Travelling to the US from the UK

[TonyH]

 I have home dialysis on a nxt stage machine. I have done short trips with this in ths UK and it worked well. I am hoping to take it on a flight and have a holiday abroad next year. I was wondering if anyone from the UK had travelled to the USA with the machine. If so did you manage to organise delivery of the dialysate and the other bits and bobs needed.  I desperatly want to go back to America and am hoping it isnt going to be impossible.

[Bill Peckham]

Hi Tony - I think this would be the right place for this thread since it is a NxStage specific question. Hopefully the moderators will close down the other two threads because it can get confusing if people start answering in more than one spot.

I think the short answer is no. And I don't think anyone has gone the other way (from the US to Europe) without sending their own dialysate ahead (at their own expense).

I don't think the folks at NxStage have worked out how it is going to work. I think what they're imagining is that NxStagers traveling between America and Europe would dialyze as a visitor and be set up with their own kit at their destination - everything you need for a treatment would be supplied e.g. machine, cartridges, dialysate, needles, syringes. Then you'd pay a unit in country to be your holiday unit.

When you talk to NxStagers what we want is to take everything but the dialysate and we'd continue to be followed by our home unit. So travel abroad would be pretty much the same as any other holiday travel. I'd prefer it this way certainly but I think there is a billing question. Have you talked to your unit in the UK?

Someone has to be first to do this so keep pushing. You'll be plowing the way for all that want to follow.  Where do you want to visit in the US?

[TonyH]

Hi Bill - sorry for the multiple posts - I didn't know the best place to post. We are hoping to go to either Vegas or the West Coast. To be honest until we know if we can dialyse in the US we haven't given it too much thought. Nobody seems to be able to answer the question though. What I am hoping is Kimel UK will call Kimel US and ask for the supplies to be delivered. Then when someone travels the other way a telephone call can be made and the same thing happens. It sounds too easy so I am sure it will be far more difficult than that.

I will keep asking the question and if i get any reply will let you know.

[WfMonkey]

I live in the US and am in the process of organizing a transplant in the UK. What I'm learning rapidly is that most things are possible but you have to be VERY proactive and basically do the work for them. I've asked doctors across the pond to contact each other, and it just doesn't happen, but I've found that copying emails to both parties politely explaining what I want has yielded good results. Basically if you say "I want to do this but I don't know how" it goes nowhere because they don't know either and they are busy with stuff they do know how to do. If you say "I want this and I'd like you to do it this way" they either agree or suggest an alternative. Once you can get both parties emotionally involved in your case, most people are quite resourceful in trying to find a solution, so find a name, get and email address and build a relationship with that person; you will find a way to get it done.