HAVE
BAG - WILL TRAVEL
PD
DAYS OUT |
YOU CAN DO AN EXCHANGE AWAY
FROM HOME
Having a
day out with friends and family is a pleasure we all enjoy and is
something all patients wish to continue once on PD. Some
patients
feel that bag exchanges impose restrictions which make a day out
impossible but with a little careful planning, a day trip is not only
possible, but desirable.
Below we
have listed the items you will need to take with you, use this as a
checklist. Some patients have a bag of supplies already ‘made up’
available to take at short notice.
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A coat hanger
or meat/kitchen hook to enable easy
draining (a couple of different types help)
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Small bottle
of hand/wash rub, and ancillaries e.g.
Alco wipes etc.
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A carrier bag
is useful to put your bag in whilst
draining out.
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All items
should fit in a carrier bag or a cool box.
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If you can
carry it a small plastic tray or place
mat (which you can roll up) and is easily cleaned.
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Don’t forget
to take all the items you need for an
exchange i.e. disinfectants, clamps, caps, plaster etc.
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Ring the venue
you are visiting in advance and ask
if there is somewhere (possibly a first aid room) where you can do an
exchange, and let them know when you are coming. People are very
helpful when they know you need help. I have been given a motel
bedroom, Deputy Night Manager’s room, rest room, and First aid room on
cross channel ferry (with tea brought to the room – on the house-by the
purser).
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Please take
address and telephone number of your unit in case of emergencies. |
HANDY
HINTS
Keeping
you fluid warm may be a problem in the winter, so it may be an idea to
wrap the bag in a towel with a hot water bottle and place
it in a picnic cool box, but be sure to check that the
fluid is not too hot before using it. In the summer
you may want to put the fluid on the back ledge of the car to keep it
warm. Always ensure that you keep the fluid in the outer wrapper, so it
is safe to use.
DO NOT USE A MICROWAVE TO
WARM THE FLUID AS PD FLUID MAY CARAMELISE AND IF USED COULD DAMAGE YOUR
PERITONEUM.
DO NOT PUT BAG IN HOT WATER
TO HEAT AS TAP
WATER IS NOTORIOUS FOR ORGANISMS/GERMS.
Please
discuss holiday away days and travel arrangements with you PD
sister
who may be able to give individual advice about your exchange for that
particular day.
If
you are going to another part of the country:
a) If
you are having fluid delivered to your holiday destination, the Travel
Club (who arranges the delivery) will tell you where the nearest
hospital is. If like me you just load the car with fluid and go to
different parts of the country at short notice you can get the address
and telephone number of the nearest renal unit in case of emergencies
from Mrs Henderson on 0191 2231 521 or your own home dialysis
administrator – if you are touring they will give you a list of renal
units.
b)
If you are on the transplant list notify the
Transplant Co-ordinators at the Freeman and give them a contact phone
number so they can contact you if there is a chance of a transplant.
It is possible to go on a coach holiday – coaches
stop for lunch at service areas for at least 45 minutes and most have a
shower room in the toilet area which is usually very clean with a
lockable door and seat. I have found coach drivers very helpful and
have given me extra time if I needed it. (One Granada service area with
lodges offered me free use of a
bedroom when I asked if there was somewhere I could do a
dialysis exchange.) On cross
channel ferries I have used their first aid room (ask at the
information desk).. People are very
helpful when they know you have a genuine problem you only have to ask.
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SAFE
HOLIDAYS ABROAD ON PD
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Confirm
with your unit that they are happy for you to go on holiday before you
make any plans. Some Holiday Insurance companies might ask you for a
letter from your unit stating that you are fit enough to travel. Remember
to let the transplant coordinators know that you are going on holiday
and how long you will be away.
You may need to be suspended from the waiting list
while you are on holiday, especailly if you are abroad. It
saves the transplant coordinators wasting time trying to get
hold
of you.
Tell the
travel agent that you are arranging
dialysis fluid to be delivered to the hotel just before you arrive, and
make sure he informs the travel company of
your needs.
HOLIDAY INSURANCE
DO NOT
BOOK your holiday before you take out holiday insurance. Many of the
booking clerks at travel agencies do not understand the implications of
having a pre-existing medical condition and will cheerfully offer you
their standard policy which, if it contains this exclusion clause, it
will not be worth the paper it is written on. One point is that for
holiday insurance you normally only need medical insurance as your
luggage and personal possessions are usually covered under your normal
household insurance (check to make sure) this can bring the cost down
quite a lot. As yet I have not been able to find anyone who will cover
cancellation due to having a transplant (apart from Freedom) – I’m
still trying, if anyone knows of a company please let us know.
