I have injectable medication that needs to be refrigerated or kept below 70 degrees. I have a freezer pack that I will carry, but will I have any way of freezing it?
We plan to travel mostly by train through Italy and Austria and hope to stay in smaller B&B vs. large hotels. Anyone know if there is ice available or freezers to freeze my pack? We will travel in Sept./Oct. 2008.
Ice is hard to come by. The best I can suggest is to befriend the night manager at your hotel and ask if they can store your freezer pack in their ice box.
Thanks for the idea. It's a bit scary having to rely on other people, but maybe I'll have no other choice.
Ice in Europe is a rare commodity. Apparently, the U.S. has a patent on one formula and European businesses are unwilling to pay the price we charge. They used to make it themselves but the chief chemist died and nobody else knew the secret formula.
I would suspect that given the circumstances, hotel keepers would be willing to help you out. I would also suggest you ask first and if they decline, take your business elsewhere.
May I suggest you take with you a proper translation, in the languages of the all the countries you will be in, carefully explaining the situation. If you are in a B@B you cannot assume they will understand you ( unless you speak fluently) and be as willing to help. I think most people will happily help you , if you are able to communicate the problem clearly and in their language.
I also suggest you have your doctor write out a prescription for fresh insulin in case your supply is compromised.
Have fun regardless.
Thanks, that's a very good idea.
It is actually Rebif to treat multiple sclerosis. It can be without refrigeration for up to 30 days if it doesn't reach over 77 degrees (I thought it was 70) I just wonder if it is in my bag or hotel/train, etc. what kind of temperatures it might reach. I'd be much more comfortable keeping it cool, if possible.
Do you think it may reach over 77 degrees at any time during Sept. Oct. in Italy or Austria? Or in a carry on during those months on trains etc.?
On a train, it could easily reach a temperature in the 80s. As I mentioned before, though, I'm sure you can get your hotel to freeze your ice pack.
Good luck!
Italy can still be hot in September.
I take insulin. I have asked my doctor about this same problem. He said that it is not critical to keep insulin cold.
Five years between posts.
5 year old post, well that beat last weeks pull from the archives of only a year and a half. Why in the world do people pull these old posts up?
....yet the Earth keeps spinning on it's axis.
Thanks for the information, but I worked it all out. Been to Europe for 8 weeks since this post. My meds must be refrigerated, it is not insulin, but had no trouble with the B & B freezing my pack for me before I moved to another location.
Thanks, Susan, for bringing us up to date and letting us know what worked for you. I don't normally like the idea of reviving an old post, but this is one time when it paid off. Unlike a lot of repetitive posts, this one actually contained some new information and an uppddate from the OP. ( The misspelling is deliberate to overcome a software filter that deletes certain words.)
