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What is a bleeding disorder?
Haemophilia A & haemophilia B
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Working with your Haemophilia Treatment Centre
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Bleeding disorders
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How common is haemophilia
About bleeding and bleeds
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How is haemophilia diagnosed
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Before starting a new sport - Ask yourself!
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Info
Boys
Sex and intimacy
Talking about sex in the HTC clinic
Talking to young people about sex
Sex and bleeds in males
Sexual positions and pleasure
Talking to partners
Employment
Career options
Preparing for work
Bleeds at work - causes
Who to talk to about bleeds at work
Things your employer can't do
Your responsibilities
Disclosure - Who should I tell at work?
Sources & reviewers
Girls
What is a bleeding disorder?
Haemophilia A & haemophilia B
Von Willebrand disease
Other bleeding disorders
Diagnosing a bleeding disorder
Treatment plans
Periods
Relationships
What do I tell my other doctor or dentist?
Working with your Haemophilia Treatment Centre
Sport and exercise for young women
Bleeding disorders
Haemophilia
How common is haemophilia
About bleeding and bleeds
What does severity mean?
How is haemophilia diagnosed
Signs & symptoms of haemophilia
Treatment options
New haemophilia therapies
When to treat
Sources & reviewers
Von Willebrand Disorder (VWD)
How common is VWD
How serious is VWD
Types of VWD
Symptoms of VWD
Treatment for VWD
Sources & reviewers
Siblings
Sports
Sport - Where do I start?
Getting ready to play sport
Before starting a new sport - Ask yourself!
Sources & reviewers
Sport and exercise for young women
Why exercise?
What kind of sport or exercise?
Getting started
What can I do about heavy periods?
Protection, treatment and recovery from injuries
Any questions?
References and reviewers
Transition to adulthood
Transitioning from health services
Why plan ahead?
What are the differences between child services and adult services?
Looking after your own medication and treatment
Calendars, reminders and apps!
Moving out of home
From childhood to adulthood
Sources & Reviewers
Travel
Checklist for traveling alone
Tips for if you hardly ever have bleeding problems
Tips for if you need treatment regularly
Interstate travel tips
Overseas travel tips
Useful travel web sites
Sources & reviewers
Stories
Share your story
Q&A
Get involved
Awareness
Bleeding Disorders Awareness Week
World Haemophilia Day
Fundraise
Volunteer
News
Subscribe
And more...
Events
Upcoming events
Past Events
Camps & workshops
Conferences
Australian Haemophilia Conference
WFH Congress
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Info
Boys
Sex and intimacy
Talking about sex in the HTC clinic
Talking to young people about sex
Sex and bleeds in males
Sexual positions and pleasure
Talking to partners
Employment
Career options
Preparing for work
Bleeds at work - causes
Who to talk to about bleeds at work
Things your employer can't do
Your responsibilities
Disclosure - Who should I tell at work?
Sources & reviewers
Girls
What is a bleeding disorder?
Haemophilia A & haemophilia B
Von Willebrand disease
Other bleeding disorders
Diagnosing a bleeding disorder
Treatment plans
Periods
Relationships
What do I tell my other doctor or dentist?
Working with your Haemophilia Treatment Centre
Sport and exercise for young women
Bleeding disorders
Haemophilia
How common is haemophilia
About bleeding and bleeds
What does severity mean?
How is haemophilia diagnosed
Signs & symptoms of haemophilia
Treatment options
New haemophilia therapies
When to treat
Sources & reviewers
Von Willebrand Disorder (VWD)
How common is VWD
How serious is VWD
Types of VWD
Symptoms of VWD
Treatment for VWD
Sources & reviewers
Siblings
Sports
Sport - Where do I start?
Getting ready to play sport
Before starting a new sport - Ask yourself!
Sources & reviewers
Sport and exercise for young women
Why exercise?
What kind of sport or exercise?
Getting started
What can I do about heavy periods?
Protection, treatment and recovery from injuries
Any questions?
References and reviewers
Transition to adulthood
Transitioning from health services
Why plan ahead?
What are the differences between child services and adult services?
Looking after your own medication and treatment
Calendars, reminders and apps!
Moving out of home
From childhood to adulthood
Sources & Reviewers
Travel
Checklist for traveling alone
Tips for if you hardly ever have bleeding problems
Tips for if you need treatment regularly
Interstate travel tips
Overseas travel tips
Useful travel web sites
Sources & reviewers
Overseas travel tips
Travelling overseas or planning to?
Don’t forget to:
Be prepared and plan
Talk to your Haemophilia Treatment Centre well in advance, so treatment product, paperwork etc can be organised on time
You will need to have travel insurance for overseas travel
If your travel insurance asks you about “pre-existing health conditions” make sure you mention your bleeding disorder or else you won’t be covered if you have problems when you are travelling
It is advisable to tell the people you are travelling with about your bleeding disorder and what to do if you need help. You never know when or where an emergency might occur
Make sure you get an ABDR patient card from your Haemophilia Treatment Centre and carry it with you. This is a wallet-sized card with brief info about your diagnosis, recommended treatment and who to contact in an emergency
Consider wearing a medical alert bracelet or having an ICE (In Case of Emergency) number in your phone
Think about how you are carrying your luggage – backpack or suitcase? Choose luggage bags which will not injure your back, shoulder or neck muscles e.g. wheelie bags. If you’re carrying a one shoulder bag, switch sides often to avoid stressing one side of the back or shoulder. You can consult your physiotherapist or Haemophilia Centre for individualised tips on ways to carry luggage safely
Take a photocopy of your travel documents and leave them at home e.g. passport, itinerary, travel insurance, doctor’s letters
For overseas travel you will need documentation for customs and security – talk to your Haemophilia Treatment Centre about this at least 3 months before you travel so you have plenty of time to prepare
When going through customs checks, your ice packs may need to be examined as they could be interpreted as contributing to the liquids limit for international flights. This is why you need the documentation mentioned above!
In some cases, the National Blood Authority will need to approve taking factor products out of Australia
Different counties require different documentation, so it’s important to let your Haemophilia Treatment Centre know exactly where you’re going
You may also consider having the documentation translated into the language of the country you are travelling to
Be patient with border control! Don’t assume immigration officials are knowledgeable about bleeding disorders!
If you require regular on demand treatment it is recommended that you take treatment product with you on your trip
You should have enough treatment with you to give yourself 24-48 hours’ cover to get to a country where you can access adequate medical treatment. If you are on prophylaxis, you should take all of your required treatment with you for longer trips or organise for more to be delivered to you overseas
Your treatment product may not be available in the country you are travelling to. There may be a different range of plasma derived, recombinant and non-factor products available
Be aware that some countries don’t have as much money as Australia. This means that their services may not be what you are used to receiving at home. For example, blood products may not be checked as thoroughly for blood borne viruses like HIV or hepatitis and you may only have access to reused needles and equipment. It is a good idea to carry your own treatment and injecting equipment
Even if Australia has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with the country you are in, you will probably still need to pay for the treatment product and this can be very expensive. This is why travel insurance is very important!
What is a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement I hear you say.
Check out this link…
Take your Medicare Card so you can prove that you’re eligible to receive health care treatment (if Australia has an agreement with the country you’re in)
You cannot give unused treatment products back to your Haemophilia Treatment Centre when you come back – they cannot be returned.
Date last reviewed: 30/11/2012
Filed Under
overseas
travel
travel tips