First holiday abroad

[spiritfree]

I am going on my 1st ever holiday abroad, with oh, to kos, greece. I have quite a lot of medical kit to take with me. All diabetic stuff pens and spare pump, insulin , syringes,sharps bin,Glucogen kit, long and short acting insulin, loads of strips, spare meter, glucose tablets etc. I also sleep on a bi-pap machine,tubes for that,masks,humidifier etc. Also dressings for my tummy wound, loads of them. I have been allocated two medical carry ons and one ordinary carry on. Will I be able to keep it all with me at all times. What sort of cases/bags do you use for your carry on stuff. PLEASE HELP ME!!!!! I am so very frightened, I wish I hadn't booked it. We fly on sept 19th and return on 26th. This is the silliest thing I have ever done, and believe me I've done some daft things in my time.😉

 

[MaryPlain]

I am going on my 1st ever holiday abroad, with oh, to kos, greece. I have quite a lot of medical kit to take with me. All diabetic stuff pens and spare pump, insulin , syringes,sharps bin,Glucogen kit, long and short acting insulin, loads of strips, spare meter, glucose tablets etc. I also sleep on a bi-pap machine,tubes for that,masks,humidifier etc. Also dressings for my tummy wound, loads of them. I have been allocated two medical carry ons and one ordinary carry on. Will I be able to keep it all with me at all times. What sort of cases/bags do you use for your carry on stuff. PLEASE HELP ME!!!!! I am so very frightened, I wish I hadn't booked it. We fly on sept 19th and return on 26th. This is the silliest thing I have ever done, and believe me I've done some daft things in my time.😉

I don't think it's silly, I think it's great. I use a small trolley case for my carry-on luggage as I find it hard work carrying it all round. If you look at the airline website they should have the maximum dimensions you're allowed. Usually these go in the overhead lockers. Depending on when you get on, you can put them in the lockers near your seat. If you contact the airline you might be able to persuade them to let you get on with the disabled passengers first so that you get first dabs on the space. If not don't panic, even if your bags aren't all exactly over your seat, you can have a small bag under the seat in front of you with what you need for the flight.

My Mum had a massive amount of paraphernalia she had to carry on flights and she never let it stop her travelling - airlines were always very good at looking after her, but then my Mum had a way of getting people to see things her way!

Good luck and bon voyage!

 

[spiritfree]

Thanks Mary. Surely if both of my bags contain my medical items they will be stored above my seat, for easy access.

 

[Copepod]

Hope it all goes well. Where hand luggage is stored depends on other things in overhead lockers - so, best solution is to have 2 bags, one with things you might need on flight eg some test strips, some glucose tablets etc, and another for use during holiday. I guess you only use your bi-pap machine when sleeping at night? If so, that doesn't need to be to hand during flight. If you can make a very small pack, say pencil case size, then you could put that in the seat pocket. Otherwise, you'll have to ask cabin staff to retrieve your bag from overhead locker if you can't reach.

Just one word of warning - airline will (rightly) be concerned about someone travelling with a "tummy wound" needing lots of dressings - if it's infected and / or leaking, then it could be a risk to others, and changes in aeroplane cabin pressure can make a wound that is OK at sea level misbehave at lower pressure / higher altitude. You should check with the health professionals looking after your wound - they'll know the situation. Obviously, I don't know your wound history, and am not an expert in aeromedical issues.

 

[MaryPlain]

Hope it all goes well. Where hand luggage is stored depends on other things in overhead lockers - so, best solution is to have 2 bags, one with things you might need on flight eg some test strips, some glucose tablets etc, and another for use during holiday. I guess you only use your bi-pap machine when sleeping at night? If so, that doesn't need to be to hand during flight. If you can make a very small pack, say pencil case size, then you could put that in the seat pocket. Otherwise, you'll have to ask cabin staff to retrieve your bag from overhead locker if you can't reach.

This is what I would say too, also to add that you can put a handbag under the seat in front of you. When I'm travelling this is what I do - all my hypo treatments and when I was on a pen, my insulin pen, and my testing kit, go in my handbag under the seat in front so that I have them under my control at all times. Lots of my diabetes stuff I carry in on board luggage so that it doesn't get lost but I'm unlikely to need it during the journey so it goes in the overhead locker. I don't normally need to get anything then but if I did it wouldn't be a problem: as CP said, you can press the call button over your head and ask the cabin staff to get you your bag wherever it's been put.
Don't worry - everything will be fine, and you will have a fantastic holiday!