Dialysis Travel, What You Should Know
The holidays are right around the corner and it’s an anticipated time for family connection and relaxation. Whether you’re a new dialysis patient or looking to travel for the first time while on dialysis, it’s important to start a checklist to make sure you can travel with confidence. If you’re flying, traveling by car or train, this blog will be a useful guide to help you lay out your dialysis travel itinerary.
Although traveling on dialysis can feel overwhelming, our team at Innovative Renal Care will be with you every step of the way. We believe the ability to travel and come together with family and friends for the holidays is essential for living fully. We’ll answer common questions here, but if you have any others, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Preparing for Dialysis Travel
If you’re traveling soon, you may already have a destination in mind, your flight booked and stay accommodations set. But do you have dialysis accommodations? And how far in advance should you start making arrangements for treatment? Innovative Renal Care recommends you begin planning 4 to 6 weeks before your departure for dialysis treatments during your travel about. This lead time ensures that you complete the needed paperwork, your local care team is aware of your travel plans and you have a chair time scheduled at your destination.
You may also be wondering, “Who should be involved in my travel plan?” We recommend working with your local care team to help coordinate your care at a clinic at your destination. Be sure to include your nephrologist, dialysis nurse and social worker.
At Innovative Renal Care, we will work with your home clinic team to provide a seamless care experience and help you enjoy your vacation to the maximum! Planning well ahead gives your home clinic team and the destination clinic team time to send and receive treatment orders, lab work and insurance information so you receive proper treatment and support.
Your Checklist for Dialysis During Travel
Just like a checklist that you might make for packing, it’s important to have a dialysis travel checklist in place as well. This list will help you stay on track with taking care of your health during travel. Here are some of the items that you should include:
- Medication List: Keep an updated medication list with all proper dosages, and prescribing information.
- Vaccination List: A recent list of your vaccination dates may be necessary for your destination dialysis clinic.
- Health Insurance: Providing current health insurance information will ensure treatment approvals and billing are correct and efficient.
- Emergency Contacts: Keep a written list with contact information for your nephrologist, home dialysis center and travel companions
Bringing these essentials with you takes the guesswork out of traveling while on dialysis. With your medications, vaccination records and insurance information organized and ready to go, you’ll feel more confident and prepared for a safe and healthy trip.
How Innovative Renal Care Helps
If you’re looking forward to traveling this holiday season, check to see if there is an Innovative Renal Care clinic at your destination. We’d love to have you stop in during your trip. Work with your home clinic care team and have them reach out to us so we can help coordinate your dialysis treatment. Our team is committed to delivering exceptional quality kidney care to our patients.
Traveling while on dialysis takes preparation, but it is achievable. By planning early and keeping your care team involved, you can enjoy peace of mind during your travels this holiday season.
