Migraine shot while on board.

[Woofa]

My wife takes a monthly migraine shot and the date will be during our cruise.  We are coming into Miami a day early so trying to arrange a local CVS pickup so we don't have to fly with her shot.  This shot needs to be refrigerated until about an hour before she takes it.  At home it is no big deal, 1 minute one morning a month and done. it is not a major issue when she takes it that day.  Wondering if anyone else has done this and the protocol.  We plan to check in with our TA this week but hoping to hear from anyone who has done this.  Assume we need to let Oceania know. Will they take the shot upon boarding and store it for us then dispose of the needle afterwards?

Thanks for any guidance.

[GeezerCouple]

13 minutes ago, Woofa said:

My wife takes a monthly migraine shot and the date will be during our cruise.  We are coming into Miami a day early so trying to arrange a local CVS pickup so we don't have to fly with her shot.  This shot needs to be refrigerated until about an hour before she takes it.  At home it is no big deal, 1 minute one morning a month and done. it is not a major issue when she takes it that day.  Wondering if anyone else has done this and the protocol.  We plan to check in with our TA this week but hoping to hear from anyone who has done this.  Assume we need to let Oceania know. Will they take the shot upon boarding and store it for us then dispose of the needle afterwards?

Thanks for any guidance.

 

 

Contact the Special Needs group at Oceania asap.

They'll help you arrange what is needed, such as a small fridge with temp controls that are appropriate and also a sharps disposal container.

 

But backing up a bit, can she ask her physician if she can take it a day or two early, before she leaves home?  Perhaps adjust the schedule starting a few months in advancen (e.g., increasing or decreasing by one day each time)?  After all, not all months are exactly the same number of days.  If you'll be gone two months, then that wouldn't be sufficient.

 

I seriously doubt that they'll store passenger medical supplies, but you can always ask.

The Special Needs group takes these requests very seriously, and once the onboard crew is notified, they do, too.

 

We had to travel one time with teeny tiny *frozen* vials of eye drops that once thawed needed to remain *very* cold for no longer than 7 days.

We had an elaborage package to take through TSA; they just took us aside, allowed us to open things quickly, and then we sealed it all up again.

When we arrived at the hotel, we had arranged to have a full bucket of ice delivered every so often, and I'd keep the little vials submerged in what was mostly ice, but enough water that the water was surrounding the packets.  It worked very well, because that water was... *cold*!

IF that would work, then you could try that, if you really need to take the shot with you.

(Is it a pre-loaded needle/syringe, or just the vial that needs to be kept cold?)

 

We travel with some injectible meds that don't need refrigeration, along with the needles and syringes.  We keep a copy of the prescription and a letter from a physician explaining the need for the injectible med with us, and a copy in the cloud.  We've done this for dozens of trips all over the world, and no one has ever questioned us.  (IF we are crossing borders, we make *sure* that we comply with all prior approvals that might be needed.  There hasn't [yet!] been a problem.)

(We do this with all Rx meds, but without the special mention about needles/etc.)

No ship has ever "taken" these things from us; they typically don't even mention it, but we'll have a sharps container waiting in our cabin or suite.

 

This type of situation is more common than you might realize, but the specific arrangements can obviously vary depending upon the specific transportation(s) and time lengths.

 

GC

[vaitape]

You have a refrigerator in your cabin as well as a sharps container. Can't see this as a problem. Remember there are diabetic passengers who use insulin and need a way to dispose of the needles and syringes. Your itinerary sounds great!

[LHT28]

there are special ice packs you can buy to transport medication

ask your pharmacist

 the fridge in the cabin is more like a cooler  so depending on the temp the shot needs to be kept at it may or may not work

 as suggested call the special services

 

I have read some keep their insulin in the ice bucket ??

[GeezerCouple]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

there are special ice packs you can buy to transport medication

ask your pharmacist

 the fridge in the cabin is more like a cooler  so depending on the temp the shot needs to be kept at it may or may not work

 as suggested call the special services

 

I have read some keep their insulin in the ice bucket ??

 

That's similar to what we did, as mentioned above.

Obviously, it depends upon what the exact temperature range required is.

 

We needed the vials kept *very* cold, but not frozen (once thawed).  So we kept LOTS of ice in the container.  I'd pour out excess water and add more *cold* water from the spare ice bucket, and then add more ice.  There was just enough water to make sure the vials were surrounded by water.  Each was in a tiny ziploc-type plastic bag.   I needed to add a coin or such to each, because otherwise they tended to float (there was some air/gas in each vial in addition to the small quantity of medicine), which would *not* have been okay.

 

We got to the airport plenty early, and that was good.  TSA wasn't sure initially what to do about our package, but a supervisor helped inspect it and let us seal it up again.  It wasn't the vials; it was the assorted frozen gel packs and ice in the insulated container.  We also had extra copies of assorted medical documentation.  That was a lot more trouble than any of the considerable assortment of regular meds we bring along.  At least we weren't crossing any borders that time.

 

We thought we would need to continue this for longer trips, and I was having quite a time trying to figure it out.  Fortunately, it was a temporary situation as we had hoped...

 

GC

[Woofa]

Just wanted to follow up with the following email from our TA.

 You have a mini-fridge in your stateroom where you can keep the shot. They have been advised you are bringing the shot and needle onboard. There should be a sharps disposal in the bathroom

As we are planning to pick up her shot at a drug store in a Miami when we arrive the day before and store it refrigerated overnight and just bring it to the ship in a ziploc with some ice, I think this will take care of everything.

I will report back after the cruise to let everyone know.

Thanks again.

[ToxM]

20 minutes ago, Woofa said:

Just wanted to follow up with the following email from our TA.

 You have a mini-fridge in your stateroom where you can keep the shot. They have been advised you are bringing the shot and needle onboard. There should be a sharps disposal in the bathroom

 

As we are planning to pick up her shot at a drug store in a Miami when we arrive the day before and store it refrigerated overnight and just bring it to the ship in a ziploc with some ice, I think this will take care of everything.

I will report back after the cruise to let everyone know.

Thanks again.

Please be careful with this and check that the fridge in the room will keep the shot at the required temperature. 

[Woofa]

Thank you will do.