Vaccinations and Trip Preparation

I've traveled to Europe, the Middle East and Australia - but traveling to India takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to vaccinations. Mom and I both got our shots yesterday. Mom went to our regular doctor, but I was able to get mine at the health clinic on the Sprint Campus (yeah!). Another nice benefit when working for Sprint. The co-pay for the shots was only $10, but the co-pay for the prescriptions was $46.50!! I got 4 shots yesterday:

- Polio Booster (protection against the Polio virus that causes paralysis). You would think that polio would have been conquered by now. It's very much under control in the U.S., but still common in some parts of the word.

- Tetanus (protects against tetanus and diphtheria). Tetanus (aka: Lockjaw) causes painful muscle spasms, usually all over the body. Diphtheria causes a thick covering in the back of the throat that can lead to breathing problems, paralysis, heart failure an even death.

- Hepatitis A/B (protects against a virus that causes serious liver disease).

- Meningococcal (protects against bacterial meningitis). Meningitis is an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
I go back in one week to get my second shot for Hepatitis A/B and then - back in another two weeks for the last one before my trip. Then, I go back one year from now for a final Hepatitis shot and I'm covered for life (whew).
 Besides the shots, I also got prescriptions for:

- Typhoid (protects against typhoid fever caused by Salmonella bacteria). This prescription is 4 pills that have to be refrigerated and taken every other day (starting now). I have to complete these pills before I take the prescription for malaria because if they are taken together - they will cancel each other out.

- Malaria (protects from high fever and chills resulting from mosquito bites). This prescription is 27 pills. I start taking it the day before we leave - take one pill daily during the trip and take one pill for 7 days after the trip.

- Cipro (treatment for traveler’s diarrhea). These pills should be taken if you get diarrhea with a fever. If you just have diarrhea with no fever - they recommend Imodium.

They also gave me a check list of items to put together in a first aid kit to take on the trip (these people are really thorough!). Items on the checklist include:

- Benadryl (25MG) for allergies - 8 tablets

- Dramamine (50MG) for nausea, vomiting, dizziness - 12 tablets

- Senokot (8.6MG) for constipation (ewe!!!) - 10 tablets

- Sudafed (30MB) for congestion - 10 tablets/5 packs

- Nasal Spray, like Afrin (.05%) also for congestion - 1-10oz. bottle

- Robitussin DM (20MB) for cough or cold - 4 insty doses

- Anesthetic Throat Lozenges for sore throat - 10 tablets/5 packs

- Tylenol (325MG) for pain relief - 20 tablets/10 packs

- Aleve (200MG) as anti-inflammatory - 10 tablets/5 packs

- Pepto-Bismol for upset stomach - 12 tablets ..... we plan to take plenty of chewable tablets and take one every morning to coat the stomach in case we eat something that doesn't agree with us (learned that from a previous trip where we both got food poisoning - yuk!!!)

- Imodium (2MG) for diarrhea - 10 tablets

- Hydrocortisone cream (1%) for itching or rash - 5 packs

- Alcohol and Iodine Wipes to use as antiseptic - 5 packs each

- Bacitaracin Ointment as a sterile antimicrobial ointment - 5 packs

We've also made our own list of things to take along like:

- Sunscreen - we both have a tendency to sunburn pretty easily. We'll most likely pick up a hat when we get there and maybe a scarf to wear for temple visits.

- Insect Repellant - another must have! I hate insect bites!!

- Hand Sanitizer - not sure how often we'll be able to wash our hands.

- Gatorade Powder (gastrolytes) to mix in bottled water - We're visiting India during a very HOT time of the year and will need to stay hydrated.

- Energy/Protein Bars - something to munch on that also provides a boost.

- Purse Size Kleenex - in case toilet paper is in short supply. :)

So, the burning question remains.....where are we going to put our clothes after we've packed all the supplies we need to bring! OMG!!! We both want to keep our luggage to only ONE mid-size suitcase per person with a folded down duffle bag to use as a carry-on if we need it coming back. With all the traveling we'll be doing - it wouldn't be fun to have to lug a bunch of suitcases everywhere.

Our tour company has promised that they will provide us with plenty of bottled water everyday, so we won't have to worry about that. And all the hotels have laundry facilities, so we can wash our clothes a couple of times to maximize what we take.

I have a friend that had two sets of international power converters and she was kind enough to let us borrow one of them (thanks, Vanessa!). Vanessa is from South Africa - now, that's another country I'd love to visit sometime.

Everything is coming together - bit by bit. Only 4 weeks from Monday and we'll be on our way! Look out, India - here we come....