Allergic/asthmatic child
 

We are taking my 9 year old to Rome with us in Feb. She has severe life threatening allergies to peanuts, shellfish, tropical fruits(kiwi,strawberries) and believe it or not cats. She also has asthma that is controllable with breathing treatments. We will be taking her nebulizer with us. <BR><BR>Please, if you are experienced travelers with any of these medical conditions, please share your suggestions. I have never traveled to Italy and I don't know what to expect from the medical services there. We will take all her meds (epi pens ) and will use caution. <BR><BR>I am not so worried about peanuts over there (or should I be?) as I am shell fish. I am allergic to shell fish too. We are going to stay a week on Sicily and a week in Rome. <BR><BR>I plan to carry a card with her allergies written in Italian and english so that I can show them to the wait people when we go out to eat.<BR><BR>Please, if you have suggestions or ideas, I welcome them. Just, please don't suggest I leave her home. <BR><BR>We took her with us to China last March when we adopted our baby and she did fine on that trip. They use peanut oil in every thing over there. She had to eat alot of food that we brought with us. That trip was such a wonderful experience for her and it would not have been the same with out her along. I am hoping her travel to Rome and Sicily will be easier on her than the China trip.<BR><BR>We believe that travel is one of the best educational gifts we can give our child. Traveling with her medical problems make our travel a bit more complicated but doable. <BR>We have to take her into consideration and plan for her. <BR><BR>Thank you.<BR><BR>Donna Mitchell

Donna,<BR>I think it's wonderful that you are taking your daughter overseas with you. An experience like that will stay with her forever and enrich her life.<BR>A couple of thoughts, I would take a letter in Italian and English from her doctor explaining her allergies and also the drugs you are taking along, just in case of any problems with customs. Take some extra photocopies of the letter.<BR>The idea of a card to show the waiters etc is a good one, but make sure it's obvious that's what you are AVOIDING, not asking for.<BR>There are lots of cats living on the streets in Rome but I haven't seen them approach people, they are fed by the locals.<BR>Italians love children and I think Rome has excellent medical facilities. Hope you have a wonderful trip.<BR>Kay

Donna: I have asthma and a number of allergies and am especially reactive to dust.<BR>Until I figured out the problem, I spent a lot of time coughing once I had gone to bed.<BR>Found it very helpful to take along several of the zip-on pillow protectors that you probably use at home. I take the larger sizes because pillows in Italy tend to be larger than US ones. <BR>I also found it helpful to identify a couple of very basic pasta dishes that would be available everywhere and which would not include any of the things to which I am allergic...and when in doubt, just stuck to those.<BR>Finally, I found that I had to be on the alert for diesel fumes in Rome: on some days and in some areas it was too heavy for me to manage. If your daughter is reactive to hydocarbons, a small paper cone mask helps as an emergency measure. Have fun.

Donna,<BR><BR>I think you've gotten excellent advice from the other posters. My kids both have reactive airways and a growing list of allergies, some food, some environmental, but none life-threatening. When we traveled to Italy last summer, I took cotton sheets and pillowcases along, as well as a bottle of prednisone with two copies of an accompanying doctor's letter stating the reason for it. Luckily, the only problem the kids had was an ear infection treated by an American doctor referred by our hotel in Rome. I was told that the American Embassy provides a list of doctors who speak English, broken down according to their specialties, but if it makes you feel better, maybe you can find this kind of referral before you leave home either from your own internist/pediatrican or from a health clinic that specializes in traveler's needs. Good luck, and have a wonderful time! You're going to love Italy!!

Also take a plastic mattress pad with you, or even a shower curtain to put between the hotel's bottom sheet and the sheets you are going to take with you. If your daughter wears a medical bracelet, make sure that she wears it in Italy. The new ones have either a chip or a serial number in them and I seem to recall that the current medical history can be retrieved either online or with a simple telephone call to a national data base. <BR><BR>Just in case you get separated from your daughter, make sure that she also has a duplicate copy of all of the information already provided, and in the case that you and your husband become separated, you should both be carrying the same information.<BR><BR>If your daughter is allergic to any medications, make sure that your physician also provides that information in his letter.<BR><BR>Would it make any sense to also carry some Clarion with you?<BR><BR>The last thing you should do is also order your daughter special meals for the flights, or carry your own food and snacks for her. No one knows what is in those airline meals.

