PACKing For The Holiday Weekend

As you think about getting away for the holiday weekend, you need to think about your asthma. These simple steps from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology may help you PACK and keep your asthma under control while gone over the long holiday weekend.

• Plan ahead. Think about what you will need. If flying, you need to make sure that you carry your asthma medications with you. Lost luggage could lead to an emergency. If driving, you may need to ask others not to smoke or wear strong fragrances.
• Anticipate problems and allergens. Are you traveling to a high pollen area or to an area where the weather is drastically different? Are you traveling to a friend or family members home that has pets? It is best to have your asthma well controlled before going on a trip. Make sure that you tell your host about any food allergies and be sure to ask at restaurants. Always have your rescue medications and other medications for your action plan
• Continue to take your medications on your regular schedule. Just because you are going on vacation, you, unfortunately, do not get a break from your asthma. Mention your trip to your asthma doctor to see if you need to make any short term changes to your treatment plan.
• Keep your emergency contact information (asthma doctor, primary care doctor, pharmacy) with your important travel documents. Consider looking to see what sort of asthma doctors are located in the area you are visiting in case of an emergency.

Have you ever had an asthma traveling nightmare? Why not share your story here.

Source:

Pack Smart When Traveling. American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology. Accessed July 2,2009