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Patty G. Caregiver

Where to travel with an LVAD?

Wed, 04/17/2013 - 3:51PM

I'm a new to this site and a new caregiver as well. My husband and I love to travel and I was wondering if we will ever be able to travel internationally again. Does anyone one have any suggestions about the best places to travel with an LVAD? ALso, someone told me that they have cruises for LVAD groups. I have not been able to find anything online.

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RON S.

Mon, 04/22/2013 - 10:54AM

Yes, it does seem to be able to travel extensively though I, a newcomer, too, am struggling to find out details.

I found, on the Internet, an interesting paper: Destination Therapy: Safety and Feasibility of National and International Travel ASAIO Joural Vol 54 pp 172 - 176. The authors had tracked a large number of LVAD recipients who had gone on journeys of varying lengths, by differing modes of transport, domestically or internationally. The conclusions are very positive but the authors include helpful checklists of necessary preparations for travel, and possible issues to be mitigated.

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Patty G.

Tue, 04/23/2013 - 5:10PM

Thank you so much Ron. I think it would help us deal with everything that has happened in the last few months if we could focus in planning for what we love most. Planning a trip would maybe help us have something to look forward in the future. I appreciate the informantion so much and wish you the best. Hopefully we'll stay in touch and share our traveling adventures.

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RON S.

Thu, 04/25/2013 - 7:12PM

Patty:

Yes, please stay in touch and exchange experiences. In fact, once you get going travelling, I may bug you for a short, written article about a trip. I am trying to get an LVAD user newsletter going here in the Ottawa region, and it woud also be useful to have an interesting item or two from elsewhere. It all helps to reassure people that they are not alone.