Since you and your husband might become separated (as mentioned above), you should split your daughter's meds up and each of you should carry a supply of them in case the need arises that she needs her meds.

A quick Google search turned up the following:<BR>Rome American Hospital<BR>Via E. Longoni 69<BR>phone: 0622551<BR><BR>For a list of physicians, dentists, hospitals, and drugstores in Rome, go to www.usembassy.it/cons/acs/ doctors.htm<BR><BR>Hope these sources help.

Hello Donna, I just wanted to let you know my experiences in Italy as I have asthma too. I was very sick there. I was drinking my inhaler like it was water and almost faced running out (barely made it home). I don't know if it was all the smoke but I do think the main problem was the mustiness in the buildings. The hotels are in some cases hundreds of years old and pair the mold/mustiness with the humidity your daughter may get ill like I did. Please take every form of Asthma medicine availible including a medrol dose pack just in case of an emergency. Had I brought the medrol I never would have been as sick as I was. By all means go and have a wonderful time but be very prepared that your daughter's asthma may act up.

I have both asthma and allergies. Twice in Italy I've gotten a cold but I survived. <BR><BR>Just use some common sense: make sure you've got a full can of albuterol, a full can of whatever inhaled steroids your daughter might need, a full bottle of whatever pills she might need, and her allergy medicine. Have a backup plan too (cortisone pills/injections, perhaps), kept separate from her first-line medicines (namely, so that when you're in Rome and your luggage is in Elbonia she won't be SOL).<BR><BR>But I've never had any problems with airport security imbeciles wondering what all of this metal stuff (the albuterol and my Azmacort) is inside of my carry-on luggage. Having, as other posters have said, prescriptions and/or other doctor's instructions -- preferably typed, so that there's no misinterpretation of handwriting of what the doctor wants -- is probably a good backup plan in case the flunky running the X-ray machine has a problem or if complications arise in Italy.<BR><BR>As far going into restaurants, learn the Italian words for whatever she's allergic to, and learn these two sentences:<BR><BR>Lei non puo` mangiare _______<BR> [She can't eat _____]<BR><BR>Lei non vuole ciba fatta con _______ perche ha allergia<BR> [She doesn't want food made with ____<BR> because she has an allergy.]

Many thanks for all of the great information and suggestions you all shared. All of it is very helpful. <BR><BR>Thanks again,<BR>Donna Mitchell

Donna, with all due respect to your question and the fact your daughter is allergic and asthmatic I must just point out the following:<BR><BR>1) Italy is not a third world country;<BR>2) Italy has excellent medical facilities, especially in the major cities;<BR>3) there are plenty of Italian children with the same conditions as your daughter and they live wonderful, productive, healthy lives each day; and<BR>4) Italian cuisine is based on olive oil.<BR><BR>I applaud your desire to expose your daughter to all of Italy's wonders. Please don't be worried. When you arrive at the hotel, if you want to have a clear conscience, explain to the hotel staff about your daughter. They'll give you the number for emergencies (&quot;pronto soccorso&quot;).

Just a couple of further informations:<BR><BR>It is true that Itlian food is based on olive oli _AND_ butter (it depends on the area where you are staying), but some restaurants also use &quot;seed&quot; oils because they are cheaper _AND_ because thy have a milder taste. In particular some restaurants use peanut oil to fry.<BR>Also, intead of referring to very costly and often not so good private hospitals, I suggest you to trust the public services. Public hospitals look bad, but often they offer better services than private structures, usually the doctors speak English (although they might not be so fluent as a native speaker) and the emergency services of a public hospital are completely _FREE_ also for foreigners.<BR><BR>A last thing is the Italian text (written by a native speaker) that you might show at restaurants and bars:<BR>&quot;Mia figlia soffre di gravi allergie alimentari che mettono a rischio la sua vita. Non pu&ograve; mangiare arachidi (e olio di arachide), frutti di mare e frutta tropicale (inclusi i kiwi e le fragole). La prego di verificare in cucina se tra i piatti da noi selti per nostra figlia sono presenti gli ingredienti citati e in caso consigliarci un piatto alternativo. Grazie.&quot; (&quot;Please, my daughter suffers from severe and life threatening allergies to some foods. She can't eat peanuts (including peanut oil), shellfish, tropical fruits (including kiwi and strawberries). Could you please check with the cook if the dishes we have chosen for her contain any of these foods and, if so, suggest us some alternatives? Thank you.&quot; I didn't include cats because she will not be served cat meat ^____^). A different version that she should, IMHO, carry around with her in case she gets isolated and has a crisis is: &quot;Mi chiamo [her name] e sono americana. I miei genitori, il signore e la signora [your name] alloggiano all'albergo [name and address of your hotel], tel. [hotel's telephone number]. Soffro di asma e sono fortemente allergica alle arachidi (e olio di arachide), ai frutti di mare, alla frutta tropicale (inclusi i kiwi e le fragole) e ai gatti. Per le mie allergie e l'asma sono sotto trattamento con [name of ner medicines and active principles of the medicines]&quot; (&quot;My name is ... My parents are Mr and Mrs ... and we are staying at the hotel ... I suffer from athma and I am allergic to peanuts, shellfish, tropical fruits (kiwi, strawberries) and cats. I am beng treated for the allergies and for asthma with ...&quot;).

