I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Traveling Tips and Stories => Topic started by: mcclane on August 27, 2011, 11:48:58 AM
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just abit of background, when i was on pd, we would travel once a year, whether it be cruises or what have you. It was simple, I would let baxter know of my itinerary, they would organize the shipment of the pd bags, and when i arrived at my destination, the pd bags were there waiting for me.
only thing i had to bring was items like mini caps, clamps, bandages (for the pd catheter - showering), tapes, and a collapsible iv pole.
when the doctor told me i could no longer do pd but do hemo, i was devastated. my first thought was : our traveling is now over.
but after talking to the social worker, the nurses, and reading the posts of others who have traveled on hemo, my wife and I decided we're gonna do it, we're going to go somewhere.
we're looking at 6 days in seattle. we're familiar with the city, so we thought this would be a good test to see how treatments go. if it goes well, we may decide to look at other cities.
It'll be a first, i've never been to a US health care facility, so one of the things that i'm prepared for is the bill at the end of the treatment.
i've already started to make arrangements with 2 dialysis centers : northwest kidney centre and davita. Only reason i put my name on 2 is that neither place could confirm a spot for the date requested (mid november). both said something about the 'schedule' is not ready yet for the month of november. NKC indicated that they would get a better idea next month (sept), while davita told me they would know for sure a month before my requested date (mid oct).
we like to book our accomodations/flights early, but this really puts us in a bind. do we book the accomodations/flights now or wait ? I have a hunch they'll get me in, it is a matter of where and what time.
another issue i was wondering about : can i bring some of the supplies to the centre ? my hospital provides me with all i need to do dialysis, if i can bring some of the stuff to the centre, hopefully that can lower the final bill ?
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I haven't an answer to a single question, but I applaud you for jumping in and getting back to doing the things you love. We Yanks like to make everything so damned complicated, but I know that with persistence, you'll get the job done.
My mom, when she was on inclinic hemo, travelled all over the country to see various family members, and I don't remember her bringing specific supplies except for her spray-on anesthetic (for which she had to pay out of pocket, anyway), so for someone coming from Canada, I don't know what the deal is. But I'm sure you are not the first Canadian to dialyze in the US, so do you think your social worker might have the answer to that particular question?
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:clap;
You go, mcclane!
I say book it and don't worry (or if you worry, there's flight insurance and refundable tickets, and hotel reservations are easy to change). There are 7 DaVitas within a 25 mile radius of Seattle and 5 Northwest Kidney Centers (Bill Peckham should have info on the NKCs). One of these has gotta have a spot for you.
We have traveled a lot since my brother started dialysis almost 9 years ago, dialyzing in 8 other states in the southwest, northeast and southeast, and one other country (Guatemala) and in 4 Florida locations (our home state) from Pensacola to Miami. The centers will never confirm availability early but they would always tell us whether or not they were typically able to accommodate travelers. Also, the time slot info was never available until the week before because they had to set their schedule. But we have never had a problem!
Do it and have a blast, born to roam!
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Go for it! There are many members here that can tell you more about the Seattle centers. I don't have answers either, but I wanted to encourage you to go. Claim your wander lust and have an adventure. Very excited for you. :2thumbsup;
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thanks for the encouragements !!
I know that I'll have to pay out of my own pocket first. My social worker told me that our provincial gov't will reimburse (Alberta Health and Wellness) up to $529 per dialysis treatment. Anything above that is out of my own pocket, but that extra amount i can claim on my income tax. The Southern Alberta Kidney Foundation will also loan you the cash (again, up to $529 per treatment), so it won't be a huge financial burden. I've been told it will take at least 3 months for the provincial gov't to send you a cheque, and if i take out the loan, i then pay the kidney foundation back at that time (no interest).
I can forsee one huge challenge : the restrictive diet !! I have a bad see food diet, i see food, i eat it. :rofl; :rofl; :rofl;
Because I'm only doing one run while we're there, it will be tough for me to limit my diet, but i know it must be done (that goes for fluid intake too). Right now, I guzzle close to 2 L a day (thanks to daily hemo), so i can get away with increased fluid intake.
with the wealth of information on this site, i decided i'm not going to let hemo strangle what i loved to do, which is travel. True, it maybe a challenge, but i'm determined to overcome it.
If this seattle trip goes well, we're going to take a look at vegas next.
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Vegas is particularly easy. As a tourist mecca, its dialysis units cater to tourists!
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As a Canadian who's traveled to the States on hemo, I'll tell you this; if there's anything that your home unit provides besides the treatment itself (drinks, blankets, bandaids) take them with you, as most likely, the center there will not provide it. I learned this the hard way. I was lucky, I happened to have some bandaids of my own with me, r else I would have just had gauze and tape on my sites
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I really hope that you continue to post about your experiences. My husband has been on PD, we take a few vacations a year and it works well. Now he's waiting for a fistula, planning on home hemo but with no NxStage in Canada we thought that would be it.
His team has been very suportive. One thought is to perhaps keep his PD tube in, keep it viable and he could do PD while he's on vacation with maybe one hemo centre run planned. I think they're going to do that through until he's doing home hemo, maybe do a test run or see how it goes.
But we too are determined to not stop travelling. BTW, we live in British Columbia, neighbour, so are in the same boat with having to pay up front but getting it reimbursed. And we've been told to that the hospital will provide quite a bit of stuff that we can take with us or ship ahead.
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I'd let NW Kidney Centers know you're coming from outside the US and what your reimbursement limits are, give them the chance to do the right thing. If the cost was less than $500 dollars per treatment would you be able to do more than one treatment? Shame to have strictly watch your diet when you're vacationing. NKC also has a unit in Port Angeles which puts it adjacent to the Olympic National Park. I don't know this for certain but I think it is the closest year around dialysis unit to a national park in the US.
thanks for the encouragements !!
