Travelers Health
Heading out of town for some well-deserved rest? With all the details of a trip to plan, we want to ease your mind about preparing for management of your health while you are away.
Here are some important issues to consider as you plan your trip:
- Do you have any prescription medications that you will run out of while out of town? Make sure you arrange for medication refills as early as possibly to avoid this situation.
- Also consider OTC medications that you may use from time to time. You may want to take a small amount of these with you, well labelled, in case of need.
- Are you showing signs of acute illness or other health issues that should be addressed before you are out of town and perhaps in a situation where your access to medical assistance is more limited? Request an appointment now and we will get you in as soon as needed before you leave.
- If you have chronic medical conditions that could be a problem while you are away, taking a printout with you of your basic health issues, medications, allergies, and so forth could be invaluable.
- Where will you be traveling? If you may be outside of your preferred insurance coverage area, find out from your insurance what your options are if you were to need urgent medical attention while away.
- If you will be out of the country, we recommend you visit the CDC travelers health website, enter the places you will be traveling to, and review the specific recommendations there. This may include specific vaccine recommendations, issues related to food and water, travelers diarrhea and possible infectious disease exposure issues. Malaria endemic area will generally include recommendations on malaria prevention.
- Certainly consider possible sun and mosquito exposure issues. Effective sunblock and mosquito repellent will not only make you more comfortable on your trip but may prevent health issues and injury that could make your trip considerably less relaxing!
- In some areas where you may be at high risk of travelers diarrhea, it may be worth considering having a course of antibiotics on hand if you have symptoms. Send us a secure message or request an appointment if you think this may apply to you.
- If you are heading out on a cruise or other trip where motion sickness could make you miserable, a prescription medicated topical patch may work well to prevent this. Send us a secure message or request an appointment if you think this may apply to you.
- For patients that are on oxygen supplementation therapy, most transportation companies and airlines make accommodations for this. Also, your oxygen provider in many cases can help make arrangements for this during your trip.
Any other questions? Drop us a secure message once you are registered online with us.
Have a wonderful time and leave those cares and worries behind as you head out!