For the RVer who is prepared, an illness on the road can be handled with confidence. If you’re unprepared, even a headache can bring on distress. Here are some ways to prepare for your family’s health needs while traveling.
• Pack a healthcare box. Include a well-equipped first aid kit, prescription and nonprescription medicines and health products your family currently uses, suntan lotion, vitamins or food supplements and hot or cold wraps that you use when
at home.
• Carry a medical book that includes first aid and other information regarding various
health issues.
• Take care of routine medical and dental appointments before the trip.
• Before you leave your home state, check with your healthcare insurance provider to determine your coverage. Some HMOs cover in-state care only.
• For ordinary medical attention during your trip, ask your campground host or call a local hospital for the address of the nearest walk-in clinic. For emergencies, you’ll need to go to a hospital emergency room, or call 911 for emergency medical assistance.
• Carry in your wallet a piece of paper containing the following information for each person in your RV: name, birth date, height, weight, blood type (if known), medical problems, medications and food supplements taken regularly, allergies, medical equipment needed, doctor’s name, location of hospital records, person to notify in an emergency and name of health insurance provider. This will help you answer the questions that a health professional will ask.
• On the road, try to maintain your normal good health habits particularly a healthy diet and enough sleep.
• Be sure to include some no-travel days in your itinerary. Don’t try to crowd too many miles or activities into the time available.
To protect your health en route, here is information on two common health concerns, drinking water and ticks:
• Many RVs have water filtering systems that purify water from campground faucets. Some RVers carry water from home in gallon jugs and refill them with city water as needed. One RVer uses whatever is in his fresh water tank, which he chlorinates when he dewinterizes the tank, or campground water. Another said he always disinfects the campground faucet with rubbing alcohol before attaching his RV’s water hose.
If you must use water that is suspect, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends the following sterilization process when boiling is not an option. Use plain household chlorine bleach — without soap or fragrances — with hypochlorite (see the label) as the only active ingredient. Using an eye-dropper, add eight drops of bleach per gallon of water (16 if the water is cloudy); stir and let it stand. After 30 minutes, the water should taste and smell of chlorine and can be used. If the taste and smell or cloudy appearance has not changed, add another dose and let the water stand. If a half-hour later the water does not have a chlorine smell, do not use it.
• Regarding tick bites, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends protecting yourself by avoiding tick-infested areas. If you are in such an area, walk in the center of trails to avoid contact with vegetation. Wear light-colored clothing so that you can see ticks on it. Tuck your pant legs into your socks so that ticks cannot crawl up inside your pant legs. Use a chemical repellent with DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) or permethrin. Repellents with permethrin can be sprayed on boots and clothing and will protect for several days. Repellents with DEET can be applied to the skin; they protect for only a few hours before a reapplication is needed. Avoid applying them to the hands, eyes and mouth.
To remove a tick, use fine-tipped tweezers and either gloves or a tissue to avoid contact with tick fluids. Grab the tick close to the skin and gently pull straight up until all parts of it are removed. (Avoid twisting or jerking the tick, which may cause the mouthparts to break off under the skin.) Wash your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizers when soap is unavailable. Clean the tick bite with an antiseptic such as iodine scrub, rubbing alcohol or water containing detergents.
If a rash or fever occurs, see a healthcare provider. You may have other ways in which you handle healthcare on the road. The important point is to be as prepared as possible. |
