Travel Series: Whats in my medical travel kit

Hey Everyone,

As a follow on to the previous post I thought I would show you whats in my medical travel kit.

1. Insect repellent (body and environment): This is a must if your travelling to tropical or warm climates. Staying away from the outdoors during sunset (when mosquito's are most active) is almost impossible while on holiday so having a quality insect repellent for your skin is handy.

2. Sunscreen: I have used Neutrogena SPF 85+ for the last 5 years with no complaints. Although sunscreens may say they are waterproof its important to apply after being in water anyway.

3. Hand-sanitiser - cant have enough of this stuff

4. Electral powder sachets - this is a powder that is full of electrolytes and all you need to do is mix one sachet with about 200mls of water. This is useful if you end up with diarrhoea or vomiting and need to replenish your electrolytes.

5. Soov Gel - this is a moisturising, partial local anaesthetic and partial soothing gel that you can use if you do end up with insect bites. It prevents you from scratching the shizz out of your skin and then ending up with infections/scars.

6. First aid kit - you can buy or make your own. Mine just has essentials including sterile gloves, bandages, cleansing wipes and scissors.

7. Imodium - this is Loperamide which is a medication that you can use to reduce diarrhoea. Be careful though because sometimes letting the diarrhoea flow is whats best for your bowels in the long run. This medication can cause you to turn the other way and become constipated so its important to read the instructions carefully when using.

8. Gauze and chlorhexidine wash - this is if you end up with cuts/scrapes you have an antiseptic to wash with. Detoll does the trick too.

9. Eurax cream for itch - this is another cream like Soov that is useful if you end up with lots of insect bites. As you can tell, like everything in my life, I like to have options.

10. Pupil torch - this is not because I'm anticipating the worst and thinking I will need to assess my friends pupils because they end up unconscious. This is just a torch I keep with me at all times in case we ever need some light.

11. More Kleenex and Time Of Month essentials.

Other items to consider:

• Vaccinations - I think these are important to have up to date. If your a youngin (born in the late 80's) in NZ, you're likely to have had most of the essentials. Note though that certain vaccines require boosters every  5-20 years. It's worth talking to your doctor before you head off to make sure you are covered.
• Antibiotics - I  always feel safer having a stash of these on me just in case I get a cold, wound infection, sinusitis, infected eczema etc. But then again, if your unwell enough to potentially require antibiotics you should be seeking medical advice in the country you are in so they can provide you a script for the appropriate antibiotics. 
•  Inhalers - if your an asthmatic I cant stress enough how important inhalers are. You never know how your lungs will react to a new climate and so its important to have some on you even if just for prophylaxis.
•  Antihistamines- again if you have hay-fever its worth taking some Loratadine or equivalent because your immune system may go bonkers in a foreign climate. 

So there you have my medical kit. It may seem over-kill for some and that's probably due to a mixture of my profession and my paranoia. I like to think its better to be prepared than be sorry, but each to their own. If I don't end up using a lot of this stuff I may even discard some of it on the way back because of weight limitations.

Hope you found this post a little bit useful. Let me know if there's anything I should be adding to the kit.

xo

Beauty Doc

Disclaimer: These are just ideas and items I chose to carry with me, obviously this is not my medical opinion. If you are planning to travel and need medical advice regarding medications/vaccinations please see your family doctor.