a very stressed cruise

[brillohead]

In theory your suggestion of reaching out to a home health agency for some assistance to direct someone to a supplier of Ileostomy and colostomy supplies, sounds very good....until the reality comes into play, that the supply company will not sell them supplies without a prescription from a doctor. It may not matter that the individual may want to pay for the supplies themselves without going through health insurance.

 

As a family member of a patient needing supplies, without a prescription the supply companies won't provide what is needed. Even online suppliers, require a prescription. I guess there is a 'black market' for the supplies is all I can imagine.

 

I have a hard time believing that the on-board physician wouldn't have been willing to write a prescription for the necessary supplies.....

[Lionesss]

When we travel with the MIL who has an ileoconduit we pre-cut twice the amount of bags she would need before we leave the house.

 

She takes all her supplies and in her carryon except the scissors, and if she needs more cut she reports to the the medical area (if packed scissors are confiscated).

 

The scissors are in her checked luggage and have been packed in such a way they have always arrived safely.

 

Good luck on futures sailngs.

 

Safe travels

[linzi000]

I'm sorry to hear you have had to go through this. I no someone with a similar condition to you and I can only imagine the stress and worry this must have caused you.

 

This has put me off using BA in the future. The way they have handled this is terrible.

[Paulette3028]

I have a hard time believing that the on-board physician wouldn't have been willing to write a prescription for the necessary supplies.....

 

Then you have never been in a situation where a physician won't write a prescription for something they know nothing about. That is fortunate for you.

 

In the case of these medical supplies....the script needs to be submitted to the medical supply company and only after that do the supplies get shipped. I had to deal with it for over 10 years with my dad. The logistics can be worked out for delivery. It takes planning and advance arrangements for delivery.

[mollyeilis]

https://www.gov.uk/hand-luggage-restrictions/overview

 

That has relevant info on the medical supply exemption for hand luggage liquids. It's not a BA thing but a security thing, that you can bring medical supplies, including liquids, in hand luggage.

 

No doubt you will carry everything in the future, but perhaps also carry a written prescription for items as well? (That could also help at security if you get a silly agent)

 

People here have given you the American terms for places to contact, just in case. If I were trying to find such a place in the UK I would want the UK terms since it seems to be different. Now you have the American terms. In my town I drive by two separate places routinely that state "ostomy supplies" on their reader boards, for what it's worth.

 

 

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[brillohead]

Then you have never been in a situation where a physician won't write a prescription for something they know nothing about. That is fortunate for you.

 

In the case of these medical supplies....the script needs to be submitted to the medical supply company and only after that do the supplies get shipped. I had to deal with it for over 10 years with my dad. The logistics can be worked out for delivery. It takes planning and advance arrangements for delivery.

 

The OP already stated that the on-board medical team was being as helpful and understanding as possible. In that case, it's really hard to imagine that the helpful and understanding physician would have a problem writing a prescription for supplies which are OBVIOUSLY necessary, even to an untrained eye. (Seriously, who can look at a stoma and not realize that it needs specialized stuff around/over it? :rolleyes:)

 

Even if the ship's doctor was a complete meanie-butt, there are any number of "urgent care" or "minute-clinic" type facilities that will write just about any non-narcotic prescription you ask for in exchange for the price of an office call charge.

 

Additionally, not all medical supplies have to be ordered and shipped. In major cities, there are medical supply stores that have these supplies in stock. It may not be as cheap as purchasing in bulk via mail order, but it most certainly *is* possible to walk into some supply places and walk out with at least some supplies that very same day.

[Paulette3028]

The OP already stated that the on-board medical team was being as helpful and understanding as possible. In that case, it's really hard to imagine that the helpful and understanding physician would have a problem writing a prescription for supplies which are OBVIOUSLY necessary, even to an untrained eye. (Seriously, who can look at a stoma and not realize that it needs specialized stuff around/over it? :rolleyes:)

 

Even if the ship's doctor was a complete meanie-butt, there are any number of "urgent care" or "minute-clinic" type facilities that will write just about any non-narcotic prescription you ask for in exchange for the price of an office call charge.

