2013-05-23

Travel

First up, I want to concur with what Rachael said about supplies. It takes some doing to get yourself organized, but once you work it out, it's easy. I live in a 3-bedroom house, so one bedroom is for supplies and storage. I keep one month of supplies on hand, although this is a recent development for me. For some reason, Baxter kept sending me WAY too many  supplies, so I finally did a proper count and have brought my ordering under control.



Now to the purpose of this post:  travel. Travelling while on dialysis SUCKS. I will be upfront and honest about that. Now, Baxter does its best to make travelling easy. They will deliver your solutions for you (and in Canada it doesn't cost anything, even if you travel internationally), but you have to carry your cassettes, drain bags, and other paraphernalia with you. I wish Baxter would also supply this material, but as of right now they don't. I'm not sure why.

The biggest problem is the machine. It's heavy and awkward.  A dialysis patient is not supposed to lift anything over 10-15 pounds. The machine weighs something like 35 pounds. Something doesn't add up. I have made several (ok, many) complaints to Baxter about this. With all the technology out there, you'd think a lighter, more portable machine would have been developed by now. It has not.

If the machine weren't so unwieldy, I would definitely travel internationally. However, over the past 8 years I have limited myself to road trips because they are easier. I can load my machine and supplies for a few days into my car and go.  I just spent 4 days in Edmonton and had my supplies delivered. That was so handy! The boxes of supplies aren't light either, so whenever you can save yourself carrying that extra weight, do.

Baxter (or your dialysis provider) does need advance notice that you are travelling so they can arrange for shipment of your supplies.  They recommend 2-3 weeks for domestic travel and 3-6 months for international travel.  You will need all addresses, phone numbers, and contact information of where you're staying and who they're delivering to.

Depending on your health, your clinic may need to be aware too.  I recommend travelling with a list of all your medications and if you're crossing the border, a note from your doctor saying that the supplies in your vehicle are necessary for your life.  I haven't had any problems with border crossings, but better to be safe than have some over-eager border guard slitting open your dialysis bags and draining them onto the ground.

The thought of that makes me shudder!

The idea of making my way through an airport with my dialysis machine fills me with a little bit of horror.  There is also the issue of setting up hotel stays and having supplies delivered to hotels. They often aren't aware of what to do with the supplies and every time I've stayed in a hotel and made special requests, they've gotten it wrong. That is frustrating. It definitely makes you feel like a person with a disability when snafu's like that happen.

My biggest problem with travel is me. I hate to feel like I'm imposing on people. I need to have space for my supplies and for my machine.  I also don't want people to feel sorry for me.  After all, it is this machine that keeps me alive and well.  I understand that it's my issue and it's something I'm trying to get over. Not easy.

This is a great blog about a guy who travelled Europe while on dialysis:  http://travellingwithdialysis.wordpress.com/ Give it a read and you'll see that yes, travel is possible. It just takes thought and preparation and a positive attitude!

RT




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