I know that I'll have to pay out of my own pocket first. My social worker told me that our provincial gov't will reimburse (Alberta Health and Wellness) up to $529 per dialysis treatment. Anything above that is out of my own pocket, but that extra amount i can claim on my income tax. The Southern Alberta Kidney Foundation will also loan you the cash (again, up to $529 per treatment), so it won't be a huge financial burden. I've been told it will take at least 3 months for the provincial gov't to send you a cheque, and if i take out the loan, i then pay the kidney foundation back at that time (no interest).
I can forsee one huge challenge : the restrictive diet !! I have a bad see food diet, i see food, i eat it. :rofl; :rofl; :rofl;
Because I'm only doing one run while we're there, it will be tough for me to limit my diet, but i know it must be done (that goes for fluid intake too). Right now, I guzzle close to 2 L a day (thanks to daily hemo), so i can get away with increased fluid intake.
with the wealth of information on this site, i decided i'm not going to let hemo strangle what i loved to do, which is travel. True, it maybe a challenge, but i'm determined to overcome it.
If this seattle trip goes well, we're going to take a look at vegas next.
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This is a bit off topic, but I had to ask..
bevvy5, why would your husband stop PD if he doesn't have to? As someone who's been on PD and would go back to it in a heartbeat if I could, I don't really see the logic
It certainly is a heck of a lot easier to travel while on PD, you pretty much just take everything with you, or ship it to your destination. That's what I used to do, ship all the supplies I'd need to the hotel I was staying at, and they would store it for me until I got there. Those guys were great. I had a heck of a time finding a hotel that would even accept packages for me if I wasn't there.
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This is a bit off topic, but I had to ask..
bevvy5, why would your husband stop PD if he doesn't have to? As someone who's been on PD and would go back to it in a heartbeat if I could, I don't really see the logic
It certainly is a heck of a lot easier to travel while on PD, you pretty much just take everything with you, or ship it to your destination. That's what I used to do, ship all the supplies I'd need to the hotel I was staying at, and they would store it for me until I got there. Those guys were great. I had a heck of a time finding a hotel that would even accept packages for me if I wasn't there.
I agree, we've been to Florida, Hawaii and a houseboating vacation while hubby was on PD. And we have a place in NW Washington and it's easy to go down for two or three days at a time. But he's currently on nine hours a night on the cycler plus a manual exchange in the early evening, pretty much maxed out and his tests are not looking as good as they should. So a change to hemo is not his choice but is the plan.
But his nephrologist has a few patients that basically do a hybrid method, mostly home hemo but if they are away - at least one travels for work and one travels extensively for pleasure - they do PD for up to two to three weeks, then back on home hemo. It doesn't work for everybody but it may be an option for him and his dr. is willing to try it.
We usually use timeshares when we travel, other than to our own place, and I'm amazed at how helpful everybody is. When I try to explain that we are having some medical supplies delivered, I always feel a little bit explaining it's a pallet of supplies. But we've always arrived at our resort and our boxes are neatly stacked in our unit even though I always tell them that I"m happy to use a luggage cart and do it myself.
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ok.. that makes sense. I was close to that point when I was 14. I was lucky enough that I didn't need to go on hemo, as I got a kidney. My body had 8 years rest before starting on PD again. I did PD for almost 5 years before starting hemo, and that was because of a nasty fungal infection. This December is 3 years on hemo.
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I called nw kidney centres around mid aug. at that time, they could not confirm whether or not that had any room, but cheryl did say she would have a better picture next month (september). we're prepared to pay out of our own pocket, so cost is a factor, but not primary.
I plan on doing one treatment, so i really gotta watch what i eat, we've been to seattle numerous times, and the food there is always outstanding (ie burgermaster !!).
we'll be staying in the downtown area, so according to the nkc website, elliot bay is the closest one.
I'd let NW Kidney Centers know you're coming from outside the US and what your reimbursement limits are, give them the chance to do the right thing. If the cost was less than $500 dollars per treatment would you be able to do more than one treatment? Shame to have strictly watch your diet when you're vacationing. NKC also has a unit in Port Angeles which puts it adjacent to the Olympic National Park. I don't know this for certain but I think it is the closest year around dialysis unit to a national park in the US.
thanks for the encouragements !!
I know that I'll have to pay out of my own pocket first. My social worker told me that our provincial gov't will reimburse (Alberta Health and Wellness) up to $529 per dialysis treatment. Anything above that is out of my own pocket, but that extra amount i can claim on my income tax. The Southern Alberta Kidney Foundation will also loan you the cash (again, up to $529 per treatment), so it won't be a huge financial burden. I've been told it will take at least 3 months for the provincial gov't to send you a cheque, and if i take out the loan, i then pay the kidney foundation back at that time (no interest).
I can forsee one huge challenge : the restrictive diet !! I have a bad see food diet, i see food, i eat it. :rofl; :rofl; :rofl;
Because I'm only doing one run while we're there, it will be tough for me to limit my diet, but i know it must be done (that goes for fluid intake too). Right now, I guzzle close to 2 L a day (thanks to daily hemo), so i can get away with increased fluid intake.
with the wealth of information on this site, i decided i'm not going to let hemo strangle what i loved to do, which is travel. True, it maybe a challenge, but i'm determined to overcome it.
If this seattle trip goes well, we're going to take a look at vegas next.
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I say go for it Mc. Don't let this disease take what you enjoy most from you. I hear Seattle is nice in November. Hubby and I are going to load up the Van with NxStage mach. and supplies and go someplace northward. And if our plans up there don't fall through, then we may go Southwards.