 

Additionally, not all medical supplies have to be ordered and shipped. In major cities, there are medical supply stores that have these supplies in stock. It may not be as cheap as purchasing in bulk via mail order, but it most certainly *is* possible to walk into some supply places and walk out with at least some supplies that very same day.

 

The onboard medical staff did everything they could....but the prescription for the medical supplies needs to be sent/brought to the medical supply company providing the supplies BEFORE they ship/deliver/give out the supplies.

 

Most pharmacies do not carry the specialized supplies needed ....they order it when needed by a patient with a prescription. What the prescription allows you to get, is far from a bulk order (it is a month's supplies, not a years worth or even several months worth.

[Paulette3028]

https://www.gov.uk/hand-luggage-restrictions/overview

 

That has relevant info on the medical supply exemption for hand luggage liquids. It's not a BA thing but a security thing, that you can bring medical supplies, including liquids, in hand luggage.

 

No doubt you will carry everything in the future, but perhaps also carry a written prescription for items as well? (That could also help at security if you get a silly agent)

 

People here have given you the American terms for places to contact, just in case. If I were trying to find such a place in the UK I would want the UK terms since it seems to be different. Now you have the American terms. In my town I drive by two separate places routinely that state "ostomy supplies" on their reader boards, for what it's worth.

 

 

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Yes the words 'ostomy supplies' are often written on their storefront....and gauze and tape and even the glue needed is easily on the shelf. The bags are not....they come in many shapes and sizes depending upon how the apparatus was setup on the patient. The pharmacist can have the appropriate bags within a day or two, once they know (via prescription) what has to be ordered.

 

By the time my dad passed away, I had become very familiar with how to bulk up on supplies so that in the event there was some type of delivery mix up, we still had supplies.

[SunshineCruiser24]

I'm sorry you had a stressful cruise, and I'm not sure why you are getting a hard time from some posters..

 

Yes, a doctor who is not familiar with your case and what you need, when that isn't something s/he routinely is familiar with, will not write you a prescription on the fly. You're not going to walk up to your ortho and get an rx for something regarding a dialysis treatment, for example. That's a stupid risk to their license. If something goes wrong like they ordered the wrong size or type, they're on the hook. The doctors on the ship are there for life threatening emergencies, they're not GI specialists.

 

I think you had a great attitude about it all, I'm sorry your vacation was ruined, and I hope in the future it goes a lot smoother for you. Lost baggage sounds like a nightmare. It was very very kind of you to realize that it wasn't anyone elses fault and take it out on them... Some people aren't capable of that.

Edited January 24, 2015 by SunshineCruiser24

[mollyeilis]

Yes the words 'ostomy supplies' are often written on their storefront....and gauze and tape and even the glue needed is easily on the shelf. The bags are not....they come in many shapes and sizes depending upon how the apparatus was setup on the patient. The pharmacist can have the appropriate bags within a day or two, once they know (via prescription) what has to be ordered.

 

By the time my dad passed away, I had become very familiar with how to bulk up on supplies so that in the event there was some type of delivery mix up, we still had supplies.

 

Do you think it is possible things might change over time? Or that some places do carry different things? In the case of such an emergency, isn't calling around to *see* a good idea, rather than assuming things are the way they always have been?

 

Now the OP has all sorts of info. He can carry his medical liquids onto the plane with him, thank goodness he now knows that. He now has the Americanisms for what sorts of places to TRY to contact if something happens. Maybe he'll be able to carry a written prescription with him, both to help him at security and also if he's somewhere for enough time to order something, or perhaps he's in a town with a store that actually DOES stock what he needs (you never know until you ask...we've been finding this out with DH and MIL's weird medications...some pharmacies think it's funny we're asking, and then another pharmacy acts like it's the most normal thing in the world), etc.

 

This is all good information, IMO. Hopefully should something ever happen to the OP's supplies in the future, some of the info here will be useful.

[Paulette3028]

Do you think it is possible things might change over time? Or that some places do carry different things? In the case of such an emergency, isn't calling around to *see* a good idea, rather than assuming things are the way they always have been?

