I have seen so much great advice here over the years- maybe someone out there has a solution for this one.
My son is going to Nicaragua with a school group for 2 weeks right when school ends. From there, he is traveling directly to Europe to meet up with a group of friends so they can backpack/hostel for about 4 weeks. He uses an injectible medication once a week that has to be refrigerated and we have not come up with a way for him to carry the meds with him and keep them stable while in Europe. They will primarily use hostels and have no real set schedule as to where they will be from day to day. He is not planning the trip, so can’t really dictate a schedule. His current plan is to just not use his meds while in Europe- his condition is not life threatening, but I know from experience that he will not be able to move well within a few days after missing a shot- not a good thing when walking a lot and carrying a backpack. Has anyone out there dealt with something similar and figured out a way to carry refrigerated meds???
My H also has a refrigerated medicine (enbrel). Two things.
The last time we traveled we received a refrigerated traveling pack from enbrel support and that was really nice. But we were staying in a condo so once we got there we had access to a refrigerator.
Don’t know what medicine he on, but from what I’ve read enbrel no longer has to be refrigerated, so maybe you could check and see what the medicine he’s on. Maybe it’s changed but that’s a shot in the dark.
I know when my nephew was on medicine that needed to be refrigerated and he took his daily, they called the hotel and asked for a medical refrigerator. But that doesn’t sound practical in this case.
Also H will double up on his medicine before a trip, that’s what our doctor recommended. But I don’t think that works well and he feels worse as the week goes on. That’s why we traveled with it last time and seemed to work better.
Hopefully others have better ideas than I do. Mine kinda stink lol!
I am shocked that there are not many options like this available! How hard is it to build a small peltier cooler? I’m sure there are power outlets in the hostels…
also make sure he gets health/evacuation insurance.
it is cheap to buy but a must have.
I have purchased insurance from https://www.medexassist.com/
for family traveling outbound from the united states as well as family coming to the united states to visit.
We have several vacuum insulated travel mugs and they insulate ridiculously well. Sealed up, I bet they’d keep ice for over 24 hours. So if there’s no fridge your S can hopefully find ice at least every couple of days (e.g. ice from a soda machine in a fast food restaurant or gas station even) to replenish the tumbler.
Thanks for the suggestions! @deb922- son is on Humira so same thing. It is OK to go for a while at room temp, but the manufacturer recommends against prolonged warm temps. Depending on where they are in Europe, it could get pretty hot. He has a refrigerated pack for traveling, but for hostels and backpacking, it’s probably not feasable. He also has the water activated cooling sleeve, but again it probably won’t work for long term. Doubling up on the meds won’t work as he will be gone too long.
@bunsenburner- he has looked at similar coolers, but is shying away from them due to weight. They are around 4 # and that is 1/5 of the total weight he likes to carry. To me, it is a needed item- to him it is extra weight. They also might be camping with another bunch of friends they may meet up with so might not always have access to electricity.
@zobroward- Great suggestion on the travel insurance. We actually already have a plan and it is well worth the expense to be able to get back to the States for treatment!!!
I will look into the ice suggestion- the Humira can not be frozen, but placing it on ice may be OK. Time to give the pharmacy a call- maybe they will have suggestions. Thank you everyone!
Thanks @martharap- we have the Frio packs too and they are great but according to the nurse will not keep the meds cold enough over such a long period. They are wonderful for regular travel though- he has used them for overseas travel where he has access to refrigeration on the other end.
My son traveled to Europe with his Humira in a Polar medical cooler which is obviously too big for your son’s needs. He had a long day of travel and they told him to wrap the Humira boxes in bubble wrap to protect them from freezing and then keep refilling the cooler with ice. He brought Ziploc bags with him and asked for ice at the airport or on the plane.
One thing that I would definitely recommend is a thermometer where one part goes in the cooler and one part stays with him so he can make sure the temperature of the Humira stays in the correct range.
Would NOT count on getting the Humira in Europe. My son ended up extending his stay over the summer and he had only brought enough Humira for the semester. He got the total runaround for weeks - was passed along from one doctor to another, hospital to pharmacy, and no one seemed to know what to do to get him this medication. He finally gave up and went without it. This was in Copenhagen.
The good news is that with the Humira, he was able to get back on it with no trouble once he got home. Took a few months, but eventually his IBD got back under control.