Sniffles, Sneezes, Coughs and Chills

Allison FlynnJanuary 7, 2016What if sickness ruins my vacation thrills?No one wants to be sick any time, but least of all on vacation. But, unfortunately, bugs can bite us when we least expect it.My family experienced sickness on a spring vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort. Our oldest son began complaining of headaches, and we mistakenly assumed it was to get out of going to the parks so he could stay at the resort and swim. It wasn’t until his lymph nodes swelled and he said his throat hurt that we realized we were probably facing strep throat.This realization came at 11 p.m. after finishing up at Magic Kingdom. Panicked, we checked in the phone book at our resort and found a doctor who made house calls specifically to Disney resorts. We called, secured an appointment and went to bed.The next morning, the doctor arrived and gave our son a thorough inspection. He swabbed his throat, took his temperature and asked him if he was enjoying his vacation. Within minutes we learned he had strep. We knew this meant he’d need antibiotics, and were pleasantly surprised to learn the doctor had chewable amoxicillin on hand to prescribe. By 10 a.m., we were on our way to Epcot to continue our magical vacation.In addition to having antibiotics prescribed, we’d planned ahead for our vacation by packing basic medications like anti-diarrhea meds, pain relievers/fever reducers and antacids. If you are staying on property, these over-the-counter medications can also be purchased in the gift shop at your resort.We were lucky, and no one else got sick and it didn’t ruin our vacation. However, we were fully prepared to take a day off at the resort to rest and recover. Don’t become so caught up in doing it all that you don’t listen to your body’s cues!