Remember to pack your medications
The holidays are just around the corner and I for one can’t wait. By this time of year I am very much in need of some down time, away from the demands of a busy medical service.
However, I am keeping my fingers crossed that no-one gets sick – it wouldn’t be the first time that our family has taken time to wind down and relax, then promptly been hit by some random bug that floors us each individually, engulfing what should have been a lovely and well-earned break.
I know we are not the only family where this occurs.
Over the next couple of weeks there will be full waiting rooms at ‘‘after-hours centres’’ and emergency departments all over the country, dealing with all manner of health issues, from sunburn to food poisoning, unusual types of summer flu and cold viruses.
Sadly, you can’t avoid everything, but you can be as well prepared as possible so if things don’t go according to plan you can get better quickly, minimising the impact on your holiday. Here are some tips that might help:
Firstly, don’t forget to take enough of your usual medications to last you over the break. I have lost count of the number of patients I see every month who go away and either forget their medicine or don’t take enough to last them.
This can make you feel awful – forgetting antidepressants for example can lead to horrible ‘‘withdrawal’’ symptoms and rebound anxiety or low mood – but can also be really risky. Going away without your supply of diabetic meds, heart pills or asthma inhalers, for example, is a quick way to end up in hospital.
If you do find you haven’t taken enough of your medicines with you, I would suggest going to a local pharmacy.
If you have some proof of what you have been taking – for example, the container or blister pack they came in – the pharmacist should give you an emergency seven-day supply to tide you over and hopefully avoid any consequences.
The other option is to visit an after-hours centre near where you are. They will assess you and prescribe enough of your medication to last you until you can go back and see your usual doctor, though you will be charged to get this service.
On that note, I recommend that you check out where the nearest after-hours centre and pharmacy are in the area you are staying, and when it will be open. You may find that someone gets sick in the middle of the night and you are in a location with no wi-fi… definitely best to know in advance where you need to go to get help.
Take a good first-aid kit – if you are staying somewhere quite remote, you don’t want to spend the day driving miles down a windy gravel road to access some pain relief for someone who has sprained an ankle. I’d recommend:
❚ Analgesia – paracetamol is the staple, and don’t forget the syrup version if you are travelling with little kids.
❚ Anti-inflammatories – over-the-counter versions such as ibuprofen or voltaren are useful for period pain, headaches and injury-related pain and swelling (as long as the instructions and contra-indications on the pack are closely followed). ❚ Anti-histamines – again these can be bought from the chemist or supermarket, and are handy to have in case anyone gets bad insect bites or any type of allergy. They reduce itching, and can make a huge difference to how much you enjoy your holiday if you are covered in sandfly bites (I can back this one up from experience.)
❚ Rehydration sachets – although not essential, if anyone gets bad diarrhoea or vomiting these can stop you getting really sick. If you don’t have any with you, try to substitute them by drinking fluids
Going away without your supply of diabetic meds, heart pills or asthma inhalers, for example, is a quick way to end up in hospital.
with sugar in, and eating things that are a little bit salty (crackers or vegemite, for example).
❚ A selection of dressings, plasters and bandages. Compressing swollen injuries helps them to heal faster, and covering open wounds (or even scratched insect bites) reduces the likelihood of infection.
❚ Lastly, invest in plenty of good-quality, reliable sunscreen. Consumer has just tested a range of products (something I believe it does regularly) and has again found that several popular brands do not live up to the SPF rating they claim on the label. Check online which ones were up to scratch and buy plenty of big bottles to take away with you. Sunburn is one of the few holiday aiolments that is completely avoidable, so I will be doing my best to ensure my kids and I are all well-protected, and sunburn at least doesn’t spoil the break we are all longing for.