Fridge for insulin?

[LauraAngel]

Hi all,

This is the first time I will be traveling staying at a value hotel that won't have a mini-bar I can stick my box of insulin cartridges (I use a pump) in. I asked about a fridge when I called to make my room ressie, and was told that for medical purposes, they could give me a fridge in the room for free. Then I noticed on the disney website that it suggests that even if your fridge is for medical purposes you could be charged up to $10 a day for it. While it would be nice to have, I have made due without a fridge in the past when neccessary, and would rather do so than pay the extra, as this is a minimal budget trip... It does note that I requested a fridge for medical purposes on my confirm, but doesn't mention any fee. Anyone know what the story is on this???

Thanks so much!!!

 

[Talking Hands]

Story is it depends. I have gotten the refrig gratis sometimes and have been charged other times.

 

[SueM in MN]

Recently, people have been posting that they were not charged, but, like Talking Hands mentioned, it depends. From what I've read lin the last 6 months, some of the resorts have gotten those tiny little fris that are about the size of a shoe box. Big enough for meds, but not big enough for someone who is just trying to get a free frig (by saying they have meds they need a refrigerator for).
My advice would be to make sure to ask when you check in and look at your statement when you check out. If a charge appears, take it up with the manager.

 

[Figaro]

We just got back from Pop Century where I had requested a fridge for my medications. There was one in the little cabinet to the left of the tv in the armoire and it was quite small with no freezer. If someone wanted to put a quart of milk or a few cans of pop in it, they could probably manage just about that much. It was perfect for medications, but not deep enough to put in anything much other than medications. We weren't charged for it.

Hope this helps!

 

[LauraAngel]

Thanks for the info everyone. I'll be at Pop Century as well, and all I really need is a little fridge like that to stick my box of insulin cartridges in. Hopefully things will work out the same way for me. Counting down the days...

-Laura

 

[Ambassador]

Thank you all for your useful comments. How does one travel the airlines and enter the parks laden with meds, syringes, pens and the like? Any problems or proper protocols?

 

[Figaro]

Hi, Ambassador!

I picked up a handy little medport bag with a little gel frozen pack. It is quite well designed and holds insulin, glucometer, lancets, bandaids, alcohol wipes, syringes and has a little sturdy medical waste pouch. I use this on the plane and there has never been a problem with it.

At the parks, I don't want to carry all of that stuff, so I put what I'm going to need in a clear ziploc bag and if it is hot that day, I stop and drop it off at the first aid station in the park so it can be kept in the fridge there. I've also kept it with me in my backpack on hot days by putting a plastic bottle filled with ice cubs next to the insulin. I just wrap the bottle in a hand towel to keep it a bit insulated and off I go.

If you type "diabetes travel kit" into google, you will get a whole bunch of sites with all kinds of different reviews/information on them. Search around a bit, as my spouse was able to find the medport bag for about 15 dollars less than the main sites had it listed for.

Hope this helps!

 

[Ambassador]

Thank you, Figaro. These are very useful suggestions.

Now, is there somewhere in the MK or Epcot where I can get a new pancreas?

 

[Figaro]

LOL, Ambassador!

Not that I know of, but if you find out anything different, let everyone here know(smile).

I also forgot to tell you that if you don't want to be bothered with syringes (if you use the ones that aren't pre-filled), you can get syringes at the First Aid Station for no charge. That has been quite handy at times for me. The nurses there are just wonderful and have always been very helpful.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Originally posted by Ambassador

Now, is there somewhere in the MK or Epcot where I can get a new pancreas?

Yes, just find the place where they do the foot transplants. It is at the same location!

 

[magicalmoments]

Ambassador...

My dh takes Enbrel injections for his Rheumatoid/Osteoarthritis and we travel in spite of those meds.

The only problem we ran into was trying to NOT get it thru the xray machines at the aiport. They insisted on xraying it even tho dh called the company beforehand and they said it may break down the proteins in it and since no specific studies were done on it with xray, to just have them manual inspect it. OK--or so we thought......

We had a note from the doctor explaining what it was and why he needed it but because the medication didnt specifically say 'do not xray' this one guy decided to get smart. I told him if he didnt believe us he could call the company and his remark exactly 'maam, we are too busy and we dont have time to make phone calls'. I told him I understood but if it was that big a deal and I am telling him NO xrays because of possible spoilage.....then YES I do feel a call should be made. I understand the need for higher security and the reason behind not 'taking our word' for it, but Enbrel is VERY expensive...... $1260 dollars PER MONTH! Yes I did type that right..$1260 ~ and thats a heck of a lot of money to waste all for the sake of a 'do not exray' message on the med box. We even brought the original container, UNOPENED, along with the doctors note and still......trouble.

Finally they did agree to let us go thru the gates, but I could tell he wasnt happy and neither were we. I was about to ask him who would be responsible if the medication spoiled or what ever may have happened once injected......but he then let us go with a 'not so happy' attitude. The poor people behind us.

Because the Enbrel needs to be kept cold, we took a little cooler that was sent to us by the company with a small ice pack and it worked well for us. We keep a note with us for the airline folks and are honest about it right from the getgo and we never had a problem taking syringes on a plane. In fact when I called the airline I made them aware and they said we would have to keep it with us since they dont supply refrigeration for personal meds. Very nice about it

So.....we dont let his medication get in the way of our plans. Altho I must admit, this last trip with the xray thing really made me mad. But, it did work out and we got on the plane with no further questioning.

Take care,
Stacy