Pulmonary disease and travel
If you suffer from pulmonary disease, obviously your lungs are affected and you might even have either chronic bronchitis or emphysema. These diseases are recognized by obstructed air flow that prevents smooth and normal breathing. Both these conditions can exist together, so physicians refer to them as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Symptoms: Chronic cough, mucus, constant clearing of the throat and shortness of breath typify COPD.
Traveling with COPD: Traveling with lung disease can be fraught with challenges but fortunately there are ways of coping with pulmonary disease, such as these:
Before leaving: Before you can set out, speak to your doctor and discuss your travel plans and your mode of travel. There are bound to be many dos and don’ts that your doctor will inform you of and he will also assess if you are fit to travel or not.
Air traveling: You might require in-flight oxygen when traveling by air because the air pressure in an airplane cabin is far lower when you are airborne than when on the ground. But take your doctor’s approval before flying.
Inform the airline of your need for oxygen. Their medical department will look into your needs and determine how they can help you out best. They might be able to provide the oxygen and any other equipment you need. But be warned that they will not allow you to carry your own oxygen cylinder into the airplane, except if empty. So, it would be in your interests to get a direct flight or you might have to arrange for renting oxygen between flights.
Surface traveling: Before traveling by road, tell your doctor if you feel any altitude changes during your trip or your flow rate prescription might have to be changed. Take care to see that you carry your oxygen tank carefully-keep it far away from heat and flame and do not put it in the boot where it can get hot. Also bear in mind that your oxygen tank usually gives off small amounts of gas from time to time, so keep a window cracked.
And if you are to travel by bus or train, ask the authorities if they have any rules about travelers carrying oxygen. And ask if you need to plug in to the bus or train’s electrical power or not.
Traveling by sea: See that the cruise line you travel by has some rules about travelers boarding with oxygen. Ask about this before booking your passage with them. Certain cruise lines provide supplemental oxygen and if they don’t, you will have to make arrangements for refills at ports of call or ask your oxygen supplier to give you an oxygen conserving device.
International travel: Check to see that your electrical conversion adapters for your respiratory equipment are right. And do you have metric threads for liquid oxygen adapters? If you don’t, you need to arrange for those too.
These are some of the many ways in which you can take extra care of yourself while traveling. If you follow these, you can go anywhere peacefully and comfortably.