Traveling with ASTHMA :) Please share your tips, strategies and stories.

[DisneyDiana!]

I'm a newly diagnosed adult asthmatic with pretty bad control right now. I'm still learning what medications work for me on a daily basis. This has me wondering about trips to Disney World. How do you do Disney with asthma? What do you carry with you? Do you have any tips about using and storing nebulizers? Experiences in the park or at the resorts with a flare up or attack? Please share your Asthma traveling tips, strategies and stories. Thank you!

 

[happymommy]

My son has asthma, and it used to flare up most often when we'd travel.
I bought a smaller travel nebulizer that has a battery power as well as plugs in. I'd make sure the battery was fully charged and have it on the plane (never needed it thankfully on the plane, but have in a hotel room). I'd keep it in the hotel room.
Always have an inhaler with you, obviously!
At Disney resorts, you can request (with advance notice, I think they need at least 48 hours) a VIP cleaning. We got this once, and he breathed so much better that trip! They do a thorough cleaning - carpets, change out bedding, change air filter, etc. The only downside is that since they're putting all that work in, your room may not be ready until a little later in the afternoon (ours wasn't ready until I think after 4pm) and you can't do any type of room change (that trip I asked about paying to upgrade to club level, and I could have except they were already working on cleaning the room they assigned to us, so we couldn't upgrade).
One time my son got really sick and we used the clinic that sends a doctor to your room (actually they travelled in pairs - so two doctors). They showed him how to take a paper coffee cup and cut out the bottom to make a spacer for his inhaler (they also gave him antibiotics; he had a horrible ear infection with high fever but was also wheezing). I think they're called the medical concierge? They were amazing! And gave me all the insurance forms to get reimbursed!

 

[BabyFu18]

I've had asthma since I was a little kid, I take ten different medications for my asthma and my biggest tip would be to make sure you carry your inhalers with you everywhere you go (you never know when you'll need them) and if you can buy a portable nebulizer to keep with you for emergencies.

My portable nebulizer runs on regular AA batteries that I keep with it and also keep my individual packs of medication go in the case too. I keep that in my bag no matter where I am, it's pretty small, when everything is in its case it's about the size of a large sunglasses case. I also have a nebulizer medication that needs to be kept refrigerated so I travel with that in an ice chest and keep it in the refrigerator in the hotel room and go back to the room when it's time to use that medication.

I also travel with my full size nebulizer too since I have had one break on a trip, you only do that once then you travel with a backup! So I have the portable neb for the parks and my regular neb for use I the room (I use my neb 4 times a day on a set schedule that is slightly adjustable), and I make sure I have all the tubing and whatnot that I need for the regular neb.

Also I guess after so many years of living with asthma, I can just tell when I'm feeling differently, if I need my recuse inhaler or whatnot, I think with time you'll be able to tell when or if you need your meds. If your doctor has you taking your meds on a strict schedule set a reminder on your phone so your sure to stop and take them when your supposed to.

I'm sure it depends on the person but for me extreme weather can be really hard so if I'm at Disney world and it's extremely hot or cold I try to make sure I take time throughout the day to get indoors and rest and give myself a break from the weather. Drastic changes in climate, location, etc. seem to throw my asthma and allergies out of whack so I keep meds with me and use them when I feel like I need them. I think you'll need some time to see if those kinds of issues bother your asthma, but the best advice is just be aware and know your body, when something doesn't feel right listen to the signals your body is giving you.

 

[gap2368]

I do not go with out my inhalers and if I am having a day with more asthma attracts I tend to go slower as exercise can lead to asthma problems for me.

 

[arminnie]

Do you know what your triggers are? I've had some horrible asthma complications - hospitalized for two weeks near death. Feeling like death for over 6 months with walking pneumonia. Having to use ECV to navigate WDW.

But I do not have any "allergy" reactions. My asthma is exercise induced and the result of acute reflux. Pollen and dust do not effect me at all. Hard aerobic exercise will give me an asthma attack. But the worst for me was untreated reflux. My 6 months of walking pneumonia and truly thinking that I must be dying was caused by eating chocolate before bedtime.

I know -weird. And extremely hard to diagnose. I was not diagnosed with asthma until my late 40s. Although now that I know what asthma feels like I realize that I've had it at least since I was 14. I thought my lungs were supposed to feel like that if I'd exercised hard enough. As I got older the reflux became the main issue.

All too many health care providers look to airborne triggers and forget to investigate the other possible causes of asthma. And of course some of us are unlucky enough to have all the triggers. I had a great pulmonologist who truly believed that most triggers could be controlled if one was truly informed.

 

[ksh1111]

I have had severe asthma for a very long time. I travel extensively, and have been hospitalized several times while traveling. It isn't fun, but it isn't the end of the world.

Not sure where you are traveling from, but for me the change in climate from rainy Pacific NW to humid, hot Florida is hard. I up my meds in the 48 hours before we leave, even if I feel great before we leave.

