COPING WITH ILLNESS AND INJURY WHILE TRAVELING

COPING WITH ILLNESS AND INJURY WHILE TRAVELING

By Heidi Johnson-Wright and Steve Wright

Jet lag, Montezuma’s revenge and sleep deprivation might sound like catchy names for race horses, but unfortunately, they are sometimes unpleasant realities for travelers.

For the traveler with a disability who may have other medical complications, such things can quickly turn a dream vacation into a trip from hell. But with a little advance planning and common sense, you can prepare for potential health-related problems or even avoid them altogether.

We have had our share of near disasters and, as a result, have compiled Steve and Heidi’s five rules for preserving your health while traveling.

They are:

1. Prepare before you go. If you haven't been to your doctor in a while, consider a routine check-up before your trip.

Make sure you have all immunizations you may need as well as a plentiful supply of any regular medications you take. Tell your doctor about any potential problems you anticipate while you’re away on vacation.

Heidi once spent a summer in the salt marshes of Virginia, which are the natural habitat of several dozen breeds of mosquitoes and horseflies the size of hummingbirds.

She was very glad that her doctor gave her a prescription strength cream for bug bites before she left.

If you’ll be at a particular destination for an extended period, you may want to have your doctor recommend another health professional in the area should you need ongoing care.

You may also consider locating pharmacies with delivery service, wheelchair repair shops and the like. If you haven’t made arrangements prior to arrival, consult the yellow pages or your hotel concierge for help locating these services.

2. Be sure to pack the essentials. Items that every traveler should keep in his or her overnight case include any regularly taken prescription medications, plus the big three stomach preparations: an antacid, a laxative and an anti-diarrheal medication.

If you tend to have insomnia in unfamiliar surroundings, ask your doctor to recommend a safe, over-the-counter sleeping pill. Steve always carries ear plugs to block out unsettling sounds that tend to echo through the halls of even the classiest hotels.

An over-the-counter analgesic for aches and pains and a cream to treat sore muscles are necessities.

Cold pills and cough drops can be lifesavers if you catch a bug. Bandages and antibiotic cream are must-haves.

Depending on where you’ll be traveling, you may want to pack sunscreen and sunburn medication, as well as insect repellent and hydrocortisone cream for insect bites.

While you can buy most of these items at a drugstore when you reach your destination, you can avoid tourist trap prices and spend your time on better things than searching a strange city for a pharmacy that’s open at 3 a.m.

Although it sounds like a lot, all this stuff combined won’t fill a carry-on bag. And because airlines are infamous for losing luggage in their care, we strongly suggest placing prescription medication and other essentials in a carry-on bag.

3. Check out your accommodations the minute you arrive.

Make sure the heater and or air conditioner in the room is functioning properly. This is especially important if your disability makes you extra sensitive to variations in temperature.

This is something we are always careful about since Heidi’s arthritis can be affected by extremes of hot or cold.

If you need to refrigerate insulin or other medication, arrange to have a room with a refrigerator or secure alternate arrangements with the hotel in advance.

Heidi must take medication with milk at bedtime and when she wakes up. Our routine when traveling is to buy a pint carton of milk before returning to our hotel for the evening.

Upon reaching our room, we pack the milk in ice in our ice bucket. It stays sufficiently cold until the following morning and is cheaper and more convenient than ordering milk from room service.

If you need a soft drink to settle your stomach, or milk for taking medication, but forget to pick them up until the wee hours, we have a solution.

Hotel bars usually have both for mixing drinks and bars are generally open even after room service is no longer available.

4. Remember moderation.

You may be thinking that you’ll never get another chance to ascend the Eiffel Tower or ride a camel by the Sphinx, but try to keep in mind that your goal is to have fun. You’ll probably enjoy your trip a lot more by pacing instead of pushing yourself. Heidi’s disability causes her to fatigue much more quickly than Steve.

We have an agreement that we don’t have to do everything together. About every other day on a trip, Heidi will take a long afternoon nap while Steve goes to a sporting event or heads out to take some pictures.

By evening, Heidi is comfortably rested and ready to paint the town red. Steve can return to the hotel with new discoveries and stories to tell.

5. Know when to pack it in.

There is only so much you can do for yourself. If you have the bad fortune of becoming seriously ill or injured during a vacation, get to a doctor or hospital.

It’s hard not to feel guilty or depressed about having to cut a trip short, but it is far preferable to jeopardizing your health.