A healthy traveler is a happy traveler

Posted on 16. Jul, 2009 by kchristieh in health, travel

I don’t have fond memories of my trip to Madrid in 1985. I mostly remember doubling over in pain from a horrible stomachache that I probably got by drinking water with bacteria that my body wasn’t equipped to handle.

I’ve sworn to do all that I can to avoid that in the future, so that’s how I recently wound up at the Healthy Traveler Clinic in Pasadena, CA. Until I discovered them, I hadn’t realized that there’s actually a medical specialty of travel medicine. I was very impressed by the doctor, the staff and the office, and recommend Healthy Traveler to anyone traveling to an area where they might benefit from pre-trip vaccinations. My risk-aversion trumped my fear of shots, so I bravely submitted to three shots. The doctor also sent me home with chloroquine to prevent malaria and a prescription for an antibiotic that I should take at the first sign of another bad stomachache.

Hopefully I won’t need any of this, but at least I’m as prepared as possible. I have a sensitive stomach, lots of allergies, and am a mosquito magnet, so I figure I can’t be too careful.

If I do get sick, I wonder if a stuffed e. coli Giant Microbe would cheer me up. I don’t want to test it.

Tags: e coli, health, healthy traveler, montezuma's revenge, pasadena, travel, travel medicine, travel medicine clinic, travel shots