In the Good Old Summertime
When school lets out for the year, it may be no more teachers and no more books. But, your child may run into trouble with his asthma if he fails to adjust or follow his routine schedule used for managing his asthma. Often with vacations, camp, swimming pool time, and other leisure activities, regular use of his medications and monitoring of his symptoms may fall by the wayside — setting the stage for problems with his asthma.
Alert!
At the beginning of summer, you and your child should make up a new schedule that will ensure she gets her asthma medication in a timely fashion every day and that she carefully monitors her symptoms.
This new summertime schedule should include both time at home and away during the summer months. Different time cues should be set up — perhaps at breakfast or bedtime — to help your child to remember to use medication or his peak flow monitor.
Off to Camp
Summer camp — both day and sleep-away — can have many wonderful things: swimming, boating, hiking, and, of course, roasting marshmallows. But it can have other things, too, in terms of asthma triggers such as molds, dust mites, animal dander, and pollens that aren't so fun.
While many parents think they are preparing their asthmatic child for a safe camp experience by sending along a bag of medications, they still may fall short in alerting camp staff about her asthma, what special precautions should be taken, and what to do in case there is an asthma emergency.
Alert!
Sometimes, parents may think that checking off “asthma” on the camp medical release form may be enough. But an asthma action plan is needed here to help manage and control the child's asthma during the camp stay. This should be on file with the camp nurse, and made available to camp counselors working with your child.
Having an asthma action plan on file with the camp becomes particularly important for children whose asthma occurs and worsens after exercise and vigorous activities. In this case, pretreatment with a quick-acting bronchodilator and warm-up exercises are important steps in preventing exercise-induced asthma symptoms.
In regard to inhalers, parents should check with the camp administrator on the camp's policy of permitting children to keep their quick-relief medication with them at all times. Also, check on the distance of the nearest emergency room or emergency services — just in case.
While many children with asthma enjoy going to camp with old and new friends, some children with more severe asthma might be more comfortable going to camps specially designed with them in mind. The American Lung Association (
Prepare for the Road
Before taking a trip, you and your child should take several important steps to make sure you are prepared for a smooth journey ahead:
Medical checkup. If your child hasn't seen his health care provider in a while and he is going on a lengthy trip, it would be helpful to have a medical exam to see if his asthma is being managed well and to refill medications.
Asthma action plan. Make sure to bring along the latest version.
Devices. He should have all of his devices, including his peak flow meter or nebulizer with him.
Emergency information. Learn from your health care provider whom to call in case an emergency occurs. Also, emergency medications along with instructions on how to use them may be advisable.
Insurance coverage. Depending on where you are traveling to, check to see if your insurance carrier covers the areas to which your child is going or if out-of-plan health care services are available.
Just remember that bad surprises don't take a vacation, so try to anticipate problems before they happen.
Travel and Medications
When getting ready to travel, keep in mind that you also should pay special attention to your child's medications — particularly where they are stored and stowed and how they are labeled.
Alert!
Make sure your child takes extra medication with him on a trip — at least one and a half times more than you estimate he'll need — just in case he is delayed or uses more medication than initially anticipated because of an asthma flare-up.
The medications should be kept in the original containers they came in and labeled with your child's name, the medication, the pre-scriber, and the dose. Also, learn the generic names of the medications — particularly if you are going to another country: Oftentimes medications are sold under different brand names from those purchased in the United States.
Keep the medications close by and accessible at all times during the trip. In a car, place the medications up with the passengers rather than in a suitcase in the trunk in order to avoid extreme temperatures. Also, keep medications in carry-on luggage when boarding a plane to make sure they are not accidentally lost in transit.
