Travel Advice Needed

[lhkraus]

My daughter, a senior in college, wants to take a trip to Europe with friends this summer, but doesn't know how she can manage moving from place to place with vest, compressor, nebulizers, etc. in tow, how to clean and sterilize equipment, keep meds refrigerated, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions? She is in good health, and should be able to travel without a problem as long as she can work out the logistics.
Thanks!

 

[2005CFmom]

I am usually not one for skipping treatments, but is there a way to alter her treatments so it would be easier? Are there meds that would be OK to skip for a week or so? If she is in good health I would consider doing albuterol puffers (instead of nebs) and using a flutter/acapella instead of the vest. I know it's not ideal, but sometimes life experiences are worth the risk.

 

[briarrose]

I can't be much help since we've never flown (internationally or not) with our CF-er. But, we have done car trips. For pulmozyme (our only refrigerated medicine right now), we bought a small medical cooler that only requires that ice be added every 12 hours. (This might be harder to find in hostels, but if she researches it, she might be okay.) We held about 10-days worth of pulmozyme in this: http://www.polarbearcoolers.com/product/medical_coolers/ice-n-go-med-coolers.html. We kept a digital, wireless thermometer in it the whole time, and it never got too warm or too close to freezing for the medicine.

 

[2005CFmom]

You could also ask her RT if there are any disposable nebs she can use with her medications. It might be a lot to pack, but she wouldn't have to worry about sterilization... and she would have room for souvenirs on the way home. And of course she would need some kind of inverter so she could use her compressor over seas.

 

[Printer]

If I were her, I would attempt to put together a network of CF Hospitals in those Cities that I planned on visiting. I would contact them in order to secure the support that I may need. Then I would have my Doctor sent whatever information that he/she felt that they should have. Perhaps bring her vest ab\nd use their compressors, etc.

Bill

 

[keefer11]

Something very IMPORTANT to consider is that the voltage in Europe is 220 & in the US it is 110, so she needs to make sure she has a converter(note NOT an adapter) or a compressor that is 220V compatible. I have a travel pari trek nebulizer which works in Europe. It's slower than my normal machine, but its light & easy to travel with. When I traveled to England I only brought an adapter, not a converter & my machine died & I was without nebulizers for 10 days. So keep that in mind for prepping for her travel.

I agree with 2005CFMOM, bring the flutter or acapella instead of the vest. I always bring a insulated lunch bag/cooler with a frozen pack that I re-freeze each place I go. She is just going to need to be forward at each place they stay and ask if her meds can be kept in the fridge(if there isn't one in the room) or if they can re-freeze her ice pack. Also bring a bunch of ziplocks(small & large) in case she needs to use ice instead.

As for sterilizing, as long as she uses pari nebulizers & there is a microwave around she can use Munchkin sterilizer bags. I imagine being in college they will stay in a lot of hostels which have both refrigerators & microwaves.

It can be a pain in the ass but its worth it. At least she is going somewhere that has drinkable water, that's another story I travel a lot internationally so feel free to message me if you have more questions.

 

[Aboveallislove]

I like the suggestion on the disposable nebulizers. When I was having a really rough month we splurged and bought a case or two from our hospital's home med (and they sold at a really low price), getting what they basically use in the hospital, using 1x and then tossing. Those are smaller and lighter and she could rewash some (if there is fascilites) but then also have some that are purely to toss. More to pack and travel with, unless she can arrange to "buy" some at a local pharamacy supply at one of the cities to "restock." That would take the hassel not just of sterilizing but the time and effort of that and allow her to enjoy the travel more.

 

[Aboveallislove]

Oh, and what about her college friends learning how to do manual percussions too??

 

[lhkraus]

Thanks everyone!

 

[SaraNoH]

Oh, and just another tidbit: maybe you could discuss with her about uping her treatments a few weeks before her trip and really doing them good that way if she does miss a few on her trip it wont be as much of an issue.

 

[mamaScarlett]

I've traveled extensively and always bring my vest, nebs and all meds. Skipping treatments on a vaca is, for me, a guarantee I'll be paying the price once I get home.
I could rely on hubby for chest pt, but I prefer to have my independence, and him his freedom. I even brought my vest to Egypt. The vest is fine for travel anywhere bc it has built in converters so all you need is a plug adapter and you are set worldwide.
The nebulizer compressor is more tricky. I've tried every single option out there and bottom line you will need an adapter and transformer, and even then it will probably blow. They are bulky to carry around the world.(frying my pari neb in the back woods of Austria was not fun) lol
The better option is to buy a pari trek. The only thing that needs to be charged is the battery pack and you only need an adapter for that. Buy a spare battery pack to have enough power to get through a long pt session. One charged battery will only last 45 mins. The pari treks give a slower neb time.
Its not fun sterilizing nebs while traveling. I buy the pari disposable nebs for trips. They are super light and pack well. (like $50 for a box of 100)
For traveling with chilled meds, the FRIO insulin cooling cases are amazing. (get them from Magellan's online for $25) I use them for every flight. They keep meds chilled a full 24 hrs, no ice or fridge needed. You can reuse them again and again. I also love Magellan's night/day pill case. One of them kept all my meds/vits secure for a full 3 wk trip. Nice to not bring big bottles with you. But always tear off your prescrip labels and bring them along, just in case.
Planning well, doing your research ahead of time will ensure a good trip where you come home healthy. Above all, enjoy your traveling.
Even if its just Disney World...

