Anyone do dialysis in Spain on Vacation??

[Lilu323]

Was thinking of going to Spain but I am a little worried about dialysis. Dont know what to do. Has anyone gone to Spain or Europe for dialysis??

[willieandwinnie]

Lilu, I have read up on this. Unfortunately you have to pay for your treatments out of pocket. Eurpope has some of the most advanced dialysis in the world. Just do a search for dialysis center where you want to go. Most of them have web sites. Good luck and let us know. 

[twirl]

I wish.

[okarol]

Here are some answers from Bill Peckham. http://www.speakeasy.org/~bpeckham/trvfaq.html
Hopefully he will see your question and have more suggestions.

[Lilu323]

ww thanks for the info. I will def. let you know. Okarol thanks also for the info..it helped a lot..

[Zach]

Here are some good sites:

Global Dialysis
http://www.globaldialysis.com/

Freedom The Dialysis Holiday Specialist UK
http://www.freedom-apartments.com/Destinations/Spain/

I've been to Spain on business, but traveled between treatments.

[florence]

I have been looking into this a lot.  And as others have said, most insurance policies require that you pay out of pocket.  Our insurance told us that since Medicare is the primary insurance, they would not cover anything Medicare does not cover (and Medicare does not cover international travel).  Aside from the cost (which I believe is around $500 a treatment), you can often book treatments at Fressinius (sp?) centers in Europe.  Let us know if you end up going -- I would love to hear about your experiences.

[Lilu323]

I know that one of global dialysis so I will check out that other site you mentioned. I might be going next summer so I will def. tell you guys all the details.I just now need to find a dialysis clinic in Madrid and Galicia (northern part of spain)..that are really good and up to date. If you guys find out any other info please pass it along. Thanks again for all your info and responses.

[florence]

Lilu --

Check out this site as well  -- http://www.hditravel.com/hdi/index.html.  This lists fresinius dialysis locations abroad.  They will make you a reservation in your chosen location.  They do not seem to have a center in Galicia, but you might as well ask because who knows how regularly they update the site. 

[Lilu323]

hey Florence went to the site right now that you gave me. I am going to give them a call. I have to postpone my trip until next summer now but I might go away for 4 days in december for my 30th birthday. I wanted to go to Punta Cana. I might just go from Friday to Monday and just go to dialysis on Tuesday. I dont want to do dialysis there. ..Hopefully the extra day without dialysis wont be so bad. Thanks again for the website!

[Ken Shelmerdine]

I will be taking my Baxter Cycler in November  to do PD in Lanzarote which is part a group of islands just off the north west coast of Africa known as the Canary Islands which is Spanish territory. After reading about all the hassles you have in countries with private medicine insurance  all I can say is thank God for the NHS.

I get my Baxter fluid and tubing cartridges delivered free to my destination address to arrive the day after I get there. All I have to take apart from the Baxter are small periferals such as minicaps, clamshells etc. All the organisation of delivery arrangements and paperwork are done free by my clinic. I think I heard Obama mention social medicine in one of his speeches. It's about time your skinflint medical insurance companies were taken into state ownership. 

[Lilu323]

Ken Lanzarote is beautiful. When I go to Spain next year I have insurance to cover for my sessions thank god bc. I know what you mean about hassle.After being an hour on the phone with punta cana for dialysis I just decided to skip it there.

[Bill Peckham]

Was thinking of going to Spain but I am a little worried about dialysis. Dont know what to do. Has anyone gone to Spain or Europe for dialysis??

I just saw this thread - I dialyzed in Seville, Madrid and Barcelona in 1998 and in Ibiza in 2004. Some of the best dialysis anywhere - though unlike northern Europe the staff may not be fluent in English. A little Spanish on your part would go a long way. Usually when someone hears my Spanish they realize their English is fine by comparison. For instance when I was in Mexico and spent December 31 wishing everyone a Happy New Year. People seemed to really appreciate my well wishes - I brought many smiles to people's faces. It was a doctor near the end of my run who explained the importance of enunciation; that I had been wishing people Happy New Anus.

[Zach]

Some of the best dialysis anywhere - though unlike northern Europe the staff may not be fluent in English. A little Spanish on your part would go a long way. Usually when someone hears my Spanish they realize their English is fine by comparison.

Years ago there was a multiple-page translation guide for people on hemodialysis who travel.  It listed about a dozen common questions one might asked during treatment, and it was in nine or ten different languages.  Do you know if that guide is still available ... perhaps on the "internets?"

[BigSteve]

Ken: Please let us know how it goes on your vacation in Spain. I am in training for PD and have wanted
to travel to Spain for may years. The Baxter materials says they want a lead time of 60 days for international
travel. Have you traveled with the cycler before?  Have fun, Steve.

[Ken Shelmerdine]

Hi Steve
Yes that's correct they usually ask for about three months notice but in reality two will do. Apart form the machine you have to take an isolation transformer to compensate for the voltage difference which is delivered to you by Baxters about 3 weeks before departure date. It weighs 13 kilos and straps  on to the flight case of the machine for transit but there's a new health and safety law in the UK to protect airport baggage handlers so it will have to be separated because the total weight exceeds 23 kilos which is now the limit for any one piece of luggage.

The support network sounds brilliant. I get an emergency 24 hour contact number if the machine breaks down  plus two days manual PD bags until they deliver a replacement and also the personal  contact number of of a Baxter Representative on the island.

You normally have to make arrangements with your destination address yourself to receive your delivery but since we are staying in an unoccupied villa I have had to arrange stock delivery for the day after we arrive. Luckily I can go a day or two without dialysis without any ill affects so 1 night without won't be a problem.

Not looking forward walking through that airport metal detector because the titanium thing on the catheter will probably cause the allarm to buzz.
I've been on CCPD for two years now and this is the 1st time I've taken the machine overseas. Roll on 2nd November.

[Bill Peckham]

Some of the best dialysis anywhere - though unlike northern Europe the staff may not be fluent in English. A little Spanish on your part would go a long way. Usually when someone hears my Spanish they realize their English is fine by comparison.

Years ago there was a multiple-page translation guide for people on hemodialysis who travel.  It listed about a dozen common questions one might asked during treatment, and it was in nine or ten different languages.  Do you know if that guide is still available ... perhaps on the "internets?"

I've seen this too - it was at the end of "The List" which is (was) a printed referance of dialysis units all across the world that take visitors. Here is the online version of The List but if the translation guide is in here I couldn't find it. It is possible that there are hard copies floating around - ask a unit social worker or travel coordinator. Even old versions from the 90s which would not be that useful for arranging dialysis would still have the timeless translation guide.