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I was recently diagnosed and will begin injection therapy in about 2 weeks. I'll be going to Germany and France with my husband (we live in the US) and I'm nervous about traveling. I know there are good doctors there and obviously they know what MS is - I just don't want to be in a situation where I can't enjoy my trip.

What has anyone else experienced while traveling with MS? I love to travel so this is something I'm going to have to figure out I can't let MS keep me grounded!

Does traveling with oral steroids help in case of a flare up? I know Prednisone pills aren't the same as a solu-medrol drip but maybe it would help. Any trouble traveling with injections (Betaseron)? I've read that as long as you have a doctor's note and the original Rx, you'll be fine going through security/customs.

Thanks in advance for your answers!

Hi Surfbird
I fly 2 or 3 times a year nd never had any problems altough the longest flight time since diagnosis has been 4 hours. I am on Tysabri now so the issue of needles is gone but during the time I was on betaferon I had a 'medicines passport'. Enjoy your trip to Europe

Hey surfbird, I've toted my MS all over the world to nearly every continent. I've put together an exhaustive list of travel tips based on my experiences for ActiveMSers: http://www.activemsers.org/tipstricks/t ... ithms.html

I also wrote about what happens when a relapse hits when traveling and how to keep your head straight and still have an incredible time: http://www.activemsers.org/tipstricks/carpediem.html

Hope this helps and have fun!

Dave Bexfield, ActiveMSers.org

hey there, when i got dx'd i was days away from a 2-semester trip to study in australia. i was getting last minute health check-ups that led to my dx. (i also had an accident on a snowboard that seemed to precipitate my dx attack).

on the day before leaving i had to make the final call, and decided to postpone my trip. at the time i did not know when the progression of problems would slow. it was too scary. my bon voyage party turned into a non-voyage party.

i recovered enough (barely) to make the trip for the second semester. it was rough. luckily i had had trip cancellation insurance, and still i did have to wait for three months of stable health, in order to purchase 'pre-existing condition insurance'. it cost me 600 CDN extra because i was going away for months.

the trip was rough because the flights were long to get from SW ontario to western australia. at that point i was still paying others to wash my hair for me.

anyway i gradually got better over my time there, although i've learned much more since i returned in late '06.

at the end of the day, yes there are risks in travelling but you can manage if you are determined. i was fortunate not to require emergency care overseas. if you think you will, i guess i would advise caution.

in the final analysis, it is all up to you - all i can provide is one experience

HTH