We have not been anywhere for any length of time since 2004. So yea, we are due! Im so happy you are going to do this! Hats off to you!
Keep us posted on your endeavors!
lmunchkin :kickstart;
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I called nw kidney centres around mid aug. at that time, they could not confirm whether or not that had any room, but cheryl did say she would have a better picture next month (september). we're prepared to pay out of our own pocket, so cost is a factor, but not primary.
I plan on doing one treatment, so i really gotta watch what i eat, we've been to seattle numerous times, and the food there is always outstanding (ie burgermaster !!).
we'll be staying in the downtown area, so according to the nkc website, elliot bay is the closest one.
I'd let NW Kidney Centers know you're coming from outside the US and what your reimbursement limits are, give them the chance to do the right thing. If the cost was less than $500 dollars per treatment would you be able to do more than one treatment? Shame to have strictly watch your diet when you're vacationing. NKC also has a unit in Port Angeles which puts it adjacent to the Olympic National Park. I don't know this for certain but I think it is the closest year around dialysis unit to a national park in the US.
thanks for the encouragements !!
I know that I'll have to pay out of my own pocket first. My social worker told me that our provincial gov't will reimburse (Alberta Health and Wellness) up to $529 per dialysis treatment. Anything above that is out of my own pocket, but that extra amount i can claim on my income tax. The Southern Alberta Kidney Foundation will also loan you the cash (again, up to $529 per treatment), so it won't be a huge financial burden. I've been told it will take at least 3 months for the provincial gov't to send you a cheque, and if i take out the loan, i then pay the kidney foundation back at that time (no interest).
I can forsee one huge challenge : the restrictive diet !! I have a bad see food diet, i see food, i eat it. :rofl; :rofl; :rofl;
Because I'm only doing one run while we're there, it will be tough for me to limit my diet, but i know it must be done (that goes for fluid intake too). Right now, I guzzle close to 2 L a day (thanks to daily hemo), so i can get away with increased fluid intake.
with the wealth of information on this site, i decided i'm not going to let hemo strangle what i loved to do, which is travel. True, it maybe a challenge, but i'm determined to overcome it.
If this seattle trip goes well, we're going to take a look at vegas next.
When I go to NYC, I generally don't know the times of when my treatments will be until the day that I arrive there. We've actually called them from Montreal, while en route from Charlottetown. We had a 3 hour stop, so we figured it was as good a time as any. *L* They do tend to know at least a month in advance if they can take you or not
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we'll be staying in the downtown area, so according to the nkc website, elliot bay is the closest one.
The Seattle Kidney Center is at 15th and Cherry about 8 blocks from Elliott Bay and the Haviland Kidney Center is next door to Elliott Bay. The West Seattle Kidney Center is about 10 or 11 minutes away. I started treatment at Haviland went to Elliott Bay next and then West Seattle and now I'm at the Seattle Kidney where the home hemo unit is based.
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I say go for it Mc. Don't let this disease take what you enjoy most from you. I hear Seattle is nice in November. Hubby and I are going to load up the Van with NxStage mach. and supplies and go someplace northward. And if our plans up there don't fall through, then we may go Southwards.
We have not been anywhere for any length of time since 2004. So yea, we are due! Im so happy you are going to do this! Hats off to you!
Keep us posted on your endeavors!
lmunchkin :kickstart;
We were in seattle last year (oct), when i was on pd (much simpler than hemo). It was a tad on the warm side, but very nice.
It is much more challenging on hemo, as the centres can't let you know in advance until a month or so, it makes it tough to book anything (accomodations, flight).
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As a Canadian who's traveled to the States on hemo, I'll tell you this; if there's anything that your home unit provides besides the treatment itself (drinks, blankets, bandaids) take them with you, as most likely, the center there will not provide it. I learned this the hard way. I was lucky, I happened to have some bandaids of my own with me, r else I would have just had gauze and tape on my sites
thanks for the head's up ! I order a whole pile of supplies from the hospital, so I'll just make up a medical kit and take it with me - hemo on/off trays, prefilled saline syringes, gauze, tape, steri strips, ...
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As a Canadian who's traveled to the States on hemo, I'll tell you this; if there's anything that your home unit provides besides the treatment itself (drinks, blankets, bandaids) take them with you, as most likely, the center there will not provide it. I learned this the hard way. I was lucky, I happened to have some bandaids of my own with me, r else I would have just had gauze and tape on my sites
thanks for the head's up ! I order a whole pile of supplies from the hospital, so I'll just make up a medical kit and take it with me - hemo on/off trays, prefilled saline syringes, gauze, tape, steri strips, ...
Anything extra at all, it's best to have it with you. I didn't know I'd need bandaids. I was lucky that I happened to have some with me. A friend of mine went to Las Vegas last year, and she had to take special dialyzers with her, because they wouldn't provide them.
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As a Canadian who's traveled to the States on hemo, I'll tell you this; if there's anything that your home unit provides besides the treatment itself (drinks, blankets, bandaids) take them with you, as most likely, the center there will not provide it. I learned this the hard way. I was lucky, I happened to have some bandaids of my own with me, r else I would have just had gauze and tape on my sites
thanks for the head's up ! I order a whole pile of supplies from the hospital, so I'll just make up a medical kit and take it with me - hemo on/off trays, prefilled saline syringes, gauze, tape, steri strips, ...
Anything extra at all, it's best to have it with you. I didn't know I'd need bandaids. I was lucky that I happened to have some with me. A friend of mine went to Las Vegas last year, and she had to take special dialyzers with her, because they wouldn't provide them.
what kind of dialyzers to the centres provide ?