Donna,<BR><BR>I have the same problem with my child. She has severe asthma and life threatening allergies to nuts. We are taking her to Paris for the first time this Thursday. We have all her meds, a note from her Dr. and her nebulizer but I still worry. We also have a note in French to food service people regarding her allergies (thanks to the help of the great Fodors readers). I think we have done all that we can but I am still worried. I feel for you and my travel prayers are with you for a safe and fun trip.

To eieiei:<BR><BR>The following words are not meant to be sarcastic or harsh. I have tried to be direct and assertive in response to your post. I apologize if my statements sound sarcastic. I really don't mean for them to be.<BR><BR>In response to the points you made:<BR><BR>1.I realize that Italy is not a third world country. I have a Masters degree and I can read. <BR>2.I am aware that Italy has excellent medical care. People die here in the USA from anaphalactic reactions. The USA is not a third world country and we have excellent medical care here, yet people still die from eating foods they are allergic to. It does not matter where you are or who you are, when it happens, you had better be prepared. That is what I was trying to do with my post and my request for suggestions. <BR>3. I am cautious not ignorant. I know that olive Oil is mostly used there and is exported from there. Copelands, a popular cajun restaurant in New Orleans, tosses their pasta with peanut oil. I found that out only by asking. <BR>4. I also appreciate the fact that many children and adults in Italy suffer from the same condition and do just fine. They speak the language and know how to read and understand labels written in Italian. I do not. I am not ignorant. I just do not speak their language.<BR><BR>If my post, in any way, sounded as though I thought Italy was inferior to the USA, that was not my intent at all. <BR><BR>With all due respect to the poster eieiei, you obviously do not have a child with a life threatening allergy or you would never have posted what you did. That is why I asked for responses from people &quot;experienced with similar medical conditions &quot; because I get so tired of trying to educate people who &quot;don't get it&quot;. I can not help but worry when I have had three different specialist look me in the eyes and tell me, &quot;your child could die before you could get her to a hospital&quot;. After you have many different, doctors give you that warning about your child, then you come back and tell me not to worry.<BR><BR>With all due respect to eieiei, I am just trying to put as much thought into looking out for my allergic/asthmatic child's well being as many of you do in deciding whats:<BR>1. the best tour<BR>2. the best accomodations<BR>3. the best part of town<BR>4. the best place to to eat<BR><BR>Keeping my child healthy, safe and still be able to enjoy ourselves just happens to be a bit more important to me than the above; not to put anyone else down for making any of the above their priority. My point: everyone is different with different needs. <BR><BR>To Alice, thank you for posting the italian phrases. Your response gave me useful and helpful information. I will copy those phrases and take them with me. I greatly appreciate your taking the time to write those out for me. Thanks also for explaining about the differences between the public and private hospitals.<BR><BR>To the Poster leaving for Paris. Thank you for your travel prayers and your kind words of understanding. My prayers and thoughts go with you and your child. I hope you have a wonderful trip to Paris. Sounds like you have prepared for your daughter's special needs. Best wishes to you on your trip.<BR>Donna

<BR><BR>If you don't have one, you might want to buy a 240 volt 50 cycle nebulizer. You can run the 120v 60cycle ones thru a transformer, but they will run about 20% slower with significantly less vapor production. <BR><BR>Enjoy the trip . . I am sure you will have fun! <BR><BR>Rich

ttt

Donna, I would like to sincerely apologize if my remarks sounded offensive. Of course your daughter's condition is serious. I didn't mean to be rude; my overenthusiasm to have you go on the trip with her was clouded by remarks which were not meant as they sounded. I do hope you will accept my apologies. Furthermore, I pray it'll be the very best vacation all of you have together!

