Advice for Brazil cruise

[Tío Riñon]

* I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place to post this question.  If not, I hope the moderator will move it accordingly. *

The parents of a friend of mine are going on a cruise in a few weeks to Brazil.  One of the parents has been diagnosed with kidney disease.  They are wondering if there are any possible ill-effects from getting the malaria vaccine.  Also, any other suggestions or concerns with traveling there?  She is pre-dialysis, so there aren't any concerns about blood-born pathogens.

Thanks for any assistance!

[iolaire]

I view star fruit as a tropical fruit so I'd remind her to not eat it if it crops up.

[Tío Riñon]

I spoke with my nephrologist this week and he said that there are two options available.  He recommended that patients consult with their pharmacist to decide which one is best given their stage of kidney disease as well as other conditions along with drug interactions.

Iolaire's caution about starfruit is on the mark because only people with healthy kidneys can digest the fruit without problems.  The effects on kidney patients range from hiccups to death.  Definitely not worth the gamble--especially on vacation.

Here the NKF's link if you're curious: https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/why-you-should-avoid-eating-starfruit

[kickingandscreaming]

You may have already seen this, but it's a blog article from HomeDialysis.org about cruising on dialysis.

http://homedialysis.org/news-and-research/blog/196-cruising-with-home-dialysis-tips-from-a-platinum-cruiser