Finding Supplies While Traveling

I just spent an awesome week in Orlando, Florida with my son and husband, and of course, I had cycler problems!! Thank goodness we had taken a box of manual bags, "just in case" The third night we were there, I had an alarm about four hours after I connected, and it was still on the FIRST DRAIN! So I called the tech number on the side of the machine (I was NOT going to call my nurse at 2:30 a.m., I actually like her), and they told me it was probably the tubing, so I needed to change that and the bags. Ok, I was not going to start an 8.5 hour treatment at 3:15 a.m., and I had no way to heat new bags, anyway (the room had a microwave, but it was not big enough to hold the bags), so I decided to disconnect and just do manuals the next day instead.

Next morning, I started making phone calls trying to replace the extra supplies I had used, because we were now going to be staying an extra day. First, I called the usual number I call for getting my supply order placed, and they gave me an 800 number, which was a dialysis center finder for the Orlando area. I use Fresenius, it was a Davita number

! Of course they only had Davita clinics and the first one they gave me didn't even do PD!! I finally located a local Fresenius number, but it was the warehouse, and they couldn't help me without getting the OK from my nurse, so I called them and explained the situation (different nurse than the one I really like). After about four hours, I finally got a call back, saying, OK, go pick it up. But John from the warehouse lived about five miles from the hotel I was staying at, and had originally said that he would bring it to me, but my nurse wouldn't allow that

so we had to go find the warehouse, which was about twenty miles away.

All in all, not a great experience...lots of superfluous phone calls and running around and people not knowing how to help (apparently dialysis patients aren't supposed to travel, after all!!!). However, if you're on Fresenius and need supplies in the Orlando area, John at the warehouse is incredibly nice and helps as much as his job limitations will allow.