I have no advice for Donna, but it's so nice to see so many decent, helpful answers posted here. What a great change from some of the other threads I've seen. <BR><BR>Donna - I hope you and your family have a great trip. You certainly deserve it after the effort you've put into it.

Donna, I would like to sincerely apologize if my remarks sounded offensive. Of course your daughter's condition is serious. I didn't mean to be rude; my overenthusiasm to have you go on the trip with her was clouded by remarks which were not meant as they sounded. I do hope you will accept my apologies. Furthermore, I pray it'll be the very best vacation all of you have together!

I'm sure you will have thought about this but I have forgotten it SO many times......<BR>Pack your electricity adaptor in your hand baggage.Each time our nebulizer has been pulled for a screening it has been abroad and you will be asked to turn it on.If your adaptor is in your checked baggage you can't get it working.<BR>The good point is that we've never had to use it abroad.<BR>Have a lovely time.

To eieiei,<BR><BR>Your apology is accepted. Please accept my cyber hand of friendship. <BR><BR>I tend to be fiercely protective where my children are concerned as they were extremely difficult to come by :)<BR><BR>Believe me, I wish the problem was as simple as letting the hotel staff know. The problem is so much more complicated. I can't begin to express the stress that comes from being responsible for a child with chronic medical problems.<BR><BR>Many thanks to all of the posters who have shared information. I have learned much from your posts. My family and I are grateful. <BR><BR>Donna Mitchell

Dear Bella Donna,<BR> With the right precauctions there is no reason not to enjoy your trip to Sicily and Roma! Caio!

Donna, You are so right about the educational gift, not to mention what you are teaching your child about not letting a condition hold them back, and how to move forward responsibly. My daughter and I both have asthma. We don't have direct experience to offer for this particular siuation. However, my experience is worth noting for preventive measures. With more problems as a child, I rarely have asthma as an adult - only seasonal allergies/asthma, or if I come near hay, horses,touch a cat, or exercise induced. However, I once spent the week-end at a lake house that had been closed up for 5 days. The prior week-end guests included a house cat. Within hours after entering, I had the worst asthma attack of my life. It was the only asthma episode that I ever had where I could feel my lungs filling up with fluid, constantly coughing, and soon couldn't even talk. I had not brought along any medication and it was nearly midnight. Away from a city convenient grocery, my husband drove around and found the nearest grocery in hopes of buying a Primatene Mist to try to stablize it. It was closed, but stockers were inside so he beat on the door until they opened it and let him have one. It did rescued me.(Not intended nor recommended for a reliable rescue in such a serious situation.)There was no phone at the house to call for help and it was before the cell phone era.We had no idea where the nearest emergency facility was since we were in an unfamiliar lakeside area. Now, I always go prepared. I'm not sure if it was the concentration of cat dander being closed up or could've been mold being near the lake.

My daughter also has myriad allergies, the worst by far being to peanuts. I know how you feel being aware that ordinary, everyday things are life threatening to your precious child. Take heart my daughter, who on many occasions required emergency adrenalin injections, is now 32 and just returned safely from a 10 week trip in Europe.<BR>All the info you have been given is good but be sure the airline are aware. My daughter flew Emirates who recommended that she bring her own food on board as they couldn't guarantee the airline food would be free of nuts. In Australia all packaged edibles must by law contain their ingredients, it is frightening how many state &quot;may contain traces of nuts&quot;.

Dried peaches specifically set off an incredible allergic reaction in me. As an adult, I ate some for the first time, and my throat literally started closing up! I quickly too 2 Benadryl tablets and I guess it stopped or slowed it. Scary. Nothing had ever done this to me before. I looked on the ingredients and I suspect it was the sulpha dioxide (a preservative?).I've heard of people being allergic to sulfer drugs, but don't know what medications are sulfer based. Maybe there's a connection.

