I said I would post about taking Enbrel abroad and how we managed to keep it at the right temperature so here it is.
It does say on the Enbrel drug information leaflet that the drug is OK out of the fridge for up to four weeks (not to be put back in the fridge at any time) as long as it is kept below 25 degrees (anyone who searching for information, please check if this advice is correct because it does change from time to time, information correct December 2012).
I phoned Manchester airport security and asked if I was allowed to take ice packs through security explaining that it was to keep temperature sensitive drugs cold and was told I could take as many ice packs with me that I needed.
I also emailed Monarch Airlines asking if I could take on board a small cool bag in addition to my normal carry on allowance and was told yes, as long as it was for carrying drugs only and it would have to be placed under the seat in front of me and I would have to have a letter dated no more that two weeks prior to flying from Consultant/GP about the drugs. With me just starting Enbrel I had requested a letter from my consultant a few weeks before so it wasn't a problem.
At check in they didn't ask for the letter and details of me taking the cool bag on board was on my booking details.
We set off for the airport at 2am and arrived in our apartment in Spain at around noon English time, so the drugs had been out of the fridge for about 10 hours and I don't think the temperature went above 5 degrees in all that time.
We purchased an insulated sandwich box........got it from Home Bargains and it didn't cost what it is on ebay.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/it...D160852304174%26ps%3D54
Asda flask
http://direct.asda.com/A...,pd.html?cm_vc=PPCXSLTP
and a couple of boxes of these
http://www.brendas.co.uk/product_p/5755.htm got these from Asda, they are small and fitted inside the flask and husband did manage to cut some in half.
The cool bag was put in the fridge the night before, we had bought some baby wipes from Home Bargains, 24 in a pack, they are in a light green packet. One was placed at the bottom of the cool bag, my husband taped together four packs to make a jacket to go around the Enbrel box and we then placed one on top of the Enbrel box when everything was placed in the cool bag. Husband said that we had to make sure that everything was tightly packed to help keep the temperature. Healthcare at home had sent me a digital thermometer (free of charge). It has a probe attached to a length of wire that is attached to the digital read out. The probe was put in the Enbrel box, next to the bottom of the syringes that contained the drug and the temperature gauge obviously was secured on the outside of the cool bag, it's got an alarm, so this was set at the minimum temperature we wanted the drug to go to and the maximum. With the temp. display being outside the cool box it was so easy to see and there was no unzipping the cool bag letting in hot air to keep checking the temperature. When everything was in place an ice pack was put inbetween the wipes and the side of the cool bag (found out before hand that if it was put straight into the middle of the cool bag the temperature went down too quickly). The rest of the ice packs went in the vacuum flask and off we went. I then had to keep an eye on it and moved the ice back to the middle of the bag when necessary. I think I only had to put some more ice packs in when we where on the plane. The rest of the ice packs were still frozen when we arrived in the apartment.
We took loads of spare ice packs with us because you have to plan flight delays or anything else that can happen to make your journey longer, rather take too many than not enough. We went on a flight Nov 2010, flight delayed around three hours, plane finally took off, me thinking we will be in Gibraltar in about three hours time................some seven hours later we finally got there.........that's another story!
