Storing dialysate in car while travelling - risks?

I’ll be going on a week long road trip using a small SUV the first week of July 2006. I’ll be carrying my PD cycler and dialysate solution. I’m concerned about leaving the boxes of dialysate in the car. I’ll be driving to four locations during the week, and also do now want to unload 10-12 25lb boxes of dialysate at each stop.

What is the risk of leaving solution in the car, and taking out only what I need each nite?

Thanks.

Tim

I’d be concerned about the added weight on your car’s suspension from an extra 1200 pounds or so and what it’s cargo limit is for safety in avoiding a roll-over. Another concern would be the effects of summer heat on boxed dialysate when you leave the boxes sitting in the car without running the AC. I’d suggest you ask your PD nurse or the customer service personnel at the company that ships your supplies what the maximum temperature PD solution can tolerate without any problem.

I read on one website for Dianeal PD solution that this solution should be stored at 77 degrees and briefly 104 degrees is safe (www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic4/dianel-pd1_ids.htm). Another article I found said that when the outside temperature is 80 degrees, the temperature inside a car can rise to 114 degrees in 30 minutes (www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3585/is_200507/ai_n15162420). If the outside temperature is higher, it seems like the inside temperature would rise higher faster. I suspect outside temps will be 80 degrees or higher many places where you’d park your car during the day or even overnight.

Instead of lugging all these boxes into a room overnight, why not have the boxes shipped to the locations where you’ll be staying? That’s the way most of the PD patients that I helped traveled. If they were going to be gone for a day or two, they took supplies with them, but longer than that, they had the company ship them. I don’t believe there’s any charge for them to ship supplies, but you do need to give them notice and if you’re staying in a hotel, the hotel may charge something for storing the supplies until you arrive.

I spoke to my driver from Baxter about this same thing - we had some 108 degree days this past summer here in South Carolina, and he said the warehouse where they store supplies is not air conditioned and neither are any trucks. Stuff sits in a hot non air conditioned warehouse for days and in a non air conditioned sometimes a couple of days. I asked if the trucks out in Tucson or Phoenix had AC in the back and he said “nope”. Same with winter - so according to him they don’t seem to pay attention to it. Possibly the turnover of supplies is so great though it’s not a problem.

Great site, very informative. Been sitting here reading for the past two hours! I’ve been on PD almost 2 years now, and because of hernia complications when I started had to do Hemo for a month. I’m glad that happened because I found Hemo wasn’t that bad for me (although I much prefer the added freedom of PD).

Will write more after registering!

mr - g