Articles by Dr. Whitney
 

Medical Kits for travel
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Anyone who travels, whether it is locally or to a third world country, should prepare a medical kit prior to their departure. See the CDC website that gives excellent suggestions of items to include in a medical travel kit. The actual content will vary depending on the destination and length of stay.

Here are some additional thoughts:

Documents: Take a copy of your insurance card, a copy of your EKG, and a personal medical summary. Patients in my practice should know the username and password of their patient portal where all you medical records can be accessed.

Medications: Always take prescriptions in your carry-on luggage. The Transportation Safety Administration recommends (not required) that medications be in their original labeled bottles. Take extra pills in case your trip is unexpectedly extended.

Unless you have an allergy, I recommend taking Ciprofloxacin for urinary and bowel infections, Zithromax for respiratory infections, prochlorperazine for nausea, and Imodium (OTC) for diarrhea. If possible, please call me during your trip before taking any of these.
Call me if you need a sleep aid. I discourage you from using Benadryl or Tylenol PM. Both contain diphenhydramine which causes sedation, but worsens the quality of your sleep.

If you are going on a cruise and have had seasickness in the past, consider using a patch. If you've never been on a cruise, take Dramamine to use as needed.

Immunizations: Assess the need for immunizations about 6 months before a scheduled trip. Some, like hepatitis A, require a series of shots over 6 months. Below is the link to a site that shows which immunizations are needed in destinations around the world. Call if you think immunizations may be necessary. Links from this site offer good advice on selected topics.

Prevention: Few things can ruin a vacation more than an illness. Many travelers have been infected on the plane ride to their destination and spend much of their trip in bed. Most illnesses are introduced by touching something, or someone, that is infectious. Frequent hand washing or using 60% alcohol gel (or wipes) is an obvious first step. However, you can contact a virus from the doorknob on the way out of a bathroom. Therefore, try to keep your hands away from your mouth, eyes, and nose. This is more effective than hand washing. Fingernail biters and "face fidgeters" get sick more frequently than most. You can lather your hands in virus, but you will not get sick if it never gets into your system.

Finally, get plenty of rest, minimize alcohol, and stay hydrated to keep your immune system strong allow you to more effectively fight off an infective agent that successfully enters.

Last changed: Jun 05 2009 at 1:15 PM