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As a Canadian who's traveled to the States on hemo, I'll tell you this; if there's anything that your home unit provides besides the treatment itself (drinks, blankets, bandaids) take them with you, as most likely, the center there will not provide it. I learned this the hard way. I was lucky, I happened to have some bandaids of my own with me, r else I would have just had gauze and tape on my sites
thanks for the head's up ! I order a whole pile of supplies from the hospital, so I'll just make up a medical kit and take it with me - hemo on/off trays, prefilled saline syringes, gauze, tape, steri strips, ...
Anything extra at all, it's best to have it with you. I didn't know I'd need bandaids. I was lucky that I happened to have some with me. A friend of mine went to Las Vegas last year, and she had to take special dialyzers with her, because they wouldn't provide them.
what kind of dialyzers to the centres provide ?
They use Optiflux at NKC. Bring your own head phones because I think the ones they provide to visitors are the ear bud style.
Bring your laptop to use wifi. FYI - you need to sign an agreement to not use the wifi for porn, best to get that surfing done before you come for treatment. :angel;
Ice. And radiant heat panels above the chair but I don't think any of the downtown units have gotten the heated chairs yet - maybe Elliott Bay but Seattle Kidney Center was the last to get the old style so they'll be the last to get the ones with heat.
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As a Canadian who's traveled to the States on hemo, I'll tell you this; if there's anything that your home unit provides besides the treatment itself (drinks, blankets, bandaids) take them with you, as most likely, the center there will not provide it. I learned this the hard way. I was lucky, I happened to have some bandaids of my own with me, r else I would have just had gauze and tape on my sites
thanks for the head's up ! I order a whole pile of supplies from the hospital, so I'll just make up a medical kit and take it with me - hemo on/off trays, prefilled saline syringes, gauze, tape, steri strips, ...
Anything extra at all, it's best to have it with you. I didn't know I'd need bandaids. I was lucky that I happened to have some with me. A friend of mine went to Las Vegas last year, and she had to take special dialyzers with her, because they wouldn't provide them.
what kind of dialyzers to the centres provide ?
They use Optiflux at NKC. Bring your own head phones because I think the ones they provide to visitors are the ear bud style.
Bring your laptop to use wifi. FYI - you need to sign an agreement to not use the wifi for porn, best to get that surfing done before you come for treatment. :angel;
Ice. And radiant heat panels above the chair but I don't think any of the downtown units have gotten the heated chairs yet - maybe Elliott Bay but Seattle Kidney Center was the last to get the old style so they'll be the last to get the ones with heat.
Got a chuckle out of the 'surfing for porn' before treatment. :rofl; :rofl; :2thumbsup;
sounds like about the only supplies i'll need to bring are tape, gauze, possibly syringes to pick at the scab, and steri strips to hold the needle in place. Since doing hemo almost daily, i feel awfully warm so I don't think i'll need any additional source of heat. we do have a laptop but most likely won't be bringing it down with us, one less thing to carry. I'll bring my psp though.
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As a Canadian who's traveled to the States on hemo, I'll tell you this; if there's anything that your home unit provides besides the treatment itself (drinks, blankets, bandaids) take them with you, as most likely, the center there will not provide it. I learned this the hard way. I was lucky, I happened to have some bandaids of my own with me, r else I would have just had gauze and tape on my sites
thanks for the head's up ! I order a whole pile of supplies from the hospital, so I'll just make up a medical kit and take it with me - hemo on/off trays, prefilled saline syringes, gauze, tape, steri strips, ...
Anything extra at all, it's best to have it with you. I didn't know I'd need bandaids. I was lucky that I happened to have some with me. A friend of mine went to Las Vegas last year, and she had to take special dialyzers with her, because they wouldn't provide them.
what kind of dialyzers to the centres provide ?
They use Optiflux at NKC. Bring your own head phones because I think the ones they provide to visitors are the ear bud style.
Bring your laptop to use wifi. FYI - you need to sign an agreement to not use the wifi for porn, best to get that surfing done before you come for treatment. :angel;
Ice. And radiant heat panels above the chair but I don't think any of the downtown units have gotten the heated chairs yet - maybe Elliott Bay but Seattle Kidney Center was the last to get the old style so they'll be the last to get the ones with heat.
Got a chuckle out of the 'surfing for porn' before treatment. :rofl; :rofl; :2thumbsup;
sounds like about the only supplies i'll need to bring are tape, gauze, possibly syringes to pick at the scab, and steri strips to hold the needle in place. Since doing hemo almost daily, i feel awfully warm so I don't think i'll need any additional source of heat. we do have a laptop but most likely won't be bringing it down with us, one less thing to carry. I'll bring my psp though.
You can use the MediSystem button hole needles and they now come with a steri pik (sic) to pick the scabs I switched from 20 gauge needles a while ago and haven't looked back. I always bring my canulation supplies with me when I travel and then see what they're offering. A good chance to try something different to, if nothing else, confirm your preference.
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As a Canadian who's traveled to the States on hemo, I'll tell you this; if there's anything that your home unit provides besides the treatment itself (drinks, blankets, bandaids) take them with you, as most likely, the center there will not provide it. I learned this the hard way. I was lucky, I happened to have some bandaids of my own with me, r else I would have just had gauze and tape on my sites
thanks for the head's up ! I order a whole pile of supplies from the hospital, so I'll just make up a medical kit and take it with me - hemo on/off trays, prefilled saline syringes, gauze, tape, steri strips, ...
Anything extra at all, it's best to have it with you. I didn't know I'd need bandaids. I was lucky that I happened to have some with me. A friend of mine went to Las Vegas last year, and she had to take special dialyzers with her, because they wouldn't provide them.
what kind of dialyzers to the centres provide ?
They use Optiflux at NKC. Bring your own head phones because I think the ones they provide to visitors are the ear bud style.
