Do resorts have a nebulizer?

[Cameo]

My son has mild asthma and only needs his nebulizer when he gets a cold. We are staying at AKL and Poly and are wondering if any resorts have the nebulizer compressor unit that can be used is you have your own tubing and mouthpiece. Or does everyone just pack their whole unit along?

We cannot get a travel version since our insurance will only cover one unit and we are not able to rent one here.

Are there places to rent the nebulizer in Orlando?

 

[safetymom]

I doubt they have one at the resorts. Why not try asking on the disabilities board here on the DIS? I am sure someone will be able to help you.

 

[kerri0616]

We take our son's nebulizer with us. Yes, it's sort of heavy, but we stick it in a carry on.

Kerri

 

[PMart]

Bring one if you can , thank goodness I did this past Dec. because my youngest DD had an attack the first night we got there, we were put in smoking room by mistake but when we switched rooms it was too late she was already coughing etc.

I doubt they have them at the resorts.

PMart

 

[TOMAR@SSR]

Hi Cameo
Just a suggestion, since your DS may only need the nebulizer when he gets a cold, mabe your Doctor could prescribe the Albuterol Breathe-a-lizer for when he might need it for just your vacation time, the regular size nebulizer is sooo large and I haven`t seen the travel version yet!!
Everyone in our Family has Asthma (I have Broncial Asthma), and I`m OK with just the Breathe-a-lizer on vacation, thank God. My 2 boys have it since they both were very young, and I can tell you that they both were soo busy @ WDW, sometimes they forgot they had a problem!!!
Hope this suggestion helps you
best of Luck

 

[justcruisin]

We carry in our carry-on heading towards out destination ... we check it on the way home!

 

[jjohnson]

Hi Cameo
Just a suggestion, since your DS may only need the nebulizer when he gets a cold, mabe your Doctor could prescribe the Albuterol Breathe-a-lizer for when he might need it for just your vacation time, the regular size nebulizer is sooo large and I haven`t seen the travel version yet!!
Everyone in our Family has Asthma (I have Broncial Asthma), and I`m OK with just the Breathe-a-lizer on vacation, thank God. My 2 boys have it since they both were very young, and I can tell you that they both were soo busy @ WDW, sometimes they forgot they had a problem!!!
Hope this suggestion helps you
best of Luck

This is what we bring too, it works well.

 

[LucyStorm]

Check out this website for nebulizer rentals in the area:

http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/products03.htm#oxygen

 

[jenr812]

Hi Cameo
Just a suggestion, since your DS may only need the nebulizer when he gets a cold, mabe your Doctor could prescribe the Albuterol Breathe-a-lizer for when he might need it for just your vacation time, the regular size nebulizer is sooo large and I haven`t seen the travel version yet!!
Everyone in our Family has Asthma (I have Broncial Asthma), and I`m OK with just the Breathe-a-lizer on vacation, thank God. My 2 boys have it since they both were very young, and I can tell you that they both were soo busy @ WDW, sometimes they forgot they had a problem!!!
Hope this suggestion helps you
best of Luck

What is a breath-a-lizer? I'm not looking forward to bringing our nebulizer either, though it isn't nearly as bulky as our old one was!

 

[sc9500]

We were just there and brought the nebulizer along because my daughter was in mid treatment. It was a pain but in your carry on you wont even feel it.

 

[floridagirrl2]

Just a thought....studies have shown that albuterol administered via a metered dose inhaler is just as effective as nebulized albuterol (and much more portable! ). You can have your son's doctor prescribe an MDI (with spacer or spacer and mask, depending on your son's age) for the trip. (I work in a pediatric pulmonary tertiary care center, and our pediatric pulmonologists don't even prescribe nebulized albuterol anymore, except at parents' request, since metered dose inhalers are so effective.)

 

[jenr812]

Just a thought....studies have shown that albuterol administered via a metered dose inhaler is just as effective as nebulized albuterol (and much more portable! ). You can have your son's doctor prescribe an MDI (with spacer or spacer and mask, depending on your son's age) for the trip. (I work in a pediatric pulmonary tertiary care center, and our pediatric pulmonologists don't even prescribe nebulized albuterol anymore, except at parents' request, since metered dose inhalers are so effective.)

Personally, my DD and I have in several instances been unable to obtain adequate relief with the MDI. Often, yes, but there are too many times when the nebulizer is required for me to risk leaving it home. Thanks for the info though.