 

[Beccamom]

For disposible nebs I recommend Hudson RCI UP-DRAFT 11 OPTI-NEB. They cost about $65 for 50 nebs. They can be used the same time as an Acapella Choice. You just use the Acapella in the back neb in the middle and Acapella's mouth peice. The nebs each come with their own tubing. I take out the tubing for all but 2 nebs. This really decreases the bulk of of the travel neb packing.
https://www.medexsupply.com/products/pid-8395/HudsonUPDRAFTIIOPTINEBNebulize.htm

I also used a Pari S Trek on the trip. I did not need a converter to chagne the power, but you do need the outlet peices that change the configuration of the plug for each country.

I just traveled to England and took disposible nebs, Hillrom vest 105, and Acapella. I also take a travel bottle of dish soap and alcohol wipes to clean my Acapella. The Acapella cannot be disinfected in the microwave. I try to just use my vest.

Take extra antibiotics with you. My daughter got sick on the trip and I was so glad to have extra meds.


Safe travels.

 

[scarecrow]

If she is going overseas I don't think her vest will do her any good. Their power is not the same over there. I may be wrong but I would check before she drags it over there for no reason.

 

[mamaScarlett]

If she is going overseas I don't think her vest will do her any good. Their power is not the same over there. I may be wrong but I would check before she drags it over there for no reason.

As long as she has a 105 or recent model, she will be fine. It is set up so the voltage converts automatically. With a basic 3 prong outlet adapter, she'll be fine anywhere.

 

[LittleLab4CF]

Oh, that summer in Europe!! It looks like a lot of good advice has already been posted. At a similar age I found myself vagabonding through Europe and Africa taking the better part of a year out. Astonished as I was at what travel must have been forty year before my travels began another forty years has passed. American Express was often my refuge abroad. AMEX may still service traveling Americans in Europe, and I recommend somebody talk with them to see if being a card carrier garners anything close to the excellent services they provided when I travelled. Another dated notion is to look into American Youth Hostels* both for clean inexpensive places to stay and their very affordable traveler’s health insurance. At a minimum and this can’t be dated information, go purchase Lonely Planet Guides to the countries she plans to travel through. In these invaluable guides are loads of resources with working phone numbers etc. for about any emergency. Note that a dearth of resources means that the pickings are slim in some places. In each country, healthy or not a young traveler should (more like damned well better) check in at each country’s American Consulate. Any emergency goes off considerably smoother if your daughter is a known alien abroad by OUR government. CF is rife in Europe so Printer’s suggestion to locate specific CF facilities should round out the usual mucking with CF management.
A few bits of miscellany; you can’t carry enough copies of your passport, make several full sized copies and plant them where they can’t collectively be taken. Ditto for any Visas in the passport. Petty theft is awaiting the earnest traveler and dumb as it sounds, buy and wear a money belt. Flesh tone money belts have been targeted less so stealth applies to money belts. Plan on everything going wrong. You won’t be disappointed then when your plane is delayed for six days because of an Icelandic volcano or whatever. Six days is important if you planned your meds to the schedule. Having sent my Niece to Paris last summer with her high school French class, I am up to date on a few new twists. Traveler’s Checks went out a long time ago in Europe. Carry a VISA credit (not debit) card, leave your Discover card or get the International version if you must, and if AMEX still provides traveler’s services procure and pocket it. I don’t leave home without mullah. I carry at least one new Gold American $50 on the off chance our currency suddenly devalues. In case you don’t follow gold an American $50 Gold piece goes for @ $1700. Before leaving the U.S. exchange some dollars for dinars or rather Euros. If she has plans for East Europe or other non Euro currency countries, load up on at least $50 in cash at each port of call. A lot of flights go through, or can be diverted to England. Today isn’t a great day to tempt fate and get caught flat. Heathrow generally operates services 24/7 but that is not the only local diversion in England. Finding yourself blurry eyed after 30 hours of traveling and the Big Mac you crave is unobtainable for lack of a quid…. Pack only what you can easily replace, carry the rest.
Enough already, yes I am a former globe trotter, been there, done that and I have fallen victim of every precaution I purport to advise on. The dollar infamously devalued just as I was attempting to cross from Algeria into Tunisia early in 1973. Later on I was subsequently detained and imprisoned briefly during an African coup elsewhere and thank God I had registered my presence with the American Consulate. You get the point. Catching a case of cholera in Morocco isn’t the best way of testing the premise that CF will guard you somewhat from the ravages of endless spewing from every available orifice. Get your shots here. The needle that met me in Morocco had cholera in it, thank you. *details in a PM.
LL