MURPHY'S LAW & KIDS...NO KIDDING!!

"If anything can go wrong, it will."

Travelling is one thing, but travelling with kids adds a whole new dimension to life. We've been travelling for ages, before & after the kids appeared on the scene ... perks of working with the airlines I guess. To date, we've never travelled without medical insurance, other than on this last trip to Sydney. To date, we've never had a medical emergency, other than of course on this last trip to Sydney! Murphy's law fell into place & as things had to go wrong, they certainly did!! We didn't have time to sort out insurance because of last minute changes to the trip, visits to the Australian High Commission to change the visa etc...& then sheer exhaustion! It was on my mind through out, & then in one moment of wild abandon, I just abandoned the idea. NOTHING untoward on the medical front has ever happened till today, & I have been travelling with kids since the daughter was 3 months old...she is almost 13 years now. But, halfway through our short vacation is Sydney she developed jaundice. Hmmmmmmmm....I'd like to share my notes for the future while travelling with kids:

• Make sure all their vaccinations are up to date (I always do)
• Visit your paediatrician before leaving (something I always do as a habit)
• Carry a small medical kit in your hand baggage (something I've always done, whether I'm travelling or not..my bag is most unglamorous!)
• Make note of your paediatricians' emergency contact; he knows your kid best
• Carry alcohol wipes on the flight (recommended by the doctor in the children's emergency hospital in Sydney; brilliant idea I think)
• Carry a good quality hand sanitizer because the doctor felt that most bugs are picked up on flights (a valid piece of advice indeed; my sisters daughter who is 3+ now, has always landed in India with a flu bug & the first person we always visit is the doc!)
• Carry all vaccination records (or scan a copy & upload it in an online account for quick access)
• Carry any medical history
• If by chance, you are required to see a doctor in a foreign land, do make points of significant & insignificant happenings while waiting in the clinic, because every bit of history helps here.
• Do not PANIC. Be cautious, but never panic. Panic makes the mind think irrationally, & panic tends to transfer to kids as well.
• Lastly, of course, & quite obviously, take medical insurance. It's available online too, now I've learnt...better late than never. Am still paying back hospital bills for blood tests etc, but I guess, we live & learn!

Thinking back now, it was a good learning experience, though an expensive one. I must commend the medical facilities & the excellent doctor, (Dr Scott Nightingale), in Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney. He was the best doc I've met to date, & despite being so busy, is till sending me the results of some of the medical tests which come through every now & then.

"I never had a slice of bread,
Particularly large and wide,
That did not fall upon the floor,
And always on the buttered side"

Have a safe & peaceful hoilday season...

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This post was written by Deeba

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