Dialysis

[basil's mom]

Has anyone been on dialysis while cruising?  Are the solutions kept in your cabin or stored somewhere else?

[Astro Flyer]

10 minutes ago, basil's mom said:

Has anyone been on dialysis while cruising?  Are the solutions kept in your cabin or stored somewhere else?

Have you read the Princess FAQs about dialysis?

 

https://www.princess.com/en-us/faq/pre-cruise
 

[shellbeachjim]

You might want to investigate Dialysis At Sea. They don’t seem to have a presence on Princess currently. 
 

https://www.dialysisatsea.com

[SCX22]

IMO, dialysis and cruising don’t mix.  There so much that could go wrong in treatment that the ship’s medical center wouldn’t be able to treat.  If untreatable, the patient would potentially have to airlifted off the ship.  My girlfriend’s family runs a nursing home that has had patients with dialysis and from what I’ve seen you always want to have access to emergency care.  It’s one thing to be go on a land vacation and have access to a full service hospital that is nearby, but this isn’t a reality on a ship.

 

I totally sympathize with you.  I know it’s hard on the patient and the patient’s family.

[basil's mom]

I’ve read everything that Princess put out about Dialysis but nowhere does it say where the solutions are kept.  I was just wondering if we will be sharing our cabin with fifteen boxes of solution or if they will be stored somewhere else and brought to our cabin as needed.

[1025cruise]

Yes, everything will need to be stored in your cabin.

[mtnesterz]

To find which cruise line is the most receptive, accomodating, to your need, I'd remind you that CC has a disabled travel section here and read others experiences across different lines.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/

Have heard that RCI will work with you, in association with Dialysis At Sea. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/experience/accessible-cruising

[Arizona Wildcat]

You need to be stable and handle pretty much everything yourself on Princess.  Dialysis and cruising as said do not mix well and treatment if things go poorly will likely not covered by regular insurance and often are excluded on travel policies.

[Mother Mary]

We do perineal dialysis. Please do not comment unless you know what you are talking about. I am an rn and my husband is a pd patient. We are going to do a cruise. Yes your fluid will be stored for in your cabin. Would you really it any where else!  

 

[Essiesmom]

5 minutes ago, Mother Mary said:

We do perineal dialysis. Please do not comment unless you know what you are talking about. I am an rn and my husband is a pd patient. We are going to do a cruise. Yes your fluid will be stored for in your cabin. Would you really it any where else!  

 

I think you mean peritoneal dialysis.  EM

[SCX22]

14 minutes ago, Mother Mary said:

We do perineal dialysis. Please do not comment unless you know what you are talking about.

 

Still...If using a machine, what happens if the pump malfunctions and the problem can't be troubleshooted on board?  What about infection?  What if you notice that a fluid bag is compromised and don't have enough fluid?  What if the catheter gets dislodged?  Small stuff like this that can cause big problems.  Dialysis is life support and if something goes wrong, it can mean life and death for the patient, as I'm sure you already know.  

Edited June 22 by SCX22

[Mississippian]

7 hours ago, SCX22 said:

 

Still...If using a machine, what happens if the pump malfunctions and the problem can't be troubleshooted on board?  What about infection?  What if you notice that a fluid bag is compromised and don't have enough fluid?  What if the catheter gets dislodged?  Small stuff like this that can cause big problems.  Dialysis is life support and if something goes wrong, it can mean life and death for the patient, as I'm sure you already know.  

Life has risks. A lot of people would rather take a slight risk of death than to be confined to their bedroom for the rest of their life.

[SCX22]

26 minutes ago, Mississippian said:

Life has risks. A lot of people would rather take a slight risk of death than to be confined to their bedroom for the rest of their life.

Patients don’t have to be confined to their bedroom.  Plenty of dialysis patients go on land vacations where access to a hospital, if something were to go wrong with treatment, is available.  On a ship, if something were to go wrong and a Medevac were needed, that process could potentially interrupt the vacations of others that are on board due to diversion (missed ports, late arrival, etc.).

 

On Viking, some are required to have a medical assessment form filled out by their physician in order to cruise.  Supposedly this is for expedition journeys, but some have reported needing this form submitted for river cruises.

 

https://docs.vikingcruises.com/pdf/Viking-Expedition-PreBoarding-Medical-Assessment_R02b.pdf

[zahav1]

My husband was a PD dialysis patient, unfortunately he passed away and not from kidney problems, the PD worked great.   Yes, we cruised three times, the solution and other medical products must be stored in your room.   You will have to get in touch with the delivery company three months prior and let them know what ship and what date.  It is delivered to your cabin after you board.  We stored the solutions and other boxes in the walk in closet on Princess, this is the only cruise line that offers this great closet.  We stacked on the floor and about five across etc.  Used the section where the TV is for the machine and requested from the steward heavy duty garbage bags which we got.   We cleaned up every morning and had no problems.

[CruiseNYC]

My husband did PD and we cruised for many years on Princess. They provided Sharps Syringe container (in case we needed) and trash bags for dialysate bag disposal.  Cartons were delivered without any problem at all and the attendants were always helpful stacking them in the most convenient spot in the cabin. 
For those of you unfamiliar with Peritoneal Dialysis, there is no machine used. Portable IV Pole and gravity is all you need. 

[Rick&Jeannie]

3 hours ago, CruiseNYC said:

My husband did PD and we cruised for many years on Princess. They provided Sharps Syringe container (in case we needed) and trash bags for dialysate bag disposal.  Cartons were delivered without any problem at all and the attendants were always helpful stacking them in the most convenient spot in the cabin. 
For those of you unfamiliar with Peritoneal Dialysis, there is no machine used. Portable IV Pole and gravity is all you need. 

Thanks for educating us...I had no idea how this works.