MEDICAL KIT FOR TRAVELLERS

As a traveler, who gets out of the state each year for varying period of time, one of the things I have learned never to leave home without is my medical kit. In the last several years of getting away from home – mostly on my own – I recall being stricken twice, once by a bug that enticed its way into my unsuspecting gut, and an another occasion by a throat infection that nearly spoiled my journey for all the involved parties. And so when I leave the borders of this state, the one item that travels with me is a kit that contains just about everything one would need to stay well and get back alive.

While I stop short of packing antibiotics, there are some essentials that you might want to have on-board should you desire to prep such a kit. The last time I travelled was by air and one of the side pouches of my bag was filled with tablets. The security man has been asleep, because the bag slid through the screening machine without a warning scream and a show of guns.

The one pill you want to have close to you is the omnipotent painkiller strip. Takes care of fever, headache and body-ache. The body-ache could be because of the uncomfortable night’s sleep – or lack of it – in the bus or train bunk. The headache could be due to the low quality of the movie being screened – or the fact that it kept playing until half past midnight. Keep it close at hand.

Food poisoning is something that most travelers have to cope with, especially if you’re every meal isn’t at a four star-point. Eat at a roadside stall, or sip water inside an Udupi dinner and next you know you could be laid down in beds with a gut virus. So you might want to lug along some anti-diarrhoeals and oral rehydration powder packets.

Anti-motion sickness pills might be worth keeping if you’re the sort that has to travel light – or risk spilling the beans before the ride is over. If your asthmatic, then your inhaler needs place in your kit: a change of climate as well as dusty climes can trigger an acute attack of wheezing. Don’t get caught off-guard.

One of the things I usually take along ids some anti-allergy pills. The line of thinking is: hotel or train linen that isn’t up to the mark in levels of hygiene, or may be plane seat whose previous tenant shed hair follicles like a rabbit with a serious case of fleabite. Never have to use any, but you can never say. And if the spouse is coming alone and it’s not all business then a blister pack of OCTs could come in handy.

These tablets are, of course, in addition to whatever, if any, therapy you might already been taking. If you are taking a big supply of tablets, better you also pack up a doctor’s prescription (and letter of explanation) for the same, just to avoid any trouble with Customs at your ports of entry.