travel

Looking for someone with experience with travelling with low platelets.  Newly diagnosed in March 2025, negative reactions to steroids, had 4 infusions of Rituximab in April/May 2025.  Initial response up to 160, but has been sliding down since then (now at 105, if it keeps going down at the same rate will be around 50 by departure) .  I have a cruise booked in Europe for September, and am wondering if anyone has experienced sudden drops and medical care for ITP while travelling.

Did you find a hematologist?  Have you talked to him/her about your travel plans and what you can do while on your cruise?

I moved to Tokyo along with my husband & sons shortly after being diagnosed with ITP and on 60mg of prednisone.  Once in Tokyo I had a fantastic hematologist who knew my state-side hematologist (small world).  Later we moved to Hong Kong and that hematologist didn't know much about ITP and would panic if my count dropped and would want my spleen removed - no way!  We traveled to Thailand, Mainland China, Macau, Italy, the UK, Singapore and more.    I've also been on various cruises since diagnosis, including a river cruise in the US and Europe, trips to Ireland - and to be honest I didn't know what my count was before o any trip, just the moves.   Know I am not answering your question but just thought I'd let you know that ITP isn't the end of everything - you can still live. 

Is this a river cruise?   Do you have a hematologist, if not you should have one, if you do then talk to him/her about your trip.  The 2 of you can come up with a solution for your trip.    I would think a cruise ship would have medical onboard and probably could do a blood test. 

I traveled through Europe on a cruise last year while my platelets were fluctuating between 50 and 80. I made sure to carry a detailed medical letter from my hematologist, travel insurance that covered pre-existing conditions, and identified hospitals near each port - thankfully, I didn’t need them, but it gave me peace of mind.