Bring your laptop to use wifi. FYI - you need to sign an agreement to not use the wifi for porn, best to get that surfing done before you come for treatment. :angel;
Ice. And radiant heat panels above the chair but I don't think any of the downtown units have gotten the heated chairs yet - maybe Elliott Bay but Seattle Kidney Center was the last to get the old style so they'll be the last to get the ones with heat.
Got a chuckle out of the 'surfing for porn' before treatment. :rofl; :rofl; :2thumbsup;
sounds like about the only supplies i'll need to bring are tape, gauze, possibly syringes to pick at the scab, and steri strips to hold the needle in place. Since doing hemo almost daily, i feel awfully warm so I don't think i'll need any additional source of heat. we do have a laptop but most likely won't be bringing it down with us, one less thing to carry. I'll bring my psp though.
You can use the MediSystem button hole needles and they now come with a steri pik (sic) to pick the scabs I switched from 20 gauge needles a while ago and haven't looked back. I always bring my canulation supplies with me when I travel and then see what they're offering. A good chance to try something different to, if nothing else, confirm your preference.
I think I'll do the same. worst case senario, i bring it back home with me.
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woo hooo !!!! just received an email from cheryl lake and she said they can fit me in on nov 14. Unfortunately it won't be at elliot bay, but at lake city kidney centre in lake forest park. Will have to take a taxi up there.
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We're getting serious about planning our trip to Hawaii in January. Found out it's about $650 per treatment in Lihue on Kauai. Also saw something on line that says Ontario pays $210 per day for hemo. Hoping BC pays closer to the over $500 that Maclane is getting from Alberta, otherwise that's a huge hit even if hubby can get away with one or two treatments a week.
Canadian Thanksgiving today so phoning BC medical tomorrow and will post what we find out.
Bev
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We're getting serious about planning our trip to Hawaii in January. Found out it's about $650 per treatment in Lihue on Kauai. Also saw something on line that says Ontario pays $210 per day for hemo. Hoping BC pays closer to the over $500 that Maclane is getting from Alberta, otherwise that's a huge hit even if hubby can get away with one or two treatments a week.
Canadian Thanksgiving today so phoning BC medical tomorrow and will post what we find out.
Bev
found out that seattle will be charging $853 US for a dialysis run. I wonder if I bought dialysis treatments in bulk if they would give me a discount ? :rofl; :rofl;
In all seriousness, i'm only going to do one run, so i just paid it it in full. The kidney foundation does have a program where they will loan you up to $500ish so you can pay for the treatment (you do have to pay it back though when the Alberta gov't pays you back), but i nixed that idea.
My social worker did mention that the federal gov't will allow you to claim on your income tax the portion you paid out of your own pocket. might have to photocopy the receipts though.
bevvy5 : see if there is any social programs that will do a loan. it may help.
I should let you know, there is a plethora of tests that must be done - these tests are for the dialysis centre that you are going too, they will request a whole pile of tests, from chest xrays, bloodwork, rectal/nasal swaps, ecg, a doctor to verify your physical state, and sometimes they may contact your social worker for your mental state. As far as i know, northwest kidney centre in seattle didn't request for a 'mental state' from the social worker.
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I hope you can go, Mcclane, best wishes to you and your wife! :clap; Keep us posted! :thumbup; Seattle is nice, I've been there.
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I hope you can go, Mcclane, best wishes to you and your wife! :clap; Keep us posted! :thumbup; Seattle is nice, I've been there.
flight has already been booked, accomodations have been booked, and (hopefully) they should have received my payment. I told my wife, we're going, no matter what :2thumbsup;
this'll be our 4-5th time there. :thumbup;
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That's awesome! :bandance; :bandance; :bandance; Enjoy!
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Wow, $853 - I thought it would be cheaper on the mainland.
IN any event we found out that BC will pay $473 per treatment, so that's bearable. And hubby still has his PD catheter so he may be doing hybrid, maybe only one run a week, it's all up in the air yet. Thought this might be useful information for future people looking for prices.
We are having some difficulty dealing with social workers as he has feet in three different systems - still part of the PD program as he may be doing some of that, but is going to start training for home hemo next week and in the meantime is having hemo at the hospital - so we're trying to get the home hemo social worker to get stuff started, at least the reservation made. He's VRE as well although our neph has advised that is now becoming so common that most centres don't really bat an eye at it anymore - hope he's right.
Bad timing to be taking a vacation in three months but after the year we've had, we are not cancelling unless we absolutely have to. Travelling with family, tickets paid for, accomodation booked. But it will definitely be a consideration in future budgeting for vacations.
Have a wonderful time. Be careful of the flying fish at Pike's Market. We love the zoo in Seattle - we live in Abbotsford so Seattle is a great weekend thing for us.
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Wow, $853 - I thought it would be cheaper on the mainland.
IN any event we found out that BC will pay $473 per treatment, so that's bearable. And hubby still has his PD catheter so he may be doing hybrid, maybe only one run a week, it's all up in the air yet. Thought this might be useful information for future people looking for prices.
We are having some difficulty dealing with social workers as he has feet in three different systems - still part of the PD program as he may be doing some of that, but is going to start training for home hemo next week and in the meantime is having hemo at the hospital - so we're trying to get the home hemo social worker to get stuff started, at least the reservation made. He's VRE as well although our neph has advised that is now becoming so common that most centres don't really bat an eye at it anymore - hope he's right.
Bad timing to be taking a vacation in three months but after the year we've had, we are not cancelling unless we absolutely have to. Travelling with family, tickets paid for, accomodation booked. But it will definitely be a consideration in future budgeting for vacations.