I carry a 2 week supply of oral steroids, along with a letter from my doc explaining my asthma is brittle. I also travel with my occasional just in case nebulizer meds, as a back up.

I also use a Micro Air nebulizer. I have used it on planes, trains, cruises and even on the Monorail! I have a 2nd one (my older one) that travels in my suitcase, since being without a nebulizer is not an option.

When traveling to Florida, we also pack a full set of extra pillow protectors for our hotel. My worst traveling asthma attack was last January when we stayed at an Embassy Suites the night before boarding our Disney Cruise.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[joakima tull]

my daughter is the same way. I used the nebulizer every 6 hours and doctor told my to give her zyrtec to keep her sinus dry.

 

[ErinTwinmom]

So my brother has asthma pretty bad, triggered by both exercise and allergies. My parents have a timeshare so he started going to Disney yearly at about three. Inhalers can be lifesavers but with all the new allergens and activity it was not enough. We got a portable nebulizer and that helped a lot but what really helped was not walking. Over the years not walking has changed from a medical stroller to a wheelchair, to a scooter. Disney is a 5 to 10 mile hike everyday of your trip don't go past what your body can handle.

 

[ktate82]

Where do you get the portable nebulizer? I looked on Amazon for an inexpensive one, but they have mixed reviews.

 

[maxiesmom]

I don't have much of a strategy, other than making sure I have more than enough meds with me, and taking it easy if I seem a bit wheezy. I have stared adding turmeric to my smoothies each day, and it seems to be helping. Turmeric is supposed to be great for any sort of inflammation. I'm thinking I will pack some along and throw a quarter teaspoon or so into a morning coffee.

I also carry an inhalor with me at all times, as well as a back up. I also have a steroid inhalor, and I use as needed when my symptoms flare up.

 

[Starwind]

Where do you get the portable nebulizer? I looked on Amazon for an inexpensive one, but they have mixed reviews.

I use an Omron MicroAir: https://omronhealthcare.com/products/microair-nebulizer-neu22v/

It is available through many retailors, many of whom have quick and free delivery. In the USA, you need a prescription to purchase it. Because it is ultrasonic there are some medications it cannot be used for (most of them are related to CF treatment, but there may be some used for other purposes).

Pari makes a very nice portable nebulizer: http://www.pari.com/us-en/products/compressors/trekR-s-portable-aerosol-system/ . You need an Rx for it, too, in the USA.

Personally, my choice would be the Omron or the Pari; both are well-regarded and tested; the Pari more so. I use the Omron because I started using the previous model of it before Pari came out with their portable model, and it is really portable, otherwise I would have been using a Pari I have a larger Pari at home.

Speak with your MD about whether a nebulizer is appropriate and if so which one(s) they recommend and why. note they may not be familiar with the portable ones -- my MD was not and I had to educate him about them.

SW

 

[ktate82]

I use an Omron MicroAir: https://omronhealthcare.com/products/microair-nebulizer-neu22v/

It is available through many retailors, many of whom have quick and free delivery. In the USA, you need a prescription to purchase it. Because it is ultrasonic there are some medications it cannot be used for (most of them are related to CF treatment, but there may be some used for other purposes).

Pari makes a very nice portable nebulizer: http://www.pari.com/us-en/products/compressors/trekR-s-portable-aerosol-system/ . You need an Rx for it, too, in the USA.

Personally, my choice would be the Omron or the Pari; both are well-regarded and tested; the Pari more so. I use the Omron because I started using the previous model of it before Pari came out with their portable model, and it is really portable, otherwise I would have been using a Pari I have a larger Pari at home.

Speak with your MD about whether a nebulizer is appropriate and if so which one(s) they recommend and why. note they may not be familiar with the portable ones -- my MD was not and I had to educate him about them.

SW

Thanks! We are taking my nephew with us, and he has asthma. It is normally manageable, but he has his flare ups where he needs a neb treatment (he has a standard one at home). Since he has never been to Florida, we were looking at a portable one we could take into the parks. We will have his full size one with us in the room. His doc would have no problem ordering one for this situation, but I just wasn't sure where to get one from.

 

[Starwind]

Thanks! We are taking my nephew with us, and he has asthma. It is normally manageable, but he has his flare ups where he needs a neb treatment (he has a standard one at home). Since he has never been to Florida, we were looking at a portable one we could take into the parks. We will have his full size one with us in the room. His doc would have no problem ordering one for this situation, but I just wasn't sure where to get one from.

I have ordered from Just Nebulizers (http://justnebulizers.com/) and been pleased with the experience, customer service, and products. They carry both the Omron MicroAir and the Pari Trek S (note to make sure wherever you get a Pari trek S from that you get the battery pack -- sometimes it is included other times it is an option).

I note that Just Nebulizers is listed on Omron's website as an authorized retailor; several other stores are as well: https://omronhealthcare.com/where-to-buy-respiratory/

The QuickMedical page for the Omron has quite a bit of info about the device, though I have never ordered from them: http://www.quickmedical.com/omron/respiratory/neu22v.html