Thinking Big - Kokoda 2019
I’ve never wanted the fact that I’m a Type 1 Diabetic to hold me back from doing anything. I know that having this condition makes me think twice and I have to consider many things that other people take for granted.
Thinking twice to cover all bases probably isn’t a bad thing and helps me recognise all contingency plans if anything were to go wrong. This is good to do whether I was a diabetic or not as there’s always room for things to go off course.
Edging up to my 50th birthday a group of friends suggested tackling the famous Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea (PNG). After mulling this over in my head and wondering if it would be possible to do as a Type 1 diabetic, I thought, life’s too short let’s go for it. There were 4 of us in total and we started on a rigorous training schedule that went ahead rain or shine.
I spoke to my endocrinologist and GP and asked if they thought it was a smart idea. They supported me and had no doubt that I could pull this off as long as I was very responsible with monitoring myself and ensuring that my friends were willing to help with any support that may be required.
I was really scared which made me want to do it even more. I started to accumulate gear for the big trek (Mac Pac is my new favourite store!) and stuck with my training. We ended up doing over 1,000 kms of trail walking before we’d even left for PNG! I spoke to as many people as I could that had diabetes and had pushed their limits. I also discovered that there weren’t that many diabetics around who had done it to ask questions.
I had to ensure that I packed enough for 8 days including insulin medication, Medronic pump supplies, BG testers with a Plan A, B and C if something went wrong. I had a good supply of jelly beans to bring up my BGL’s when they dropped too low along with magnesium tablets, water purification tablets, Panadol, Berocca and a well-stocked first aid kit. An extra set of dry clothes rounded out my total gear. The best product I discovered and took with me was Vaseline - end result NO BLISTERS on my feet.
We started early from Owers Corner just outside of Port Moresby and the monotony of the coming days brought long downhills, rain and lots of mud. The rain didn’t let up but we got into a groove and even the river crossings couldn’t dampen our spirits. My porter shared his tip of putting lots of Vaseline in between our dry toes before putting on our hiking boots and this advice paid off.
Our guide had done the trek over 115 times and shared stories of the historical places we passed. The food was basic but tasted wonderful after so much physical exercise. At night we slept under a net to keep the mosquitoes and bugs away which saved us many times. Not much could have kept us awake after our full days.
Each day I would check my BGL’s using my FreeStyle Libre sensor and adjusted my snacks accordingly. My Freestyle libre sensor did get loose in the rain so I had to use special tape to keep it from peeling off. After a couple of days it eventually came off and I had to resort to Plan B which saw me using my Accu-Chek meter on a regular basis. Generally, my BGL range was between 4.2 and 8.8mmoL. Overnight I woke up a few times and checked my levels again to make sure I did not go too low and made a few adjustments.
Our biggest day saw us hiking for 10 hours and after a cold shower and dinner we were asleep by 7.45pm. A few days after arriving at a village I changed my pump with new insulin without a hitch. We tackled a huge uphill climb called THE WALL that took almost 2 hours. Halfway up I was really struggling with the heat and sweating. Then I realised I was having a low blood sugar episode and told my friends. I checked my BGL which was 2.4mmol AFTER having lollies and sugar water. Within 10-minutes I felt good to continue. This freaked my friends out enough that after that they had me check my BGL’s every half an hour no matter what. I had another low going down into the village although by then my friends also recognised the signs and I adjusted quickly.
The river crossings got more challenging and the track was narrow, rocky, steep and very wet with water streaming down from the top of the hill. We were slipping and sliding all over but something about it all was very invigorating too. Cramps would also keep me awake some nights as my body never had too long to heal and get ready for the next day. The constant hiking really helped me get in tune with my body and my blood sugar highs and lows. We had a few breaks in the weather enough to get some amazing views that made it all worthwhile.
We passed through Isurava Memorial where the immaculate cenotaph is for the fallen soldiers which is maintained by the Australian government. This and memories from the past 7 days rushed through my head. It was a real rush to see how well we had handled the ups and downs and various emotions after walking for over 100kms experiencing hot humid days, torrential rain, cold nights and an ever changing landscape.
Being a type 1 diabetic meant having to check BGL’s constantly, change pump settings and pump lines and have plan A, B and C under the roughest of conditions and I managed it just fine. After experiencing this amazing trip of a lifetime, I realised that as an insulin dependent type 1 diabetic you can do and achieve anything you want to and life has no barriers.