peritoneal dialysis and air travel
Jul 27, 2015, 4:45 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 1
peritoneal dialysis and air travel
Hi All,
Hope that you are well! Does anyone have any tips for air travel while on peritoneal dialysis? This is my first time traveling while on peritoneal dialysis and it is an international flight. I will be bringing the dialysis machine with me and the solution bags (only 2 days worth). I have a doctor's note and was wondering if there was anything else I should bring or be aware of? Are people generally OK with bringing their dialysis supplies on as a carry-on? Thanks very much for your help! :-:
Hope that you are well! Does anyone have any tips for air travel while on peritoneal dialysis? This is my first time traveling while on peritoneal dialysis and it is an international flight. I will be bringing the dialysis machine with me and the solution bags (only 2 days worth). I have a doctor's note and was wondering if there was anything else I should bring or be aware of? Are people generally OK with bringing their dialysis supplies on as a carry-on? Thanks very much for your help! :-:
Jul 29, 2015, 1:40 am
#2
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Atherton, CA
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Owner, Green Bay Packers
Posts: 21,690
I might consider bringing more than 2 days worth of supplies unless you have a direct flight. You never know what could happen if your flight is late and you miss connections, or are diverted.
Bring your doctor's note describing the supplies, and go to the airport a little early in case security has a hard time understanding.
Medical supplies can be carried on. Again, it is possible the gate agent might need a bit of education.
Are you doing continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis, and if so, how big is your machine? You might want to contact the airline to try to get a bulkhead seat if in economy so you have more room and privacy and need to run the machine during the flight. I assume the machine has batteries; if not you may need to talk to the airline about power.
I'm sure your trip will go well.
Doc
Bring your doctor's note describing the supplies, and go to the airport a little early in case security has a hard time understanding.
Medical supplies can be carried on. Again, it is possible the gate agent might need a bit of education.
Are you doing continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis, and if so, how big is your machine? You might want to contact the airline to try to get a bulkhead seat if in economy so you have more room and privacy and need to run the machine during the flight. I assume the machine has batteries; if not you may need to talk to the airline about power.
I'm sure your trip will go well.
Doc
Apr 21, 2017, 8:36 pm
#3
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: DL, UA, SPG, HH
Posts: 113
As some who recently started PD, I looked for information about flying/traveling while on PD and found this thread. I am wrapping up a week long trip so I figured I'd add what I found.
I took my cycler with me, I have the Baxter Amia which I ended up buying an 18" upright rolling bag to carry. My clinic lent me a case but it is a case designed for the older cycler (HomeChoice Pro) and I was concerned that it would not fit in the overhead. I have a letter from Baxter to give to TSA describing what the machine is. The letter also clearly states that the cycler has a lithium battery so per FAA regs, it should not be checked.
Baxter will drop ship solution to our hotel which some advance notice. Generally you need to provide them with your hotel reservation's confirmation number and then either they will ship or have a driver drop off boxes of solution. Note that you need to bring supplies with you (drain bags, cassettes, minicaps, etc). This is mainly because the supplies are shipped in quantities of 30 so unless you are traveling for a month, they're not going to drop ship you 30x of supplies for a week.
I opted to ship most of the supplies ahead of time. I shipped it FedEx Ground. As FedEx may get delayed or missing shipments, I did pack a couple of cassettes and all my minicaps in my carry on. I also put a couple bags of solution into my checked luggage. It's unclear to me whether or not TSA would allow you to carry on bags of solution. They are medical supplies but given that the agents who screened were unsure about my cycler, I'm not confident that an unknowing agent wouldn't throw out the solution.
Prior to travel, I called Delta's Disability Desk to inform them I'd be carrying my cycler. As a result, my reservation was flagged medical request and I was unable to check in online or at the kiosk. I had to check in with an agent which given the reduced number of check in agents means that you need to factor in additional time to wait. Frustratingly, there was nothing special about my check in once I got there. Makes me think that in future, I won't be calling them.
Additionally, you should plan for additional time to go through security. I have TSA PreCheck so I didn't have to remove my shoes or go through the microwave machine. However, my cycler was subject to secondary screening and I was patted down as a result. I've been told that the betadine that are used in the minicaps can leave residue on the cycler which when swabbed for explosives could yield a false positive. The TSA agent was very respectful and I informed him that I had a catheter in my abdominal area during the pat down. Not the end of the world, but just bear in mind that you need to allot more time for screening.
