My ProTime has frequent flyer miles now...

[catwoman]

Actually, it really doesn't. But I finally flew with my ProTime 3 this past week to a convention in Atlantic City NJ and it was much much easier than I anticipated.
Ordinarily I would not have taken my testing machine. However, last Tuesday my PCP's nurse practitioner gave me a shot of steroids (Decadron) because of a bad upper respiratory infection. Told me it would affect my INR. When I tested the next day, it was 5.3 (I'm usually 3.3-3.7). So I adjusted my dose by 10% and packed the ProTime 3 in my overnight bag. I was taking my TravelPro rollerboard & hooked the overnight bag to it. I flew Thursday morning early and didn't really want to wait to retest until I got home Sunday night.
The ProTime 3 is bigger than the INRatio or Coaguchek, but it was no problem, even in my small overnight bag. I took 3 cuvettes & tenderletts (for "insurance"). No problems going through security on either leg.
I retested Saturday and was 4.7.
I might have been high anyway, since it had been 10 days since I had tested, rather than 1 week.
But it gave me a lot of piece of mind taking my machine. Only problem I had was trying to get hot water out of the bathroom faucet before the test. Water wasn't hot enough, so I really "milked" my finger -- so much I broke a couple of blood vessels there. Was rather pretty Saturday; it's fading today (Monday).

Lesson: If you have to travel with your machine, don't worry -- just do it. I packed soft things around my machine and put the overnight bag under the seat in front of me. Testing materials never became heated in transit.

 

[perrybucsdad]

...Testing materials never became heated in transit.

My question is how did you keep them cold? I thought if you kept them at room temp, even if sealed, it would cause problems with the results? That's one of the reason's I'm looking to replace my Protime with an INRatio.

- John

 

[catwoman]

My question is how did you keep them cold? I thought if you kept them at room temp, even if sealed, it would cause problems with the results? That's one of the reason's I'm looking to replace my Protime with an INRatio.

John:
You don't have to keep them COLD -- you can keep them at room temp, unopened, for up to 30 days without problems, and only 8 hours opened, if memory serves me right.
I keep 2 at room temp at all times -- the one I'm going to use and next week's cuvette. Then I take another one out of the refrigerator and replace the one I just used.
I had a small container of "blue ice" with the cuvettes en route to the Philly airport and the drive to Atlantic City.
I keep my ProTime 3 & supplies on the vanity in our guest bathroom. The temp there conforms to what ProTime says to keep them at for up to 30 days.

 

[QAS]

Hello

Hello

The ProTime Cuvettes are good for 30 days at room temperature, and 8 hours if they are opened. However, they are only good for 30 days cumulative out of the refregerator for the life of them. What I mean by that is if you take them out for 3 days, and then put the back in the refrigerator, they are only good out for 27 more days. I hope this helps, and thanks!

Lance QAS