Anyone travel with kids on IVs?

[Jane]

This week Jesse will go to the hospital for 4 day to start the same antibiotic routine as Josh has had for a month now. (IV imipenem 4X day) ,oral rifabutin and oral bactrim. Josh hasn't felt great (nausea, fatigue), so Jesse is pretty anxious to start up. So we will have the summer vacation with NO swimming and are trying to think of other activities to keep them busy and happy.

Before all the medical complications, we had promised the boys that this year we would go to visit cousins in Atlanta for a few days. We would stay with my brother and SIL who are very supportive and helpful. My question is:

Is it out of the question to take the boys out of our area when they are on IVs? On one hand I keep thinking, its only a two hour flight and Atlanta has great hospitals if we need it. But how awful to be away from home and have something go wrong. I don't know if I'm being overly cautious or realistic?

Any advice?

 

[NoExcuses]

Sounds like a bad idea to me.

Stress from traveling (which is good stress cuz you're having fun) can wear down your body's immune system. Antibiotics alone don't cure infections, so your body needs to be 100% there to help the antibiotics along.

The possibility of not getting rid of the infection fully is a real one.

 

[anonymous]

We have traveled (camped) with my daughter on IV's and have had a few minor problems but nothing that required hospitalization. I think that if you can get away and give your children something to look forward to and enjoy then it would make the summer more fun for them. My daughters IV's meds needed to be refrigerated (we have a trailer so I put everything in the fridge) but if you are flying just pack a cooler and take them on the plane as a carry-on.

As for swimming, we got approval from the doctor, and she was allowed to go swimming with the IV in. You need to wait a few days after the line is put in so the area can heal and then get extra dressing changes. Wrap the line with waterproof tape (doesn't keep the area dry, but hold everything in place) and then when they are done swimming change all the dressings. I would not recommend they swim every day but once in a while to have some fun is great.

The idea of traveling and swimming is something you should run by the doctor or CF nurse and see what they say, they know what would be best for your children with their history. I hope you can get a break in this summer and have a little fun.

 

[anonymous]

Yes we traveled once when my daughter was 18 months old and on IV's it. We had the vacation planned and they wanted her to do a tune up. So we just went and finished the tune up on our trip we had a nurse come to our hotel and take the PICC line out.

I say this CF makes them miss out on so much. Make good memories when you can.
Terri