Medicines: Preparing for the Unexpected

A recent trip to Europe made me realise my lack of planning regarding health and whether I should have taken any medications with me as a precaution. Of course I was super confident I’d be fine and thought I’d be immune from any of the usual nasties, like a cold, a sore throat, etc.

What made me think this way? Well, throughout the “COVID-19 pandemic” I was fine. No colds, no sore throats, no fevers and no coughs, etc. I did get something but didn’t get tested to see whether it was COVID or not. It did feel different and it wasn’t like any cold or influenza (which I haven’t had for probably 30 years) so it made me think this has to be COVID.

Now you are thinking what has COVID got to do with medications to take on travels? Nothing, just explaining my thought process and how I got to be so nonchalant. Back to the explanation…

My flawed thinking

It all started when my elderly mother was admitted to hospital for an unrelated matter. The nurses had done a RAT on her and the result was negative. Three days later the COVID symptoms started. During that time we had other nurses seeing mum twice a day to administer antibiotics. Hard to say if it was the staff at the hospital or these nurses that gave us what we had. What was disturbing was they were all vaccinated several times and probably had the first lot of boosters too. So much for being vaccinated! Anyhow…

What we had took our strength away for about 5 days. I suffered more than mum with the aches. It was a real nuisance as I had to look after her and do the housework. She actually did very well. Testament to her strength and natural immunity against the coronavirus. I cannot recall at any time her ever getting anything remotely like influenza, and we’re talking about 60 years and most of this time never vaccinated. This is why I say she’s strong. It took me several weeks to get back to normal. Getting sick one builds up immunity for a second round if it ever comes again. Something many in the medical fraternity seem to have forgotten; the body has its own memory system when it fights foreign entities trying to invade its cells. Mass vaccinations are not always the solution. Herd immunity can be acquired this way, naturally.

This all happened, if I remember correctly, in September of 2022. Going on we didn’t catch anything after this, whether similar or even close to it, not even a cold. So this is why in my way of thinking I’d be covered when it came to anything like a runny nose or sore throat, etc. I was wrong…

See your doctor and prepare

Not all infections from bacteria or a virus are the same. Some symptoms are similar but there may be other underlying factors. You need to know what else is going on. This is why it is always best to consult a (your) General Practitioner (medical doctor) first for a diagnosis, then a prognosis and move onto whatever medication or treatment is required, of course with due diligence. What happened with COVID was a shambles. Hopefully nothing like that will ever happen again where people were vaccinated with unproven technology. Let’s stick to what’s known and already proven, that alleviates symptoms and treats the illness and gets us back to being well.

When preparing to travel a visit to the GP first is a good idea. Perhaps do a full medical if that’s something that worries you otherwise talk about where you are going, what you can catch and the probabilities and if there are any preventative medicines to take beforehand or medicines for treatment while away. This is something I used to do knowing I’d get a sore throat roughly twice every year when the seasons changed. I would take antibiotics and throat lozenges with me. I’d suck on the lozenges first to alleviate symptoms and if no result moved onto the antibiotics. It would save me from ending up in bed for days. Something that happened recently on a trip with my wife where I ended up with an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). This affected my nose, throat, sinuses and voice box. I also had some muscle and bone aches for a day or so at the start. At this point I actually thought it may have been a flu bug. But I didn’t have any fever or a runny nose.

How easy it is to get sick

I probably caught this from someone coughing. I remember during early morning breakfast at the hotel in Singapore someone coughing and not covering up. Then the continuous change in temperature, cold to hot and humid and vice-versa, then the lack of humidity in cold dry air from strong air conditioning, in the hotels, convention centre where I was most of the time and on the plane I flew back home from Singapore and the flight to Amsterdam a day later. The air con was definitely the catalyst. Perhaps a few days rest before flying onto Europe may have put the bug to bed. A visit to my doctor too would have been a good idea. That for sure would’ve prevented the sore throat turning into what came later.

On planes the air conditioning is always an issue. You can hear many cough and splutter early on in the flight. The dry (cold) air does no favours to the throat. Luckily the effect has been reduced over the years with the introduction of the Boeing 787 (Dreamliner) and Airbus A350 with improved levels of humidity in the circulated air. The quality of the air all round has become better. This is another reason why I wasn’t worried. In the past I used to carry antibiotics on every flight. I was mostly flying on Boeing 777s and Airbus 330s, then when I started flying with the newer aircraft, the Airbus A350s and more recently Boeing 787s, I noticed my throat wasn’t as dry and breathing was much better. I wasn’t getting a dry irritable throat because of flying! Another reason why I was super confident.

Stock up

What should you take with you while travelling? Falling short of a full medicine cabinet or first aid kit, just take the essentials, such as: different size bandaids; small gauze bandages, Savlon antiseptic cream; Betadine (Povidone-Iodine to clean wounds); Vaseline; Panadol (paracetamol for pain and low-grade fever); Amoxicillin (antibiotic); Vicks VapoRub, Strepsils or Difflam (cough, nose and throat); Imodium (traveller’s diarrhoea), Visine (eye drops), saline solution, insect bite relief, antihistamines, Melatonin (for sleep), etc. This is not an extensive list. It’s only an example of some medications you can take. Of these I only carry a very small number. The rest can be bought over the counter at any pharmacy (drug store) around the world when they are required. Of course if you go into places where there are only a few humans, then you’d need to prepare seriously. Perhaps for the worst.

Again, depending on your health and medical condition consult with your GP for the right medications suited to your needs. A pharmacist can also help with other medications for prevention and treatment. Make sure you take enough prescription medicines for the trip. These are those you take regularly for a condition. It will be hard to see doctors and get scripts while travelling. It could also be costly. This is why take enough and make sure it is accompanied by a letter written by your GP. The letter works twofold. Firstly, some medications may be prohibited (perhaps illegal) or have strict usage in some countries; secondly, in an emergency it notifies first responders (paramedics etc.,). Also keep a copy on your smartphone. If you have a medical condition wear a medical id bracelet or (dog) tag around your neck. Remember only take prescription medicine that you need with you on board. Carry them in a bumbag (fanny pack) or sling so they are handy and will be with you in an emergency. All other stuff should go in your checked luggage.

Note: I was going to write an article on this topic a while back, in fact a few years ago when I used to take antibiotics with me. I had a draft copy, a few paragraphs, sitting in WordPress ready to be expanded on. Was going to publish early this year but it sat there. It took the events of my trips to Singapore and Amsterdam etc…and the actual experience of getting badly sick to prompt me to get it out. I hope this is a lesson others will learn from, not to be over confident.

Stay safe and healthy travels.

All Photos © Carlo Irlitti