Post No: 5
Day: Tuesday
Confidence about completing the Marathon at the beginning of the marathon: Very High
Confidence about completing the Marathon now: Medium-low



How many medicines should you carry when travelling?

So as the regulars here know, Sid and I went to beautiful Italy for the Easter weekend. I generally do not carry medicines. My Mum-in-law called me up and as we discussed my preparations for the upcoming Italy trip and she warned me to take all possible medicines. After all, it was going to be a 10 day trip and it is best to be cautious.

I agreed. And then promptly forgot all about it. Then on the day we were leaving and I was reluctantly packing, when I saw my medicine box. Mum-in-law's voice rang in my ears, i reasoned that I had so far never ever needed ANY medicine on any trip so why carry extra things, but MIL's voice rang louder and I succumbed.

In fact I overdid it. I packed medicines for fever, stomach upset, head ache, nausea, cramps, multivitamins, antibiotics, anti allergic, pain killers. I even picked up medicine for a minor medical condition that I had had some 3 years ago.

I think I packed more medicines than clothes.

Anyways, what I also did was that I spoke to Italians in Office who told me of the glorious sunny weather that awaited me in Italy. Impressed I took out all my shorts, skirts, dresses and threw them gleefully in the suitcase. Nothing below the knee - that was the mantra. However just as I was leaving, at the insistence of Sid, I hurriedly picked up my fawn coloured Zara jacket. For London only basically. Once the plane would take off it would be sunny, bright Italy.

Fair enough.

Or Maybe not.

As I stepped out of the plane and looked around it was drizzling, bleak and grey. Seemed a lot like London to me.

And that is how it remained pretty much all through out the ten days and across Italy. All throughout the 10 days I was in Italy, it was grey, bleak and raining. Of course, needless to add, weather back in London was gorgeously sunny. Two things happened because of this unfortunate weather condition:


1. In each and every photograph taken in Italy, you will see me in the same jacket. The same jacket. And jeans. While I was carrying two they were both blue so I was perpetually in my Italy uniform. Zara jacket and blue jeans.

It could have been ONE day's pictures. All the pictures in the same jacket. All. A-L-L. Do you even know what a disaster that is? NO wonder there were no pics on FB, none were shared via picasa with friends and relatives. *Sigh*

2. I fell sick- Yes, i fell sick. For the first time since I came to London. I caught a cold. Took decold for that. Then had a head ache. Took the medicine for head ache. Then felt nauseous. Took that medicine. Then Dad who is a doctor called to say I should immediately get on a antibiotic course. Took that medicine. Mum, who thinks she is a doctor called to say that I should immediately start on a course of multivitamins. Did that.
Bro who is a doctor in the making called to say that I should start a course of Vitamin C as it helps fight infection. Mum, who like i said thinks she is a doctor, called again to tell me to take an anti allergic as sometimes fever is because of an allergy. Did that.

By the end of 3 days, I had used ALL the medicines I had got except for the one for the medical condition I had had 3 years ago.

'Who knows by the end of the trip I might need that', I said to Sid in the midst of sneezing and coughing.

'Come on!', said Sid chiding me.

And guess what? By nightfall I had to take the first dosage for the medical condition from 3 years ago which had, out of the blue resurfaced.


Love
RP


Question for Readers:
For the upcoming trip to Prague, do I be cautious and take all the medicines again? And then end up using them all *Shudder*

Or not take anything like on previous trips and nothing will happen because there are no medicines to treat it if it does?

Pause, think and then answer. You answer can decide whether Sid has a good trip or no. *Serious, meaningful look*