 

Now the OP has all sorts of info. He can carry his medical liquids onto the plane with him, thank goodness he now knows that. He now has the Americanisms for what sorts of places to TRY to contact if something happens. Maybe he'll be able to carry a written prescription with him, both to help him at security and also if he's somewhere for enough time to order something, or perhaps he's in a town with a store that actually DOES stock what he needs (you never know until you ask...we've been finding this out with DH and MIL's weird medications...some pharmacies think it's funny we're asking, and then another pharmacy acts like it's the most normal thing in the world), etc.

 

This is all good information, IMO. Hopefully should something ever happen to the OP's supplies in the future, some of the info here will be useful.

 

Yes, things do change over time. In the 15+ years, up until very recently, for this medical necessity, very little had changed procedurally. It is not a very 'fashionable' situation and those that fit into this type of category are almost like 'step children', when it comes to the advancement of procedures. I worked very hard to make sure I had good 'relationships' with my dad's doctors and medical supply companies, just in case some rules needed bending....but that only works in some situations.

 

The OP has lots more information that could be helpful in the future.

 

Other readers of this thread have also gotten an education on a particular subject, and you never know it could come in handy for them sometime.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Paulette3028

[poolchairbob]

It sounds like you should have carried on all of the special needs items instead of checking them in at airport. This is common knowledge to special needs people (to which I'm one). Too bad you had to learn the hard way. Better luck next time!

 

 

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[MrsPete]

Hotels do accept deliveries for travelers who have reservations in their hotels, for much less important items as these.

Yes, I've mailed packages to myself at hotels.

 

Several times we've mailed all our toiletry products to avoid problems with the liquids; it's not terribly expensive -- I think last time I did it, it was $14 (that was for a family of four, including plenty of sunscreen). Another time we were doing a driving trip among the Western national parks, and I wanted several kitchen knives -- things that I couldn't take on the plane -- so I mailed a small package of kitchen materials to myself.

 

I've always called the hotel first to make sure they accept packages (haven't found one yet that doesn't, but it's better to be safe than sorry), and then I've mailed the packages about a week and a half ahead of time. Avoid cutting things too close. Since the OP would have to mail from outside the country, it might be wise to mail two full weeks (or more) ahead.

 

Finally, if I were mailing medical supplies, I'd insure the package . . . or maybe pay for tracking. I'd ask advice at the post office.

Edited January 24, 2015 by MrsPete

[RocketMan275]

Don't know if anyone has mentioned this but critical items should be 'cross-packed'. Put half of the supply in one bag and the other half in another bag.

[celle]

The OP already stated that the on-board medical team was being as helpful and understanding as possible. In that case, it's really hard to imagine that the helpful and understanding physician would have a problem writing a prescription for supplies which are OBVIOUSLY necessary, even to an untrained eye. (Seriously, who can look at a stoma and not realize that it needs specialized stuff around/over it? :rolleyes:)

 

Even if the ship's doctor was a complete meanie-butt, there are any number of "urgent care" or "minute-clinic" type facilities that will write just about any non-narcotic prescription you ask for in exchange for the price of an office call charge.

 

Some countries require that the doctor writing the prescription is registered to practice in that country. In that case, even if the ship's doctor wrote a prescription, the chances are high that it would not be accepted.

[lovetocruiserccl]

I work with individuals who need the supplies that you were in need. Someone stated just get it from the drug store near the port. Apparently they don't understand the severity of your situation. They can't be purchased at the drug store near the port. They are speciality medical equipment. I'm sorry you were unable to enjoy your vacation. I hope this never happens to anyone again. They took away from you quality of life. Hopefully they will resolve it for you financially.

 

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[Paulette3028]

I work with individuals who need the supplies that you were in need. Someone stated just get it from the drug store near the port. Apparently they don't understand the severity of your situation. They can't be purchased at the drug store near the port. They are speciality medical equipment. I'm sorry you were unable to enjoy your vacation. I hope this never happens to anyone again. They took away from you quality of life. Hopefully they will resolve it for you financially.

 

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Let's be clear here...it was the airline that lost the luggage; it wasn't something Royal did.

[sr4mjc]

I certainly hope BA offered you something for your stress. What a horrible situation.

[igmurray]

Let's be clear here...it was the airline that lost the luggage; it wasn't something Royal did.

 

Yes it was the airline that lost my luggage not RC i couldnt praise them enough. wrote to BA awaiting their reply but also emailed RC thanking them for all their help