Travel Tips anyone?

[Sue10]

I will be travelling by plane for the first time since my IC diagnoses almost 2 years ago. Although my IC is so much better controlled now I am nervous what the plane ride will do to my bladder.
I remember awhile ago someone put some travel tips out there but I can't find the message.
Does anyone have tips on how to manage your IC while travelling. I don't want to cause a flare.

I am proud to say that I never thought I would be travelling again after experiencing the pain I had 2 years ago. I hope this gives you newbies some hope that it can happen to you too.

Thanks for any advise.

[kadi]

Hi there,
I'm not sure where you're going or how long your trip will be, but I'll repost here my trip suggestions from last summer, so anyone reading will have all my tips, ok?

Last summer I went to Spain from California. The flights were 21 hours total. My IC is not mild & this was quite challenging. The trip was 25 days (plus 2 days transit) I think the trip was worth it in spite of the difficulties. Here are some things I learned...

1. If you carry instillation supplies:
The TSA website says you can ask for a private screening of your medical supplies - well, none of the 4 airport security stations I had to go through provided that. I was told to place my supplies in a bin & get in line with everyone else.
So, tips: pack the instillation supplies in clear plastic bags with all their labels facing up. Make sure each item has a prescription label with your name on it. Show security doctor's letter itemizing each item as medically necessary. Every single item is likely to be checked & questioned. (The KY jelly was questioned each time in spite of being listed as medically necessary on the letter. Fortunately I'm beyond embarrassment & just explained about lubricating the catheters.)

In all the airports, I needed extra time because supervisors were called over to inspect each item as well. In the large international airports where I was likely to miss a flight & cause a major backup in the line, I was allowed to go through the handicapped line which was shorter. I still ended up sprinting for my planes due to late arrival of my first flight, then extended security check time because of my meds. So plan more time than the airlines say you need.

2. Do not wear the stick-on heating pad through security! I set off the alarm in both the walk through & the wand security check & as I was so late for a flight, when I realized what the problem was, I had to unzip my pants & pull it off in front of God & everyone.

3. Talk with your pharmacist before you go about timing your medications to use extra during the flights & to manage the time differences. With a 9 hour time difference between California & Spain, I was able to take most of my meds right before the trans-Atlantic flight & sleep most of the way. I was actually pretty comfortable. GET AN AISLE SEAT so you can go to the bathroom as often as you can without having to contort yourself in & out of the seats (and annoying your seatmates).

4. Take extra medications with you. I got a bladder infection while on my trip, which led into a pretty awful flare. Fortunately I had brought UTI test kits & antibiotics with me, so that was ok. But, I'd never had such a stubborn flare before & I used more Darvocet than usual & while the ER doctors there were willing to prescribe me more for the rest of my trip, the hospital pharmacist looked it up & found that it was unavailable in Spain. I took extra with me, but it wasn't enough.

5. Take the original medication pill bottles with you. Medications have different names in other countries & the doctors can help you best if you have the bottle with you & they can look up the formal name (rather than the brand names we call them in the US).

6. Make a flare plan with your doctor before you go. I did not do this & ended up calling my mom to call my doctor when I ended up in a massive flare & without enough Darvocet. He was able to adjust my instillation formula to make it stronger & told me to do up to 3 a day. This saved the last week of my trip from being a complete disaster. If I'd had this conversation before I went, it would have saved me several days of serious discomfort as well as the phone call to my mom who was quite upset that I was sick overseas.

7. Very important, & maybe this should be tip #1.... Bring some means of dealing with constipation with you. I was prepared for traveller's diarrhea, but was not prepared for its evil opposite. It took trips to 3 different grocery stores to find oatmeal. Due to the high temperatures in that part of Spain in the summer, there were very few vegetables available & some grew gray mold in my fridge within hours of coming home from the store. I ate canned corn & carrots mainly for vegetables. I could not find any IC friendly salad dressing, nor could I find cottage cheese, pear or blueberry juice to make one. The lettuce was too bitter to eat with just oil. Colace was not available in Spain. I could not take milk of magnesia because I was on antibiotics (bad interaction), so I ended up using enemas for 10 days. Not good.

8. Consider renting an apartment for your trip. I did this through the language school I attended. This gave me a kitchen for cooking IC-friendly meals, which was great. My IC is very diet-sensitive & restaurant food would have been a disaster. Also by renting the apt from the language school, I had really nice roommates & people who were aware when I was ill, so I was not isolated.

All of this said...
I had a good time. I took each day as an individual unit & on the days I felt good, I did lots of nice things (shopping, museum, or walk on the beach). On the days I didn't feel good, I relaxed on the terrace of my rented apartment & looked at the Mediterranean. I made lots of friends at the international language school I attended, some of whom have emailed me from their countries on return (Russia, Italy, Canada, Germany).
It was not easy, but I made the best of it & I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out.

Wherever you all go, bon voyage!

[VickiB]

Wow Kadi, lots of good points you covered here! I never thought about the potential for problems if one is carrying medical supplies!

I just returned yesterday from my latest excursion, had good flights and my IC behaved, but doggone it, it's hard to come bad to this cool weather! BRRR!

My suggestions for IC friendly flying would start with wearing very comfortable clothing. Nothing that will bind at the waist or put pressure on your bladder.

Be extra vigilant about diet in the days leading up to your flight.

They won't let you take a bottle of water through security, so once through, hit the news stands or eateries to find water. Sometimes it takes checking multiple places to find a suitable brand. I sip on this the entire time, because I've found the worst thing I can do is to allow my urine to get concentrated.

I always bring small packs of crackers in my carry-on and they've never said a thing about it. Some of the snacks available at the news stands may be IC friendly for you too. Peanuts which airlines tend to hand out are not necessarily IC friendly!

Pack your meds in your carry on, making sure they're in their original containers with labels. Also, include whatever you use to treat treat flares. For me that means Uristat or AZO, and panty liners/pads.

If possible, plan your flights to be IC friendly. This may be a personal thing, but I've found I like to have a short layover on long flights rather than fly nonstop. It's like my bladder appreciates the break! Choose times when the airport is less busy and the flights not so full. In my area that's first thing in the morning. Depending on your destination, there may be an optimal time to be flying in when everybody else is flying out and vice versa!

And most of all, have a great time!

Vicki

[Sue10]

Thank you for all that great advise! Some things I never even thought of before. My flight is only 3 hours so I hoping everything will be okay.
I get really dizzy and nauseous from the turbulance. I wonder if Gravel's okay to take? I am on Elmiron and wonder about interactions. I don't want to try something new while I am away. I may have to call my doctor about that one.

Thanks again!

[SharonA]

You should call your prescribing doctor or your pharmacist and discuses interactions.

I hope you have a wonderful trip. :):):)