When you plan for the unexpected and then the unexpected happens you never feel more grateful for the time you spent on the “just in case” supplies. Last week, our family took a road trip across the country to GO TO IKEA!!!! It was very exciting as we were finally converting our Playroom/home office to a Teen Cave… home office (I’m not sure we’ve told them that yet? ;-s Oh well. Oops!

After a very long, but successful day, we were on our way back west. Our plan was to stop at the infamous exit 23 on the M7 to have dinner. However, a few short minutes after we drove passed exit 22, there it was! About two kilometers of red brake lights. Quickly we flashed our hazard lights on to warn the cars behind us that we were all coming to a complete stop.

And there we sat for two and a half hours!!!

We watched the fabulous sunset, our thoughts never straying too far from what had caused this stop and hoping that no one was hurt and we watched the emergency vehicles and personnel travel back and forth.

I monitored my blood glucose very closely on my CGM as my alarm letting me know that my levels were dipping below 4.4mmols/l (79 mg/dL). I managed to keep it above 4.0mmols/l (72 mg/dL) but I didn't want to aggressively bring it up as I didn't know when dinner would happen. When we did get to eat, I wolfed down fast food and so was kept away a lot that night with high blood sugars. Sometimes there is just no winning with diabetes! But you know what, I wasn't willing to eat something as large as a human any more. I wasn't hungry any more.

I planned for a “just in case”, I worked with what I had and it all worked out better than it might have than if I hadn't.

These two and a half hours gave me so much time to be grateful for some coincidences and for some good planning.

I never take a car trip without some snacks. Even, if I end up not eating it, I still do it. We had a box of Lidl Bread Sticks and when my blood sugars were 4.4 mmol/l those breadsticks kept them from dropping any further. But slowly. As well as keep hungry children content.
Always use a bathroom when the car stops! This lesson was shared with me by my husband’s Aunt and is always remembered. Two and a half hours is still a long time and I was still very glad to eventually see the bathrooms of Exit 23.
I always carry glucose tabs in my glucose meter case. Always! If I ever get disoriented they are there staring at me and hopefully I will recognise them as the solution. And I always carry a spare pack in my handbag because you never know when you might need more that your usual amount. I was so glad that I had them if I needed them.
I’m so grateful there were two adults in the car and that I wasn’t driving.

Even though something like this has only happened to me once before and is unlikely to happen again. It’s worth being prepared for the “just in case”; having a couple of snacks and some glucose in car whenever you take a roadtrip.