Hi Shirley

I'll have this dilemma in April too. I start Humira on Monday. I was wondering about missing a week - and whether that would matter too much! It also relies on the hotel room having a fridge!

Anne

Hi Shirley

I travelled down to the Caribbean with my Humira.
I used a normal sandwich coolbag with 2 ice blocks plus I bought a Frio syringe cool bag, they are used by diabetics.

We travelled down to Gatwick, I had it put in the fridge overnight at the hotel, They also froze the iceblocks again for me. In the morning I retreaved it, and we went to check in, I had letters from my Rheumy as well as Healthcare at Home to carry with me so as I could go through security with no problems.

On the plane it stayed with us in the side pocket by our seat. Again as we had the letters we were fast tracked through security and passport control we arived at our hotel room approx 12 hours after leaving the UK. I took my precious cargoit out of its little Frio bag and popped it in the fridge perfect.


Health care will do a letter for you and also your rheumy nurse will have them ready prepared just to fill in the personal details.

I am happy to talk to you if you would like to find out a bit more, I do travel quite a bit as you might have guessed by my profile name.
please just send me a mesage.
[url=http://www.friouk.com]

with best wishes

Travelgirl AKa Tricia

Hi Anne

Always worth taking a good supply of extra meds wherever you go on holiday ... you never know! Make sure if travelling abroad that you have all the correct paperwork for injections being imported, and tablets etc. are in their original packaging with the instruction leaflet if possible. This can be very helpful in an emergency as I found last year!

Lyn x

Thanks everyone for your replies. I contacted frio and as you said Sally they advised me that their products weren't suitable. I think i will take a cool bag and ice blocks to store the Humira.

Love Shirley x

Hi

When I spoke to Health Care pharmacy, they told me about Frio, as I use syrimnges not the pens the cold from the frio plus the ice blocks did the trick, we had a thermometer in the bag ( a fridge one).

Regarding taking spare, my RNP wrote me a prescription I could give to a hospital just in case of. I did wonder what might have happened if I did flare as I had the previous year after returning from Tunisia.
My advise is to don't do too much especially if its hot. Don't go out in the Mid day sun.

If anyone is flying out of Gatwick the Hilton Hotel offers a free coldbag refreeze and will put your syringes or pens in the fridge which is in a locked security room. The will then return in the morning. Fab service as wewere wondering where we would get the ice blocks from.

Best wishes

tricia

I hope you don't mind me taking over your thread but my query is sort of related. I am travelling for the first time with methotrexate syringe (at least I don't have to keep it at the right temperature). My rheumy nurse said I should still pack it in my hand luggage - is this correct? Also my home health care service have provided a letter and a travel sharps bin. On the way home do I pack the sharps bin in my checked in lugguage or do I need to find someone to dispose of it before we travel home?

I'd appreciate any tips from people who have experience of travelling with injectable meds and I hope you don't mind me adding to this thread.

Becky

Hi ladies

You can put your sharps bin in the hold luggage on the way home. If you don't like that idea you will have to leave it at a hospital or pharmacy in your holiday location, in Europe you can use the E111, I can't remember the new name of the card gosh, is that age or RA, or I've been at home too long on the sick.

So Europe as we have a recipracal agreement I'm sure they would take them obviously make sure its shut properly.

I'm not sure if any of you are aware but if you are going to a country that has Muslim religion you should be very careful taking any medicine that are narcotic, Codeine, Morphine are probably the main culprits (any one medical please join in to complete a list)

You must take the original prescription that has the same date as the label on the dispensed item. A letter from your Dr or Consultant to list the medications and also if you are taking injections a letter to tell the security people what they are and how they can treat them.

I had a bit of a battle in Gatwick last year with my Humira as they didn't believe it should not go through the xray even though the pharacist from Healthcare at Home had included that in his information letter. Anyway I stood my ground and they swabbed it for explosives etc and let it through. Mr Security then pulled my husband and I over to search my hand luggage, it took him 25 minutes because he had to check each item against the prescriptions. I nearly laughed as he was getting quite flustered with everything, he had 13 items to troll through for a 3 week holiday.
By the way if you were going out of the country for 3 months and taking all your supplies check with FCO that you don't need a licence for the country you are going to, sounds terrifying but quite an easy process.

By the way I don't think I explained the coolbox effect we made to carry my Humira last year.

so large sandwich lunch bag (Lakeland) 2 small blue freezer blocks and a 2 medium frio coolbags for my 3 Humira syringes I kept them in there plastic container.

We froze the blocks and had timed that they lasted about 8 hours, the frio stayed cool for 24 hours we put the complete packaged syringes in the frios put the blocks in and put newspaper in so the coolblocks didn't touch the frios but just kept the whole area fridge like.

I must admit I was extremly wary and when it came to the Thursday Humira day and we had flown out on the Saturday, but no problems and I didn't feel that the drug had changed or that the benefit I had depreciated.
By the way I travelled half a dozen more times last year and carried my humira that way.
Ufortuantly 8 months later Humira is failing even though I still am on it weekly. So anyone want to borrow a frio bag? I may need it back to use for something else


best wishes

Tricia Aka Travelgirl wings clipped

To Sally - There must be different types of methotrexate syringes as I double checked before my first delivery and was told it didn't need keeping in the fridge and when I was talking to my rheumy nurse about going away she said to pack it in a rigid container in my hand luggage - no mention of ice blocks or coolbags.

I think I am all sorted for my trip now - thank you for all tips and advice.

Becky

Thanks to all for some good tips. I just started Cimzia today and discovered that I need to take a dose with me when we travel to the States in April and it will be around 12 hours out of the fridge. I was advised by the Home Care nurse that the airline would put the pack in their fridge to keep it at +4 to +8 degrees on the plane...I phoned the airline and of course they said no - it's food only. So my Lakeland lunch cooler, freezer blocks & newspaper will come in handy. Thanks again. Janice.