Have a wonderful time. Be careful of the flying fish at Pike's Market. We love the zoo in Seattle - we live in Abbotsford so Seattle is a great weekend thing for us.
I was told by the social worker that dialysis treatments in the US varies from state. Some are cheaper while some are more expensive. You know what gets me ? When our loonie was sailing high, they couldn't give me a price yet, not until our dollar tanked that's when I got a price. :rofl;
I know exactly what your husband is going thru, I used to be in 3 camps. Before they removed my pd catheter, I was doing abit of pd while doing home hemo training (and dialysing at the unit too). All i can say is : don't cancel your trip. Make it happen. Yeah, it does suck that dialysis has to be involved but enjoy life and travel when you can.
We've never been to the zoo in seattle, but where we're staying pike place is only 5 blocks away. Lots of great mom and pop places to eat in pike place too.
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You have a really great attitude, Mcclane, I really hope your trip goes very smoothly! :waving; :thumbup;
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You have a really great attitude, Mcclane, I really hope your trip goes very smoothly! :waving; :thumbup;
one thing I'd really like to do is dialysis at sea. If you time it right, you'd be hooked up while the ship is at sea not at port, so you won't be missing much anyways. However, cost is the huge factor. My social worker says it costs about $1100 per treatment, while others say it is around $700/treatment. Anyways, for 3 treatments, looking at well over $2000, not small change. The loan from the kidney foundation will help but if it is over $2000, still looking at $500 ish from your own pocket.
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I was told by the social worker that dialysis treatments in the US varies from state. Some are cheaper while some are more expensive. You know what gets me ? When our loonie was sailing high, they couldn't give me a price yet, not until our dollar tanked that's when I got a price. :rofl;
I know exactly what your husband is going thru, I used to be in 3 camps. Before they removed my pd catheter, I was doing abit of pd while doing home hemo training (and dialysing at the unit too). All i can say is : don't cancel your trip. Make it happen. Yeah, it does suck that dialysis has to be involved but enjoy life and travel when you can.
We've never been to the zoo in seattle, but where we're staying pike place is only 5 blocks away. Lots of great mom and pop places to eat in pike place too.
We are not stopping travelling until we absolutely can't. We work really hard, self employed and work at home so we have to get the heck out of here to really have any time off.
We had to cancel one trip while Greg was on PD, but we've been to Florida last January and in May went to Vegas - our daughter got married. When he started PD we went on a houseboating trip in the Shuswap Lakes in B.C.. Rented a U-haul trailer, hauled the stuff up there along with our gear and he did manual exchanges for the week.
We've been on a cruise and while it's nice, it's not really our thing. But if you can swing it financially and it's your cup of tea, it would be a great way to go.
Just got confirmation that Greg's been booked in for our Hawaii trip, got the days he wanted and the contact person for the company is getting in touch with the home hemo social worker. In three months from right now we should be taxiing out of Seattle on our way to Lihue - can hardly wait.
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I was told by the social worker that dialysis treatments in the US varies from state. Some are cheaper while some are more expensive. You know what gets me ? When our loonie was sailing high, they couldn't give me a price yet, not until our dollar tanked that's when I got a price. :rofl;
I know exactly what your husband is going thru, I used to be in 3 camps. Before they removed my pd catheter, I was doing abit of pd while doing home hemo training (and dialysing at the unit too). All i can say is : don't cancel your trip. Make it happen. Yeah, it does suck that dialysis has to be involved but enjoy life and travel when you can.
We've never been to the zoo in seattle, but where we're staying pike place is only 5 blocks away. Lots of great mom and pop places to eat in pike place too.
We are not stopping travelling until we absolutely can't. We work really hard, self employed and work at home so we have to get the heck out of here to really have any time off.
We had to cancel one trip while Greg was on PD, but we've been to Florida last January and in May went to Vegas - our daughter got married. When he started PD we went on a houseboating trip in the Shuswap Lakes in B.C.. Rented a U-haul trailer, hauled the stuff up there along with our gear and he did manual exchanges for the week.
We've been on a cruise and while it's nice, it's not really our thing. But if you can swing it financially and it's your cup of tea, it would be a great way to go.
Just got confirmation that Greg's been booked in for our Hawaii trip, got the days he wanted and the contact person for the company is getting in touch with the home hemo social worker. In three months from right now we should be taxiing out of Seattle on our way to Lihue - can hardly wait.
awesome ! good to hear ! like you, i'm going to do what i can to enjoy traveling. It is something to look forward to, especially after a hectic work and dialysis schedule.
traveling while on pd is much simpler. I would do manual exchanges as well, I had plans to bring the cycler for the next trip but hemo but me to that idea. :rofl;
my wife and I enjoy cruising alot. The food is great, you get a new port of call every day or every other day, and of course accomodations are included. we've been on 4, 3 caribbeans and 1 alaskan. we felt by far the alaskan was the most enjoyable, as it wasn't 30+ degrees with humidity. :rofl; :rofl;
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I travel all the time on HD. I have dialyzed in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Boca Raton, Providence RI, Boston, Burlington, Vt., West Palm Beach, Quebec, Bahamas, Guadeloupe, Iceland, England, Amsterdam, Vienna, Venice, Brest France, Avignon France, Marseilles France, Cognac France, angouleme France.
just go for it, get cancellation insurance, don't worry, and have fun!
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We're getting serious about planning our trip to Hawaii in January. Found out it's about $650 per treatment in Lihue on Kauai. Also saw something on line that says Ontario pays $210 per day for hemo. Hoping BC pays closer to the over $500 that Maclane is getting from Alberta, otherwise that's a huge hit even if hubby can get away with one or two treatments a week.
Canadian Thanksgiving today so phoning BC medical tomorrow and will post what we find out.