Donna- Kudos to you for taking the time, effort, and patience to make sure that this trip is a great experience for your entire family. Too many &quot;parents&quot; today would rather she stay home to make it easier on them. My husband has a severe peanut allergy, and I have a bad shellfish allergy. In Italy it was very easy for me to pick out things that had shellfish in them. They were so proud of their seafood! Which my husband says was wonderful. We recently spent two weeks in Japan, where neither of us spoke the language. We used our allergy card at every meal and it worked like a charm. Please post and let us know how your trip was!

athmatic's message made me remeber one more suggestion I had forgotten. The number for health emergencies in Italy is 118. If your daughter has any sudden chrisis and starts feeling very sick fast, call 118 to have an ambulance come and take her to the nearest ER. Most operator can speak at least some English, but the words &quot;crisi asmatica&quot; (asthma crisis) and &quot;shock anafilattico&quot; (can't translate this in English, but it is a strong allergy chrsis) may be useful.

Thanks to all of you for sharing your suggestions and experiences with us. I have learned so much from your messages. I feel so much more prepared for this trip. I am especially grateful for all our your words of support and kindness. Many thanks to all of you.<BR><BR>I will make a trip report once we get back. Can't begin to tell you how excited I am about seeing Rome. Armed with all the great info I have learned from this Fodor's board, I think that I will be able to relax more and enjoy our trip.<BR><BR>Thanks again,<BR><BR>Donna Mitchell <BR><BR>

Am I the only one crazy or what?By the time my child was 9 years old Ipretty much knew how to handle most situations.With a child such as Donna's,I would NEVER resort to the advise of STRANGERS.Shouldn't she beconsulting with a doctor and getting information about good allergy doctors in Rome , checking on them calling them , alerting them that they are coming, learning their hours and where they are located and which hospital would be the one to go to in an emergency.I suspect a troll, just like the other child related posts!

Doubt you are the only crazy one, but I'd vote to put you right at the top of the list. How do you know she has not done all that and is just wanting some reassurance?

ohmy:<BR><BR>This stranger here is not a stranger to Italy. Beside the fact that I belice that Donna has already done all she knew she had to do in order to get ready for this trip, I assure you that the best specialists in Italy, in case of emergency, can be found trusting 118 operators. If Donna's child has a crisis all she has to do is call 118, in but a few moments an ambulance will be there and will take the child to the nearest hospital whose ER has services to meet her needs. Italy, according to Worls health organization, has a better health service than the Usa, which results in longer lives, less children who die before they are 5 and easier access to health services for everyone. I am not bragging, I am stating facts: check out the WHO figures if you want.

Dear Donna:<BR>If you do not have a very portable nebulizer,you should consider investing in one.The Omron Microair nebulizer uses ultrasound to nebulize the solutions. When put together it is about the size of an ear thermometer and runs on 4 AA batteries for multiple treatments.It comes in a case that is no bigger than a medium sized toiletry case and thus can be carried anywhere in a purse or backpack (along with your epipens).It is also quiet enough that you can give treatments in a church without people in adjoining rows taking notice as I have done for my son for the past 3 years,since he was 3.There are several sites that sell this with a prescription, one of them being www.allergysupply.com.If you do buy it make sure you also buy some extra mesh caps.They seem to be critical in the proper functioning of the nebulizer.This nebulizer has made my family's travels much more mobile and stress free.

Steve, Thanks for the suggestion about the nebulizer. I think I will check on that one.<BR><BR>To Oh My:<BR>Please tell me what you mean by suspecting a troll. <BR><BR>I have most certainly taken my child to her allergist,her Pediatrician and she will see her ENT Monday. I have been given prescriptions and instructions. There is never a month that goes by that my daughter does not see one of her doctors. <BR><BR>AGAIN, in my initial post, I asked for responses from &quot;experienced travelers with the same medical conditions&quot; Do you fit this description? Do you have a child that fits this description? <BR> <BR>I would NEVER call another parent who is trying to be responsible &quot;a troll&quot;. You pretty much called me a bad mother because I asked other experienced travelers for advice. You know, parents who have been there done that. Isn't that what the world wide webb is all about; having an endless source of information in one's home. <BR> <BR>I would NEVER pass judgement on someone else until I walked in that person's shoes. <BR>If you don't have any intelligent suggestions, if you don't like what is being written under the heading, then don't go there and MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS. <BR><BR> Donna