

I would be grateful for other people who have diabetes's thoughts or experiences in this??

Thanks in advance!

[OldYeah]

I have a couple answers and suggestions if I were you.  First under no circumstances should you not get a practitioner here in the USA,  that is just too dangerous for a diabetic as your sugars can change so rapidly with an illness as small as a bladder infection and cause DKA.  So having said that insulin does not have to be refridgerated as we once thought it is perfectly safe for at least a week and we actually keep it a month at room temp.  I am not sure on the whole plane travel by friends but you can have it shipped by UPS or whomever you want heck we fly organs on Fed Ex 4500 miles between donor and recipient so your safe there bring extra with you at first and call around to different pharmacies to find the cheapest if you have to get it here, now your syringes and test strips are going to be what costs so much here so stock up when you come,  I hope you enjoy it here and your trip is uneventful with your health!

[meganwright1996]

hi, i just wondered what you need up doing for this? I am in a similar situation. thanks