Medical services on board

[llamirand]

I've recently been prescribed Coumadin. I learned from HAL that pro-time tests can be administered while aboard and contact is maintained with the home physician. We are booked on 50 day Grand Med aboard Prinsendam March 11 '09. Has anyone had experience with this procedure? Can you share details?

[dclcruiser71]

I cant help with how the ship medical center will deal with it. However, I can tell you how important it is to get the time tests often! I was on this about 2 years ago and I had some weeks where I was on them several times a week then sometimes just once a week, and I think the most I went was 3 weeks without a test. Its so important because if your blood is too thin it can cause problems, as well as being not thin enough either.

 

Personally, if it was me, I would make sure to get all the information from my dr at home as to how often to test and what dosages he advises. Also I would call HAL and ask to speak to special services to find out the charges for this medical procedure, and how much it will cost for them to contact your dr to share the information, as well as signing any forms in advance authorizing your dr to share your medical information with another dr.

 

Not sure if this helps or not but hang in there, coumadin can be a hard medicine to deal with!

Aimee

 

I've recently been prescribed Coumadin. I learned from HAL that pro-time tests can be administered while aboard and contact is maintained with the home physician. We are booked on 50 day Grand Med aboard Prinsendam March 11 '09. Has anyone had experience with this procedure? Can you share details?

[JimVrhovac]

Both Ruth and I are registered Nurses. We have had the opportunity to visit and tour most of the ships medical centers and they are as well equipped as a basic emergency room.

 

The do have the lab ability to do PT/INR's (Coumading level test) and get you the results that day.

 

I reviewed one of the ships infirmiries a while ago.

 

If you canot find it let me know and I will repost it with some pictures for you.

 

Ruth & Jim

 

Link to that Eurodam review is:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=12510311

[nursebubba]

Another option is to switch to lovanox. It is administered as a very simple shot in your abdomen and as near as I remember (was a home care RN years ago) I never had to do pt/inrs until patients were switched back onto coumadin. They can do these tests but I know they can be very expensive. Rest assured though the medical centers are great ( know this sadly from personal experience ). Good luck!

[llamirand]

Thanks Aimee, Ruth and Jim, and nursebubba. You all made me feel a little better about this!

 

If anyone else can chime in, I'd really like to know the details of the whole procedure - data transmission, etc.