Forget packing – do we have the drugs?

At the end of the week I’m leaving to go to the American Thoracic Society to do some advocacy work for Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome. I’m going with Donna, our President and founder, and Karen, a very good HPS friend.

Yesterday I talked to Donna about last-minute preparations for the trip.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

“Yep, I’ve got my doctor’s appointment on Wednesday so hopefully I can get the drug situation sorted out,” I answered.

“Ashley’s got her appointment on Thursday,” Donna responded.

“Karen’s already been to have her pyoderma checked out, just in case she needed a shot before traveling,” I answered.

We then both started laughing.

Most people think about packing clothes, shampoo etc. Here we are carefully planning our medical strategy for being so far away from home. This isn’t normally an issue for me – but I’d like to avoid a hive and wheezy episode. We’ve got enough excitement planned, thank you very much!

These days when I travel, even for just a few days, I feel like I’ve got everything but the kitchen sink. By the time I pack my CPAP, ostomy supplies and medications, it’s two carry-on bags. Forget the days of hassle-free travel when I could get everything to fit in one bag and effortlessly walk right past the baggage claim area.

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Living on the frontlines

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