Bev
You can negotiate price with them. Fresenius quoted me 720 a treatment. I told them that I get reimbursed 400 and would look for a cheaper center and they agreed to take 400. Same for Davita. I think they get less than 300 from Medicare, but make money on Medications.
found out that seattle will be charging $853 US for a dialysis run. I wonder if I bought dialysis treatments in bulk if they would give me a discount ? :rofl; :rofl;
In all seriousness, i'm only going to do one run, so i just paid it it in full. The kidney foundation does have a program where they will loan you up to $500ish so you can pay for the treatment (you do have to pay it back though when the Alberta gov't pays you back), but i nixed that idea.
My social worker did mention that the federal gov't will allow you to claim on your income tax the portion you paid out of your own pocket. might have to photocopy the receipts though.
bevvy5 : see if there is any social programs that will do a loan. it may help.
I should let you know, there is a plethora of tests that must be done - these tests are for the dialysis centre that you are going too, they will request a whole pile of tests, from chest xrays, bloodwork, rectal/nasal swaps, ecg, a doctor to verify your physical state, and sometimes they may contact your social worker for your mental state. As far as i know, northwest kidney centre in seattle didn't request for a 'mental state' from the social worker.
EDITED: Fixed quote tag error-kitkatz,Moderator
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I travel all the time on HD. I have dialyzed in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Boca Raton, Providence RI, Boston, Burlington, Vt., West Palm Beach, Quebec, Bahamas, Guadeloupe, Iceland, England, Amsterdam, Vienna, Venice, Brest France, Avignon France, Marseilles France, Cognac France, angouleme France.
just go for it, get cancellation insurance, don't worry, and have fun!
everything is set, so we're looking forward to getting away. It'll be good experience to see what the medical system is like in other countries too.
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We're getting serious about planning our trip to Hawaii in January. Found out it's about $650 per treatment in Lihue on Kauai. Also saw something on line that says Ontario pays $210 per day for hemo. Hoping BC pays closer to the over $500 that Maclane is getting from Alberta, otherwise that's a huge hit even if hubby can get away with one or two treatments a week.
Canadian Thanksgiving today so phoning BC medical tomorrow and will post what we find out.
Bev
You can negotiate price with them. Fresenius quoted me 720 a treatment. I told them that I get reimbursed 400 and would look for a cheaper center and they agreed to take 400. Same for Davita. I think they get less than 300 from Medicare, but make money on Medications.
found out that seattle will be charging $853 US for a dialysis run. I wonder if I bought dialysis treatments in bulk if they would give me a discount ? :rofl; :rofl;
In all seriousness, i'm only going to do one run, so i just paid it it in full. The kidney foundation does have a program where they will loan you up to $500ish so you can pay for the treatment (you do have to pay it back though when the Alberta gov't pays you back), but i nixed that idea.
My social worker did mention that the federal gov't will allow you to claim on your income tax the portion you paid out of your own pocket. might have to photocopy the receipts though.
bevvy5 : see if there is any social programs that will do a loan. it may help.
I should let you know, there is a plethora of tests that must be done - these tests are for the dialysis centre that you are going too, they will request a whole pile of tests, from chest xrays, bloodwork, rectal/nasal swaps, ecg, a doctor to verify your physical state, and sometimes they may contact your social worker for your mental state. As far as i know, northwest kidney centre in seattle didn't request for a 'mental state' from the social worker.
i didn't know you could negotiate the price. kinda late now as everything is paid for. will remember that for next time.
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What you have to remember about dialysis (or any medical situation) in the US is that it is a business, not a service. As long as the provider can make a profit off you, they'll do it. If not, they won't, unless required by law. Their aim is to maximize profit, so they'll try to make you pay as much as they can. Non profit centers, if you can find one, may well be different.
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update : time and day has been confirmed, but it is at 5:15 am in the morning !
since we don't be renting a car, and the buses don't even start that early, the only option left is taxi.
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McClane, just want to tell you that J & I spent 2 wonderful weeks in Fla. It was long over due (2004) and it was no negotiating or cutting deals. He didnt go to clinics for dialysis. We loaded little NxStage in our van with supplies and really had an awesome & peaceful time together! Hope to do more for my husband.
I have to admit, that I was a little apprehensive at first, but now that we actually did it, we will jump at every chance we can to get away! Two things holding us back is my job and "money". LOL So those of you that want to but are apprehensive, just DO IT. No regrets and so thankful for the opportunity.
Dialysis is not what keeps us from traveling, it is us that find it so hard to travel due to dialysis. With NxStage, it is no longer a problem. Best part of all, our insurance covered it all. No calling clinics to make the arrangements, not necessary with NxStage!
Lord, will you please shut this lady up about the "NxStage". Sorry, I DO LOVE THIS LITTLE MACHINE!
lmunchkin
:kickstart;
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Lord, will you please shut this lady up about the "NxStage". Sorry, I DO LOVE THIS LITTLE MACHINE!
I know how you feel! :rofl; :rofl;
mcclane, have a WONDERFUL trip!
Aleta
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What you have to remember about dialysis (or any medical situation) in the US is that it is a business, not a service. As long as the provider can make a profit off you, they'll do it. If not, they won't, unless required by law. Their aim is to maximize profit, so they'll try to make you pay as much as they can. Non profit centers, if you can find one, may well be different.
Hmm, very interesting. I think that in Hawaii, at least where we're going, there is only one company, so no bargaining there. But we're planning trips to California and Oregon next year too so will definitely keep that in mind.
Palm Springs is much more reasonable - I've been told it's $400 without and $600 with medications. Our HD nurse is saying we shouldn't need anything with going for a week, can take arenesp with us and everything else can be done before or after we go.
