Traveling with Chrons

[Surfergirl]

We are booked on a Med. cruise this summer and my daughter has just been diagnosed with Chrons disease. We are hoping we will not have to cancel but that will be up to her doctors.
Has anyone with an Inflammatory bowel disease had problems traveling? Any tips?

 

[lildeb724]

but my husband has chrohns and unless your daughter is having a flare up there is no reason to cancel the cruise.
It is important to be diligent with the medication, and stay away from whatever foods the doctor tells you to.
Don't despair, medication for chrohns disease has come so far in the past ten years, it is completely different then when I was a kid. My husband was diagnosed 10 years ago, and after the first two hospitalizations we got to a great chrohns specialist and got on the right medication and he has gone into complete remission, he can even have a little popcorn at the movies

 

[Surfergirl]

Thanks Lildeb for the encouragement. She is already feeling better with the meds and antibiotics. The low fibre diet should be easy to manage on the cruise. It,s nice to know other people are not slowed down by this disease.

 

[Cmbar]

I have had Crohns for 15 years and cruised with no problems. Unless she is in a flare I wouldn't cancel the cruise. Be sure to keep up with her meds and if you are able to determine any foods that cause her discomfort stay away from those. Since your daughter has just been diagnosed I am sure you aren't able to tell just yet if she has any trigger foods. Right now the medications will help her the most and once she is feeling better and getting in remission she can then determine what causes some problems. Most doctors don't feel that foods cause crohns, and that may be true, but it does trigger episodes. I had testing done and determined that I have sensitivities to Tomatoes, rice and mushrooms. These are my "absolutely don't eat or I will be hurting foods". I did let Disney Cruise line know that I had these "allergies" and they made sure I didn't have anything to eat with them! It was a bit of a pain because they would make me select my meal for the next night and then make sure it was prepared without any of those things.

The only other thing I would suggest is getting a prescription of Prednisone for the trip. While I don't recommend Prednisone for a long term solution to Crohns, it is wonderful to calm a flare up. On our last cruise I did have a severe flare about a three weeks before we cruised. My family was so worried we would have to cancel the cruise but my Doc and I discussed it and I took Prednisone to get me through the cruise. I never had a problem on the ship and when I got back we just backed me down off the Prednisone and I was fine. I won't go on vacation without it because I know if I have Crohns flare nothning works as fast to stop the flare short term.

Good Luck. I agree with PP that the medicines for Crohns have come a very long way and are very, very good at getting people into remission.

Good luck and Blessings to your daughter.

 

[BlondeJungleBookFan]

I have Crohn's disease.
I am on medication and go into the hospital every 5 weeks for a Remicade treatment.

I plan my trip around the hospital visit. I feel the best the 2 - 3 weeks after the treatment. That's when I go on a trip.
I still have to take medication and also watch what I eat.

I carry a big purse/tote with an extra change of clothing, everywhere I go.
I check out where all bathrooms are immediately.

Flying: I take Imodium before the flight, so I don't have a problem.
Boarding the ship: I take Imodium the morning we embark, so I don't have to worry about being in a long line and a long way from a restroom.

Taking and carrying Imodium not only helps, but helps ease my mind that I won't have a "problem" and embarass myself. One of the biggest concerns of people with Crohn's.

Traveling with Crohn's is possible.
I haven't let it stop me and I have it pretty bad.

I would talk to her Doctor and have him send any medications with her that she could possibly need. If she doesn't have to use them...even better.
But, what she might need, might not be readily available to get on board or in a port.

I just plan, am prepared, and if I have a flare-up, I just stay in my room.
I figure I could lie at home in my bed during a flare-up, OR, lie in my stateroom watching the ocean. I prefer the ocean view

 

[Surfergirl]

Thanks everyone, She has been started on Remicade and it looks like she will have a dose the week before we travel. I will also ask the doc closer to travel
about the imodium.
It helps to know that people can live normal lives. The last 2 weeks have been overwhelming for all of us.

 

[Purdue Mouse]

We are booked on a Med. cruise this summer and my daughter has just been diagnosed with Chrons disease. We are hoping we will not have to cancel but that will be up to her doctors.
Has anyone with an Inflammatory bowel disease had problems traveling? Any tips?

My DD is 12 with Crohn's since age 9. I well remember what you are going through. The first year can be tricky. If she was just diagnosed, she is probably on Prednisone now -yes?? After she weans off the Pred. you may luck out as she transitions to her maintenance drugs. Sometimes it is necessary to try a couple of different meds. It's too soon to make predictions about her condition. Her energy levels may take a hit for a while. My daughter was on IV Remicaid because her meds were not working.

If you didn't purchase cruise insurance within 14 days of your iniitial down payment,your policy may not cover pre-existing conditions (ck the thread on insurance). That being said, if you booked this trip in (example) December without insurance, and she is diagnosed in March that is a whole different story. You will need to discuss with DCL CS should you need to transfer your deposit to another date.

The CCFA website has great ideas for travelling with Crohn's. Your just kid needs to feel normal. A cruise should be just the medicine she needs to boost her morale after a difficult year. Tip: I would not pre-book excursions but rather, wait until you are on board to book in case she is not up to it.

Take heart, my daughter has had a great year -not one sick day from school. She played basketball, softball, volleyball and runs track. We are just waking up from our first three day "Dream" and she can't wait until the next one.

 

[awatt]

I have Crohns and have done 20 or so cruises since being diagnosed 10 years ago.

Be diligent about meds and diet from now until your trip.

Bring either prednisone or entocort, just in case a flare happens while away.

I am always VERY conservative about diet while away. I try to limit carbs, alcohol and sugar even more than usual because I don't want to chance it. If I start to feel a little icky from cruise food, I back way off for a day or two and rest the gut with bland food.

Hope she and your family have a wonderful cruise!