Hi Haley,
I think you may have misunderstood me just a tad. No I'm not embarrassed/ashamed about my port. I was a little self consicous about it being that 1. I just had it placed, 2. it was the 1st time since surgery that I had worn so little clothing. May I mention that I do have an amazing chest....so I'm not embarrassed. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> I'm used to getting a lot of attention for it, however I have MORE people looking now that before. I'm not shy so this doesn't bother me, if it bothers others' they may turn their heads.
The DR is beautiful. You need to take ALL of your nebs, etc, with extra mouth peices, etc, because it is a 3rd world country. They did have a Pharmacy at our resort (which I looked at) but thats not saying much. You dont need an RX for anything there, however, you may export out of their country, but you may not import to the US. (I'm not sure if the US is where you're from.) Their electric is a little different than ours here, you will see the plugs on their lamps, etc, have a little bend to them, as ours here are straight. I was able to plug my neb into that just fine. (I have the Pari Trek). I didn't travel with o2 or my vest so all I did was get a fax from my hosp explaining I will carry-on my nebs/meds, and that I have a port in my chest. Security/Immigration is VERY strict. I had to have my drivers license, birth cert, and marriage license at all times when at the airport, etc. (I didn't have my passport yet, that would make it easier)
You may NOT drink the H2O there. They do not treat their water. You may drink the hotel water, b/c they have purifiers for that. However, make sure your resort has done this as well before you injest anything. When brushing my teeth, I used bottled water to rinse with, etc. Just to be safe. There were no other concerns than that.
We were in Punta Cana, and then sailed to the Carribean Sea. It was amazing. I dove down and caught a starfish. The ocean was picture perfect! It doesn't seem real. The topless thing was amazing. Not for a sexual reason, but there it is purely about self-acceptance. I thought "Oh I should probably lose a few pounds before I go." There was no need. It was a very liberating experience for me that it was normal to bare your breasts. It was a freeing experience and one I will never forget. It was an exotic, romantic place that felt like a true paradise.
Where will you be staying while your there? You will not believe how people drive there. It's downright scary. You will see 3-5 people on the back of a motorcycle swerving in / out of traffic. I swear, I held my breath waiting for an accident. I don't know if you have done much international travel, but you will see how the other 1/2 live. They live in shacks, with no running water, electic, etc. but you will see smiles on EVERYONE'S faces. They are truly happy to live thier simple lives, which in turn makes me take things into perspective. It's amazing. A life changing experience in many (good) ways!
Enjoy!