See Page
on Holiday Insurance |
ORDERING SUPPLIES ETC
You will then need to check that supplies can be
delivered to your chosen holiday destination. Notice is required well
in advance so that arrangements can be made to deliver your supplies.
Deliveries to countries in Europe and further afield need
eight week notice; for the Far East you will need to give at least 3
months notice prior to travelling. For holidays in the UK 3-4 weeks
notice is needed.
You must take all other
ancillary equipment with you as only fluid can be delivered.
When you decide where you want to go please ring
Mrs Henderson on 0191 2231
521 (Home dialysis administrator) or your own Home
dialysis administrator with as
much information as possible regarding your holiday e.g. date, full
address, contact name, fax and phone number. She will then liase with
Fresenuis or Unicare (Baxter) to arrange your holiday order.
Just before you travel ring the hotel to check that
your fluid has been delivered. Fresenuis or Unicare will have sent you
a delivery confirmation date).
If you are travelling with an APD machine it may be
advisable to contact your airline at the airport so that you can get
extra baggage allowance
for the machine.
If you are on PD carry extra
bag(s)
with you in case of delays or to do
an exchange immediately on arriving at your hotel.
If you are on EPO medication (Aranesp)
this can stay out of the fridge and still be used for up to 7 days.
Most patients are not on it any more frequently that once a fortnight,
so may be able to have one before they go and one when they get back
(if they are only away for 2 weeks) .
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CHOOSING ACCOMMODATION
Make sure that your holiday accommodation is
suitable for you; for example, too many stairs in your hotel, located
on a hill, a long away from the shops, very far from a hospital etc. |
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MOBILITY ASSISTANCE
Most airports offer wheelchairs and/or ‘chauffeured
buggies’ which will whisk you through check-in and passport control in
minutes, and will also lift you on to the plane so you needn’t worry
about how long it can take you to climb the stairs onto the plane.
Do not be embarrassed to ask for help at airport or
ferry terminals: travelling can be very tiring and it is good to arrive
feeling relaxed and ready to enjoy a holiday.
Special attractions usually offer wheelchair
facilities. If you visit Disney World in Orlando, Florida, for example,
a wheelchair will get you to the front of the queue – very useful as
some attractions have an hour long wait. |
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CARRYING
YOUR TABLETS
Always
divide your supply of tablets. Keep half with you as hand luggage and
the other half with a companion. In this way, you will always have a
supply to tide you over if there are any delays or your luggage goes
missing. |
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GENERAL
HEALTH HINTS
In some
countries, it is easy to get an infection through drinking the local
water. Always avoid this by buying bottled drinking water (remember to
use it to clean your teeth) and do not have ice cubes in drinks and
only eat salad foods that you have washed yourself. Only eat fruit that
you can peel. Do not swim in the sea
(it
is full of bacteria) only
in freshwater swimming
pools. Ask
your PD sister about the PD activity pouches for swimming
which help to keep the catheter dry.
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GETTING PERITONITIS
The percentage of people who get peritonitis while
on holiday is very small. Most
people actually take more care because they are in a different
environment. You can carry out an
exchange anywhere that is dust free, has a steady surface that can be
cleaned, a sink (remember to clean the taps) and where you will not be
disturbed or distracted.
Please remember to take your orange bags abroad
with so that you can take your clinical waste to a nearby hospital or
medical centre for disposal. |
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EMERGENCIES
Keep an
emergency notebook containing the following:
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What to do if
you contaminate your line.
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The name and
address and telephone number of the
nearest renal unit to your holiday resort, which will be printed on
your holiday confirmation letter from Fresenuis or Unicare.
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The telephone
number of your own renal unit in case
you need to contact them urgently.
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A list of all
your medication.
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Your letter
from your renal unit.
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DON’T FORGET
YOUR PD
SISTER AND HOME DIALYSIS ADMINISTRATOR ARE
THERE TO
HELP, SUPPORT AND GIVE YOU ADVICE.And lastly
ENJOY
YOUR HOLIDAY You
deserve it.
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Please
take address and
telephone number of your unit in case of emergencies. |
