There's lots of questions I have to run by my Dr before the trip. I had a heart valve replacement (AVR) due to a genetic issue nearly a year ago and have been on warfarin since. I will be for the rest of my life.

Not a major problem and the whole episode was a kick up the ass to actually do something with my life.

The questions I will have with my doc regard taking stock of warfarin with me,
dehydration and its effects. Counting my INR levels.
The possibility of warfarin replacement treatments. The effects of altitude.
Crossing borders with a supply of prescribed drugs. The possibility of injury and how best to deal with it.

Probably lots of others as well.

Just wondering I guess if anyone else has dealt with these sort of issue.

I have read of diabetics and how they deal with travelling on this forum.

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions?

More than welcome !

__________________
Mark
www.chasingdreams.talktalk.net

I'm on Warfarin/Coumadin myself. I've travelled all over Central America and Mexico for three months. I've also flown into Cuba twice and crossed and flown into the USA many times. I was never searched at any of the borders but it's a good idea to have a note from your doctor explaining that these are drugs you need. Try to get that note in whatever language is spoken in the countries you plan to visit. You'll probably never have to produce it but it's good to have.

I can't speak for other countries but getting my INR levels checked was not a big problem in Mexico nor Central America. I had it done in Arizona, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras (where they completely misunderstood and tested for god knows what instead of the INR levels) and in Panama. No doctor's prescription required. The most problematic was actually California where I had to fork out for a doctor's note before they would do the test.

Water is available in bottles pretty much all over the world so dehydration should not be a major problem unless you're crossing a very large dessert with no way stops. I carried a hydration pack on my back, as do many other bikers anyway.

Your biggest problem is probably going to arise if you have a major crash. As you probably already know, internal bleeding could be an issue not immediately apparent to first responders and medical staff if you can't communicate in their language. Wear a medic alert bracelet and an easily accessible note in multiple languages.

I didn't worry too much about it since my view is that worrying excessively about things is often more detrimental to one's health than actually having the worry come true :-) ...seriously though, take reasonable precautions and go out there to have some fun and adventure.


...Michelle
www.scrabblebiker.com