 

[PedsTherapist]

I am a pediatric Respiratory Therapist at one of the top Children's Hospitals in the nation. I thought that I would reply to the Inhaler vs. Neb debate. Inhalers have been shown to be just as effective as nebulizers when used properly. Your physician or pharmacist should be able to show you proper technique for administration. I find that ususally people who feel they do not get adequate relief from their inhalers are not using them properly. One thing that can be a huge help is a spacer or aerochamber. Studies have shown that when you use a spacer more of the medication actually ends up in your lungs where it is supposed to go. When a spacer is not used most of the medication is likely to end up in the back of your throat and you need more puffs to get the same relief you would get if you were using a spacer. I agree that I see many physicians prescribing inhalers more often than neb machines because they are so portable and you don't need electricity to run one. I personally would recommend that you take an inhaler with a spacer on your vacation. If only for the reason that you can actually take it into the park with you. I am sure that you would hate for your son to have an asthma attack and have to wait until you got all the way back to your hotel room for some relief from a neb when you could have an inhaler right there with you in the park. Good luck and have a super vacation. I hope that your family stays healthy and you don't even need your asthma quick relievers.

 

[Cameo]

Thanks for all the information! You guys are certainly knowledgeable. We leave in just under two weeks, so I think that I will likely just take the nebulizer along. I'm not sure if we have enough time to get him used to taking an inhaler. He is five so he could probably start using one. I will look into it when we get home. He has never had an asthma attack. He only has asthmatic tendencies when he gets a cold. I also have mild asthma and use Flovent daily. Giving him neb treatments usually reduces the lung symptoms of his cold. I'm not sure why, but we have never even thought of taking his neb on previous trips. If he hasn't had a cold for a couple months, we usually forget all about it. But, he is just getting over a cold now, so it is on our mind. Thanks again!

 

[Kristi1357]

Definately bring the nebulizer!

We were at POR in April. DS hasn't needed/used his nebulizer since January - did not occur to me to bring it along since it is such an occassional thing. Well, of course he was having a hard time at night during vacation and I had to have my sister overnight it to us to the tune of $60.

We won't forget it next time!

 

[Ambassador]

One of our little delegation had an asthma attack at Disneyland. The albuterol with spacer we carried provided him instant relief, until we could return to our room and use the nebulizer later.

We have found that one side effect of the Albuterol is shakiness, which does not occur with Xopenex. Hence, Xopenex is normally used. But Albuterol works just a effectively, and is more easily carried in the Parks.

Your insurance should provide for the equipment and prescription. It comes with a 'fish mask' for young children. We had no problem getting them to use it, even when they were just two years old.

 

[mookie]

How old is your son? Our 2dd, uses a neb, too, and we have tried the inhaler as well as the machine. I know the inhaler is easier to carry, but I found she HATES using it. Not sure why, but the neb mach. works better for her, since she fights us with the inhaler, she doesn't get as much in her system. (For the machine, we were told to take the mask part off, hold it underneath her nose while she watches TV. She'll naturally breathe it in and won't feel scared with a mask on her face.)

Just a thought, but for us, the neb mach. is more cumbersome to bring along, but if it's going to work better and if she'll use it vs. the inhaler, it's worth it. Good luck!

 

[Daisy]

http://www.portablenebs.com/omronelite.htm

This is a website for a portable neb. my son has been using for about 2 years.
It is very small and works great for my son. My son uses an inhaler with a spacer but (like your son) when he has a cold he needs a little additional help from the neb. This neb travels well. It has gone to school, on vacation and trips to visit relatives.

At a cost of $55 this unit is very affordable. Our portable neb will definitely be coming with us on our July 1st WDW trip.

 

[Cameo]

Thank you for that link, Daisy. I talked to my local medical supplies company and they told me the travel units would cost between $200 and $300. Can you explain to me how this unit works. Do we use the same tubing and mask as we would with the larger compressor unit that we now use? Or is the tubing and mask unit different? Does it plug into the wall or does it just run on battery or car plug in? Maybe it says that on the website, but I was a little confused by the info there so I thought you might know. Thank you!

 

[Avalanche]

We always take our son's neb with us. It is a pain but the one time we don't have it, he will probibly need it.

I'm not a doctor but I wouldn't want to change procedures on a vacation to find out if it works or not.

My son is 12, which is old to still be useing a neb instead of an inhaler, because whenever he uses an inhaler he vomits. Not good to find out if this will happen in the middle of a asthma attack on vacation.