I'm assuming our social worker has the details for what Hawaii needs but thanks for the heads up. I'll be bugging them in mid November, our trip is mid January and making sure it all gets done.
Thanks very much for the info.
Oh, and no NxStage for us Canadians, not in the foreseeable future.
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That is ashame Bevvy, cause it is the wave in the US. You will here more and more about this Modality, and maybe Canada will realize it is to their benefit because of ER and Hospital admits are so much less with this machine. That stuff can really cost for country's. In US, it is a matter of paying for all of Medical situations, but they have found that in ESRD, it is better dialysis at home, especially with NxStage!
Hopefully soon, Canada will pick this little jewel up as a part of their modality. With proper training, I do believe most would do this!
lmunchkin
:kickstart;
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That is ashame Bevvy, cause it is the wave in the US. You will here more and more about this Modality, and maybe Canada will realize it is to their benefit because of ER and Hospital admits are so much less with this machine. That stuff can really cost for country's. In US, it is a matter of paying for all of Medical situations, but they have found that in ESRD, it is better dialysis at home, especially with NxStage!
Hopefully soon, Canada will pick this little jewel up as a part of their modality. With proper training, I do believe most would do this!
lmunchkin
:kickstart;
Unfortunately, no nxstage for us canucks. Believe me, if I had access to a nxstage, i'd bring that sucker along everywhere :2thumbsup;
I read somewhere that Health canada has actually approved the nxstage machine itself, but the bags it uses have not been approved. Reason being, those bags (dialysate bags ?) require a DIN number (drug identification number). I remember when i was on pd, all the pd bags had a DIN number on it. This is what's holding up nxstage in canada, not the machine but the dialysate bags the machine uses as Health Canada deems it a 'medication'.
So now, it is really a gov't hold up on the nxstage machine.
Gawd, how i hate this fridge sized dialysis machine at home :rofl; :rofl;
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What about the new addition to NxStage, "PureFlow"? It is a cabinet that cycler sits on that you put water in a concentrated bag that makes a 3 day batch of Dialysate. Yes I have premixed bags, but I only use them incase of ER or traveling. I really love the pureflow addition! You have a 3 day supply already mixed with water. Not so many boxes to break down! No hanging of the bags cause with Pureflow, you just run dialysate tube up to cycler cartlidge. It really is an easy addition to nxstage.
Any rate, sorry it is not available for you guys and is all tied up in "RED TAPE". Crazy!!!!! Like Dialysis isnt hard enough to go through!
lmunchkin
:kickstart;
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What about the new addition to NxStage, "PureFlow"? It is a cabinet that cycler sits on that you put water in a concentrated bag that makes a 3 day batch of Dialysate. Yes I have premixed bags, but I only use them incase of ER or traveling. I really love the pureflow addition! You have a 3 day supply already mixed with water. Not so many boxes to break down! No hanging of the bags cause with Pureflow, you just run dialysate tube up to cycler cartlidge. It really is an easy addition to nxstage.
Any rate, sorry it is not available for you guys and is all tied up in "RED TAPE". Crazy!!!!! Like Dialysis isnt hard enough to go through!
lmunchkin
:kickstart;
you're not kidding. Whenever Health Canada makes up its mind and assigns a DIN to the dialysate bags, we have to put up with the old fashioned dialysis machines.
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Hawaii has a 6 month to a year waiting list at its dialysis centers. Plan early.
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Hawaii has a 6 month to a year waiting list at its dialysis centers. Plan early.
We actually emailed the dialysis centre in Kauai on October 8th for our trip starting January 12th. It was no problem at all. We had to change our dates about three weeks ago and again, it was no problem.
I should say that we're Canadians so maybe that has something to do with it. We're paying their "tourist rate" which might be more than they can charge Americans - don't know how that works.
Actually, it's harder for us here in Canada to travel within Canada. We switched our trip from the interior of B.C. to Palm Springs in April becuase there was no way he could get in for scheduled dialysis.
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just abit of background, when i was on pd, we would travel once a year, whether it be cruises or what have you. It was simple, I would let baxter know of my itinerary, they would organize the shipment of the pd bags, and when i arrived at my destination, the pd bags were there waiting for me.
only thing i had to bring was items like mini caps, clamps, bandages (for the pd catheter - showering), tapes, and a collapsible iv pole.
when the doctor told me i could no longer do pd but do hemo, i was devastated. my first thought was : our traveling is now over.
but after talking to the social worker, the nurses, and reading the posts of others who have traveled on hemo, my wife and I decided we're gonna do it, we're going to go somewhere.
we're looking at 6 days in seattle. we're familiar with the city, so we thought this would be a good test to see how treatments go. if it goes well, we may decide to look at other cities.
It'll be a first, i've never been to a US health care facility, so one of the things that i'm prepared for is the bill at the end of the treatment.
i've already started to make arrangements with 2 dialysis centers : northwest kidney centre and davita. Only reason i put my name on 2 is that neither place could confirm a spot for the date requested (mid november). both said something about the 'schedule' is not ready yet for the month of november. NKC indicated that they would get a better idea next month (sept), while davita told me they would know for sure a month before my requested date (mid oct).
we like to book our accomodations/flights early, but this really puts us in a bind. do we book the accomodations/flights now or wait ? I have a hunch they'll get me in, it is a matter of where and what time.
another issue i was wondering about : can i bring some of the supplies to the centre ? my hospital provides me with all i need to do dialysis, if i can bring some of the stuff to the centre, hopefully that can lower the final bill ?
I applaud you on wanting to travel on dialysis. Most fear this and do not want the hastle. Dialysis is just another bump in the road but we can still live great lives. We just have to make more arrangements than others. Yayyyy for travel....