Travelling provides an opportunity to experience cultures and places we never thought existed. Travelling with CF can be a whole new world. Adam shares his experiences with us.
Tell us about your travels?
I’ve travelled to a few places; my biggest trip was a 13 week around the work ticket where I went to 25-30 cities, travelling through Japan, Europe and mainly Italy. I travelled with my fiancé, proposing to her on this trip.
What sorts of things were helpful in preparing for travel?
I was living in Melbourne at the time and was being treated by the team at The Alfred. I wasn’t unwell beforehand, but had a two week admission just before leaving on my trip just to make sure I was in the best health possible. I actually got healthier while I was away because I was more active. When I was in hospital they simulated flight conditions by reducing oxygen levels by 25%. This was a test conducted to see how my body would cope with long haul flights.
With my personal preparation I would like to say that I exercised more, but I didn’t, however as a bi product of saving money for the trip I stopped going out so much, cut back on alcohol and slept better hours. This gave me more energy and I felt healthier. I have always been pretty good with my physio and general treatment, especially pulmozyme which I take religiously every day so I didn’t really do anything different there.
When travelling with CF, what do you need?
You need to take everything that you would normally take at home, so for me a three month supply of medications. I was told to take tobramycin one month after my departure date which I did. Taking the pulmozyme was a bit difficult for long flights because it needs refrigeration. I would recommend a medical grade ice pack. I chose not to engage the airline regarding the pulmozyme before departure because the medication isn’t for an acute illness and they usually don’t want to take ownership of the medications. In my situation, I spoke to the head steward on each individual flight and requested it be put into the fridge, which they did, they also put the ice pack in the freezer.
It’s also a good idea to have a letter and a script for each drug showing that you’ve been prescribed it. My letter had contacts for all of my treating team and a patient summary in case I needed hospitalisation.
Did you have any issues with customs or flight officials?
I had no issues with customs or flight officials. I had all my medications and my nebuliser in my carry on luggage. I showed them the letter from my treating clinic that I had CF and required these medications and they just ushered me through, no problems. This was in 2007 though, perhaps things may have changed? I did try at all times to be proactive and advise officials of the contents of the bag which contained my meds before they scanned it and they were always receptive.
Getting medication or treatment in other countries?
There are reciprocal policies in other countries, but not all, so it’s important that you check before hand. If you’re travelling in Europe, although there are reciprocal policies in some countries, they still say go to England if it’s safe to do so because their treating clinics are very similar to ours. The tubing on my nebuliser broke and I went into a paediatric clinic in the UK and explained what I wanted. The nurse immediately accessed some more tubing and simply gave it to me.
Did you have any health issues when you were away?
I got travel insurance for everything else other than CF. In Japan I got bitten by an insect and my leg became infected. I saw a Dr who advised me to go on antibiotics, which I had started in anticipation (cipro) and it eventually healed up and I made an insurance claim back in Australia.
I also had a small bout of haemoptysis which was a bit scary as it’s not something that had really happened before. This happened at a place called Lake Como in Italy. I went to a pharmacy and explained that I have CF and had started to cough up blood and asked for tranexamic acid. This goes by the same name in Italy and the pharmacist was happy to supply some to me. I would definitely pack some next time I travel purely because it was the one event the medical team and I didn’t account for in terms of my vulnerabilities arising from CF.
Mental preparation
I feel I have a lot of resolve. Some people do say negative things and worry that things might go wrong; it’s fair to say I don’t have an inclination towards this type of outlook. It’s important to balance the possible negatives and keep realistic about preparing properly. Things will happen when you travel, stay in the moment, don’t panic, isolate the situation and think about how you can solve it. One of the great things about travelling is that unexpected things do happen, you can’t control things, the key is in the preparation.
Article from RED Magazine, Winter Edition, 2014.