nebulizer & traveling with meds ?

[ZPT1022]

I have a few questions and I'm hoping for some help. I am leaving Thursday for a trip to WDW. Obviously I will need to bring my meds with me, but it's been a while since I've flown so I'm a bit rusty. Do the meds need to be labeled with my name or just the name of the med? For example- do inhalers need to be in their large bulky boxes or is it okay to just take the inhaler itself? My epi pen box disintegrated in the diaper bag over the summer, so that is a concern as well. You can clearly tell that it is an Epi pen, it's just missing the box it came in (but it is still in it's hard plastic case). Will I be allowed to take it or do I have to call the DR for a refill and get a new one just to get a new box? Also, my asthma has been really horrendous the last week. On a family trip I would normally have the nebulizer with us, but this is a girls only trip (no husbands, no kids). I need to leave the neb at home in case DD needs it. Unfortunately we only have the one machine. Are there nebulizers available at the first aid stations if I bring the meds and the tubing/mask? I'm really opposed to taking the one from home because if DD wound up needing it and I had it in FL I could never forgive myself. If anyone can answer any of these questions, I would be grateful. Thank you

 

[ZPT1022]

anyone?

 

[Camster0307]

Basically, the nebulizer is a mini air compresser. I think, but am not sure, the first aid station may have that capabilitiy - meaning air that would blow out of a wall unit like in a hospital. I would call the WDW hotline - they should be able to direct you to an answer. My daughter has many medical needs and I always travelled with her equipment. Can I ask though - instead of delivering your med through a nebulizer, can't your doc prescribe an inhaler? That's what we use when we don't want to bring the whole neb. equipment.

As far as your meds, I've always carried the prescripted bottle. Don't know what would happen in you had an unmarked bottle. Maybe a dr.'s note explaining everything? Hope this helps.

 

[MandM-Mom]

Couldn't you just call the Dr and have them call in an order for a nebulizer if they knew the situation.
Our insurance company covers the cost.
We go everywhere with my DD's Neb, its in a small case and doesn't take up anymore room than a tiny camcorder case. When we traveled I kept all her meds in the unopened inside packs and cut the prescription labels off the boxes and stuck them in the ziploc with the meds.

 

[ZPT1022]

Basically, the nebulizer is a mini air compresser. I think, but am not sure, the first aid station may have that capabilitiy - meaning air that would blow out of a wall unit like in a hospital. I would call the WDW hotline - they should be able to direct you to an answer. My daughter has many medical needs and I always travelled with her equipment. Can I ask though - instead of delivering your med through a nebulizer, can't your doc prescribe an inhaler? That's what we use when we don't want to bring the whole neb. equipment.

As far as your meds, I've always carried the prescripted bottle. Don't know what would happen in you had an unmarked bottle. Maybe a dr.'s note explaining everything? Hope this helps.

Good idea- I will call and ask and see what they say. I do have an inhaler but when the asthma episode is severe, which has happened a few times recently, the nebulizer is far more effective. Last night I used my rescue inhaler and 30 minutes later didn't really feel much better so I used the nebulizer and I felt better by the end of the treatment. This is not the normal case but our yo-yo weather combined with all the lovely allergens of fall are just really not agreeing with me.

Most of my meds are in the regular pharmacy bottles but I was wondering about things like the epi pen and the advair- you can definitely tell what it is but the box makes it really bulky in the case of the advair, and with the epi pen the box basically fell apart. You can still tell that it's an epi pen but my name & dr & pharmacy name are not right on the epi pen- they were on the box. Gosh I guess I really just need to call the airport. Thanks for your help though

 

[ZPT1022]

Couldn't you just call the Dr and have them call in an order for a nebulizer if they knew the situation.
Our insurance company covers the cost.
We go everywhere with my DD's Neb, its in a small case and doesn't take up anymore room than a tiny camcorder case. When we traveled I kept all her meds in the unopened inside packs and cut the prescription labels off the boxes and stuck them in the ziploc with the meds.

Our insurance covers the cost after a $300 deductible for durable medical equipment (per year). I'm sure he would order one, but we already have one at home, so it seems silly to buy another one. DD and I usually go places together so it's not an issue that's ever come up before and honestly, may not come up again. I wonder if they do rentals though

Good call on cutting the labels off- that could work well

 

[Camster0307]

It's good to call the airport to get their guidelines, but I think to be on the safe side you should have a letter from your doctor. You may not ever need it but it could give you peace of mind. As I stated earlier, I travel to WDW every year with my daugher and she has many medical needs; therefore we travel with alot of carryon equipment and meds. Some years, security will question me; other years I breeze right through. It's never really consistent.

 

[ZPT1022]

It's good to call the airport to get their guidelines, but I think to be on the safe side you should have a letter from your doctor. You may not ever need it but it could give you peace of mind. As I stated earlier, I travel to WDW every year with my daugher and she has many medical needs; therefore we travel with alot of carryon equipment and meds. Some years, security will question me; other years I breeze right through. It's never really consistent.

You are probably right. We normally drive so that we can have our car with us so I am very out of the loop with the regulations for the airlines. Thank you!

 

[SueM in MN]

People have posted before that the First Aid sites do not have nebulizers. If you have one and want to store it there in case you need it, they will do that, but they don't have any for use.

Here is a link to the Transportation Security Administration Page about travel with special needs. Here is a link to the specific page about medications. It says that medications must be labeled so they are identifiable, but doesn't detail what that means. The easiest way is probably to have it in the original pharmacy package, but as long as it is identifiable, it should be OK.

For a nebulizer, if you can't get one of your own before you go, you could rent one in Orlando. Here is a link to Care Medical Supply's page that includes information about renting nebulizers.

 

[ZPT1022]

Thanks Sue!

 

[SueM in MN]

you're welcome. Have a good trip.

 

[Mason7AK]

"Our insurance covers the cost after a $300 deductible for durable medical equipment (per year). I'm sure he would order one, but we already have one at home, so it seems silly to buy another one."

You can buy a small nebulizer machine at most major drug stores for around $60. We have three of them for my DD - one at home, one in the car, and one at school. We bought the two extras at our local Walgreens.
Thought this might help.
Angela

 

[ZPT1022]

"Our insurance covers the cost after a $300 deductible for durable medical equipment (per year). I'm sure he would order one, but we already have one at home, so it seems silly to buy another one."

You can buy a small nebulizer machine at most major drug stores for around $60. We have three of them for my DD - one at home, one in the car, and one at school. We bought the two extras at our local Walgreens.
Thought this might help.
Angela

That is really good to know. It sounds like that would be a lot easier to travel with too, whether for myself or for DD. Heck, that's even cheap enough to buy to leave at the grandparents houses