Holiday tips

[cassandra]

Hi all, as this is the first holiday on D (I holiday abroad (on D (PD, in-centre HD, HHD)) at least once a year when not admitted in hosp) with a delivery problem . I thought it might be worthy of a tip.

Check your mobile phone provider about coverage. Mine had been bought and sold twice this year, and I thought naively that it wouldn't cause a prob but it did. The delivery person, and the hosp tried to reach me, and I didn't realise I had no coverage. That was one wasted day, and I could have missed a kidney or something (I still like to include that possibility

It was Mobile, than EE-t-mobile, now EE-t-mobile-BT which only gives you coverage under 3G!

[Simon Dog]

If you like to while away the time while you are on dialysis by using the internet, and are frustrated with your clinic's censorship or port blocking policies, consider subscribing to a low cost vpn like www.nordvpn.com.  Once you are connected. you'll have full internet access rather than the restricted one offered by the  dialysis clinics.   I'm frustrated because the FMC "no weapons" policy extends to websites, and I do consulting for a few gun companies.  Once I open the VPN, all the access problems go away.

Of course, I need cell reception to answer the authentication call to use my VPN, so that issue remains relevant.

[Fabkiwi06]

Is that why I always have a bunch of missed messages when I leave the clinic? Why do they do that? This is good to keep in mind...

[Simon Dog]

Is that why I always have a bunch of missed messages when I leave the clinic? Why do they do that? This is good to keep in mind...

What kind of messages?  They don't block anything via cell phone.    Internet access blocks smut and politically incorrect sights (gun companies), and also blocks many ports useful for specialized applications like ssh over an obscure port (something I use regularly) or pop3/smtp email.  It's an over-engineered solution - a simple home style internet connection would be more trouble-free and not have the censorship issues.

[iolaire]

Is that why I always have a bunch of missed messages when I leave the clinic? Why do they do that? This is good to keep in mind...

What kind of messages?  They don't block anything via cell phone.    Internet access blocks smut and politically incorrect sights (gun companies), and also blocks many ports useful for specialized applications like ssh over an obscure port (something I use regularly) or pop3/smtp email.  It's an over-engineered solution - a simple home style internet connection would be more trouble-free and not have the censorship issues.

Maybe she is using WIFI?  I go into airplane mode all the time and only use WIFI.  My phone wouldn't make it through the session with cellular on as well.  I'm not napping much and use it for the full three hours nonstop - games and reading -  and that's about the limit even on the almost current iPhone 6s.

Re cell phone converge in the EU.  I look forward to when they have fully integrated free roaming across the EU.  As it is now I have to by a Lyca Mobile SIM in each country I visit and then its not good in the next.  But I don't know if that will help you UK folks with Brexit looming on the horizon....

[cassandra]

But I don't know if that will help you UK folks with Brexit looming on the horizon....

   

[Riki]

My cell provider, Telus, has an add on you can get for going to the US.. for $7 a day you can use your phone the same as you would at home.. I have yet to use it, but I know I'm going to love it... it's much better than what they had.. a $30 US package that only let you have so many airtime minutes per day, so many texts, and so much data... when I have unlimited calling and texting, and 2gb of data per month.. it was a pain in the ass... at least in NYC, there is a lot of free wifi options..