Holidays and asthma






This time of year can be stressful if you have allergies and asthma. 

If you are traveling to Grandma's house for the holidays (or another family member's house) - you may worry about all sorts of things. 
  • Can you make your flight?
  • How long is the drive?
  • What is grandma's house like? (or wherever else you are going)
  • Are there cats there?
  • Dogs?
  • Is it dusty? (when is the last time the guest bedroom was vacuumed?)
  • Are there going to be other people there - like kids with runny noses and coughs?
  • Will someone make a dish for dinner that has tree nuts? (Even though you have told them MANY times that your son is allergic to nuts?) 


There are some things you can't control - like weather for flying or driving. Or if someone gets sick. 

Holidays are always an adventure!
 
When we travel for Thanksgiving (or any other holiday) we plan ahead. We always pack maintenance medications (Be sure to check the counter on your inhaler to see how many puffs are left. I ended up out of town for a conference and realized my inhaler didn't "feel" right. It sounded like it was working, but when I looked at the counter on the canister, it showed 0 puffs left. Oops!!)

We also pack rescue inhalers AND the nebulizer/tubing kit/canister. I also bring our oximeter.    

"Just in case, " we find out:
  • Where is the closest Emergency Department?
  • Closest pharmacy?
You never know if you might need a breathing treatment, trip to the Emergency Department, refill on a medication, etc. So, we try to plan ahead, it makes me feel safer knowing I have all of our medications and know where to go if one of gets sick or has an accident. 

What's the old saying? Prepare for the worst and hope for the best?

On that note, Happy Holidays! 
 

Comments

  1. NikitaDecember 3, 2015 at 10:07 AM

    Hello, Andrea!

    I'm launching a game to empower kids with asthma next week and would love to get your and your kids' thoughts!

    You can get more information at http://wellapets.com/. Get in touch with me at nikita@lifeguardgames.com and I'd be happy to give you more information.

    Best wishes,
    Nikita

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My Life as an Asthma MomDecember 8, 2015 at 8:30 AM

      Hi Nikita,

      I was contacted a year or so ago when Wellapets was being created.

      Unfortunately, my kids are way too old to participate. My sons are in college.

      However, I think I blogged about them.

      Delete
    2. NikitaJanuary 12, 2016 at 6:03 PM

      Hi Andrea,

      I didn't see this earlier and just thought of today. I see, I wasn't aware that you did cover us. Thank you for your support!

      PS - We are now Wizdy :) http://www.wizdygames.com/. If you'd like to blog about our newly launched game please reach out; e-mail is faster for me by the way!

      Delete
  2. Nerdy galDecember 5, 2015 at 6:39 PM

    Where do you get most of your prescriptions? I used to be a walgreens girl until I heard costco has much lower prices then I switched there. I got a job as a pharmacy technician at CVS when I go back to school

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My Life as an Asthma MomDecember 8, 2015 at 8:27 AM

      I have tried Costco before, but when we tried them, they use some sort of mail order system.

      I couldn't drop off a prescription and shop, then pick it up when I was done shopping. Because they have to order it in?

      The cashier scolded me for not calling in my prescription ahead of time. I am work full time and have 3 kids - I can barely keep my head above water some days.

      I get my prescriptions at a retail store, because I can call in the refill, drive over and it's ready. (Or do a little shopping while I wait.)

      I found the prices to be almost identical.

      I hope you are getting a little rest during the holidays! :)

      Delete

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