That's probably the biggest adjustment to traveling with PD, you can't travel light anymore and you certainly can't go from curb to gate in 10 minutes.
I took my cycler with me, I have the Baxter Amia which I ended up buying an 18" upright rolling bag to carry. My clinic lent me a case but it is a case designed for the older cycler (HomeChoice Pro) and I was concerned that it would not fit in the overhead. I have a letter from Baxter to give to TSA describing what the machine is. The letter also clearly states that the cycler has a lithium battery so per FAA regs, it should not be checked.
Baxter will drop ship solution to our hotel which some advance notice. Generally you need to provide them with your hotel reservation's confirmation number and then either they will ship or have a driver drop off boxes of solution. Note that you need to bring supplies with you (drain bags, cassettes, minicaps, etc). This is mainly because the supplies are shipped in quantities of 30 so unless you are traveling for a month, they're not going to drop ship you 30x of supplies for a week.
I opted to ship most of the supplies ahead of time. I shipped it FedEx Ground. As FedEx may get delayed or missing shipments, I did pack a couple of cassettes and all my minicaps in my carry on. I also put a couple bags of solution into my checked luggage. It's unclear to me whether or not TSA would allow you to carry on bags of solution. They are medical supplies but given that the agents who screened were unsure about my cycler, I'm not confident that an unknowing agent wouldn't throw out the solution.
Prior to travel, I called Delta's Disability Desk to inform them I'd be carrying my cycler. As a result, my reservation was flagged medical request and I was unable to check in online or at the kiosk. I had to check in with an agent which given the reduced number of check in agents means that you need to factor in additional time to wait. Frustratingly, there was nothing special about my check in once I got there. Makes me think that in future, I won't be calling them.
Additionally, you should plan for additional time to go through security. I have TSA PreCheck so I didn't have to remove my shoes or go through the microwave machine. However, my cycler was subject to secondary screening and I was patted down as a result. I've been told that the betadine that are used in the minicaps can leave residue on the cycler which when swabbed for explosives could yield a false positive. The TSA agent was very respectful and I informed him that I had a catheter in my abdominal area during the pat down. Not the end of the world, but just bear in mind that you need to allot more time for screening.
That's probably the biggest adjustment to traveling with PD, you can't travel light anymore and you certainly can't go from curb to gate in 10 minutes.
Aug 7, 2017, 7:15 pm
#5
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: SF, CA USA
Programs: UA 1K MM, RCC, PreChk , Hertz 5* Gold, HH Silver, SPG Gold thx to Amex Plat
Posts: 490
Travel with PD Cycler
Since starting PD in Aug, I have travelled domstically twice in the US with my PD Home Choice Pro cycler. It fit nicely in a Pelican 1610 case (with foam to minimize movement), and the case seems sturdy enough to be checked. It will not fit in the cabin, either overhead or closet. It's too large and heavy (45-50 lbs total).
TSA locks did not matter. The first time I checked it in, I installed 2 TSA-approved locks. They were broken off on the outbound. I added 2 more for the return, and they were broken off as well. For my second trip, I left the case unlocked and the machine was fine.
I've also used United's Baggage collection service and it worked out well. UA picked up the checked luggage and delivered it to my hotel within 2 hrs of my checkin.
The solution bags were shipped by Baxter to the designated hotel, and they need a minimum of 2 weeks notice for domestic 48-state travel. I called the hotel prior to arrival to alert them about the shipment from Baxter that needs to be held for me. All other ancillary PD supplies were packed separately and checked in.
Next month will be my first int'l trip, this time with manual PD. So no machine (and voltage/power issues) to worry about.
TSA locks did not matter. The first time I checked it in, I installed 2 TSA-approved locks. They were broken off on the outbound. I added 2 more for the return, and they were broken off as well. For my second trip, I left the case unlocked and the machine was fine.
I've also used United's Baggage collection service and it worked out well. UA picked up the checked luggage and delivered it to my hotel within 2 hrs of my checkin.
The solution bags were shipped by Baxter to the designated hotel, and they need a minimum of 2 weeks notice for domestic 48-state travel. I called the hotel prior to arrival to alert them about the shipment from Baxter that needs to be held for me. All other ancillary PD supplies were packed separately and checked in.
Next month will be my first int'l trip, this time with manual PD. So no machine (and voltage/power issues) to worry about.