Travel and Dialysis

Tips from Fellow Travelers

by Paul St. Germain

The key to traveling safely while on dialysis is to plan well in advance of your trip.

Many people who receive a kidney failure diagnosis assume that vacation and travel will be impossible for them because of their dialysis treatments. Thankfully, that simply isn’t so. In fact, it’s possible to visit exotic and faraway countries, go on a cruise, take a road trip to see family and friends, or choose almost any other travel option that was available prior to the diagnosis. It just takes a bit of planning. The first step is to check with your doctor to make sure you are in stable health. Then you can proceed to make the necessary arrangements.

Traveling on peritoneal dialysis is relatively easy. That’s one of the convenient things about this form of dialysis. Exchanges can be performed almost anywhere that is clean. Your renal team can share information about the delivery options to have your supplies sent to your destination, and let you know if there are any additional charges for shipping.

Although there are more hemodialysis units available for visitors to virtually every popular tourist destination worldwide than ever before, most units run on tight schedules with limited space. To ensure you get on their schedule, make your arrangements four to six months ahead. Try to plan your vacation around the fewest number of dialysis units as possible so the arrangements will be easier to make. Your home dialysis unit may provide some advice about booking your dialysis appointments while away, but it’s up to you to actually make them.

With experience comes confidence. Eve, a seasoned traveler who has been dialyzing for two years, puts it this way: “In order to travel, I opted for home hemodialysis a year ago. This forced me to acquire more knowledge and to get out of my comfort zone, but now I am completely autonomous. This gives me far greater confidence while traveling, because I have all the necessary knowledge to do my own treatments.”

A few companies offer cruises especially for people on hemodialysis. They have fully equipped hemodialysis units on board, staffed with qualified medical and nursing personnel. Even though these cruises are usually expensive, they offer a unique chance to travel. The point of departure is usually an American city, although many Alaskan cruises leave from Vancouver. Cruises are also available in the Mediterranean, Baltic Sea, Southeast Asia and other areas.

Mike is an avid cruise vacation enthusiast who has been on 23 cruises so far and is currently preparing his fourth since beginning dialysis. He notes that it’s also possible to schedule your treatments while

visiting ports of call, assuming they are frequent enough to meet your dialysis needs. “I’ve looked at dialysis at sea and it seems very interesting,” says Mike, “but I prefer to do dialysis at the ports of call. This way I get to get off the ship and do a little sightseeing, even if it’s in the taxi to and from the hospitals.”

With a clear picture of where you want to go and what you want to do on your next trip, you’re now ready to start planning it.

Start planning early

Scheduling your dialysis appointments is very important. In order to avoid any unpleasant surprises, it’s best to start making your dialysis appointments as far ahead of time as possible. “I start preparing about three to four months beforehand,” says cruise aficionado Mike. “This is what I’ve always done even before becoming a dialysis patient.” The caveat, however, is that you may need to devote more time to the planning process.

Finding dialysis units at your destination

Mike also recommends taking the time to research carefully. “I use the internet extensively to find hospitals with a hemodialysis unit. I call them and have a pleasant chat with the nurse in charge. In some provinces I have to contact the health authority instead and then write a nice letter or fax requesting treatment and specifying the date and times I will be in a particular city.”

For Canadian destinations, travelers can get a directory of dialysis centres that accept visitors online at the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and search for dialysis centres which accept visitors. Your local renal units and Kidney Foundation can also provide directories listing hemodialysis units virtually anywhere you want to go around the world.

Reflecting on how she prepared for her last trip abroad, experienced international traveler Eve says she did some considerable research online, on sites such as booknowmed.com and traveldialysisreview.com. “I contacted centres by email. Be patient because the replies can take a long time to come.”

She admits that at first she was a bit reticent about visiting unfamiliar dialysis centres. “It’s very important to me that the hemodialysis machines and methods used are as hygienic as they are here,” she continues. “However, I’m increasingly reassured. I believe that the majority of methods are similar all over the world, especially in large cities. There are some places that recycle filters, which isn’t done here. In those cases, you can carry some with you in your carry-on luggage.”

Involve your healthcare team in your planning

Your doctor or members of your healthcare team should be involved in your preparations before finalizing any travel arrangements. Both your home dialysis unit and the unit you will be visiting need to do a lot of work to help you have your vacation. Mike explains: “The centre to which I want to travel faxes a ‘travel package’ to my home centre usually requesting a recent chest x-ray, an electrocardiogram, the results of my most recent blood tests, and an MRSA nose swab test and another swab test to test for things like c-difficile. They also require a letter from a nephrologist with a brief summary of my condition.”

Medications and supplies

Make sure you have enough medications with you for the length of the trip (plus some extra in case there are travel delays). Be sure to carry a list of your medications with you. If you will be going through customs, it’s also a good idea, to carry a letter from your doctor stating you need to travel with these medications (and syringes, if you use them). Keep medications in their original containers or boxes with the pharmacy label so that security personnel can verify what is in the containers. Carry all medications with you just in case your luggage is misplaced or delayed.

More tips for visiting other hemodialysis clinics

A few days before your departure, confirm your hemodialysis schedule. Contact each unit again a day or two before your first appointment with them and give them a phone number where you can be reached, in case they need to reschedule your treatment.

Dialysis centres are often very busy places. Show them respect and courtesy. Be sure to arrive on time to avoid delays that will affect the people who dialyze there regularly.

Mike, who has received dialysis treatments in eight different centres while traveling over the last two and a half years, suggests going even further: “Write a thank you note to the nurse and staff of that centre to express your appreciation (or send a gift like an edible fruit arrangement after the treatment).”

Taking a trip while on dialysis may take a bit more preparation work, but what you get in return is priceless. “My advice is don’t be scared to travel,” offers Mike to anyone who might feel overwhelmed about going on a trip for the first time since starting dialysis. “It’s the feeling of freedom that I can see the world and continue living a full life that makes it desirable.”

Note: Suggestions made in this article may not be suitable for everyone. Please consult your doctor or members of your healthcare team before planning your travel. 