My First Trip Abroad in 38 Months - Part 1 (The Nitty-Gritty)

So I did it! I travelled abroad for the first time in 38 months and I came back intact. *TOUCH WOOD!* Haha!!!

It wasn't a very far destination. We went over to Singapore for starters. It is just a 55-minute flight. But it was 55 minutes in a plane with lots of SMELLS!

We actually planned this trip to see an rheumatologist/immunologist who is the head of the rheumatology, allergy and immunology department in the Tan Tock Sing hospital in Singapore. Sad to say, I did not get to see him though I had called up 1 month ago. He is a very famous doctor and is fully booked till the end of July. I did write an e-mail to him. But was told that the earliest is still end of July. And since I am in a stable condition, there is no rush to push for an appointment unless I am dropping dead almost everyday.

However, I did find out that these doctors do take blood samples during anaphylactic shocks to run tests to find out the cause of the shocks. I have never heard of such tests in Malaysia. Even the DOCTORS have not heard of such things! Malaysia and Singapore may be neighbouring countries, but we are eons apart where many things are concerned, especially the medical world.

Joel has never sat on a plane before, thus we decided to travel to Singapore on a plane this round. Driving is another option and much more convenient but that journey will be many, many, many more hours compared to the plane!

So this was what we did before the trip:

1. Geography

We made sure we knew where the hospital was and how to get there in case of an emergency. And we rented the apartment which was a 10 minute walk away from the hospital.

2. Stock Up on Meds

Stocking up on medications is an absolute MUST! I went to the hospital about 3 weeks before the trip and got my usual meds: Xyzal, Zrytec, Nexium, Motillium, Charcoal tablets and Prednisolone. Since I am sensitive to smells/scents/fragrances, I also stocked up on masks! LOTS of masks!

I also carried 3 Epi-Pens with me. I carried 2 on the plane and kept one in the check-in luggage just in case the officers would not let me carry them on board as they are needles and deem them to be a threat! That being said, I made sure I carried letters from 2 doctors which stated my medical condition and the need for me to carry my Epi-Pens with me at all times. I also made sure all my anti-histamines and stomach medications were in their original packaging with their printed labels from the hospitals.

3. Allergy Card/Letter

I carried my allergy cards and letters which state that I have had anaphylaxis and was hospitalized before and that I am salicylate sensitive. All these cards and letters were signed by my doctors.

4. Food

This was my biggest challenge as I have not eaten anything from outside at all for 38 months!

1 Week Before Trip

I also went to the wet market on the Wednesday a week before the trip and bought chicken breasts. I ground about 4 chicken breasts and divided them into 4 packets. I placed these in the freezer.

5 Days Before Trip

For my breakfast and snacks for in-between meals, I made banana+oats+soya milk scones and oat crunchies, a few days before the trip. I placed the scones in the freezer and the oat crunchies in the fridge.

1 Day Before Trip

One day before the trip, I made a potato+minced chicken dish and placed them into 2 containers and placed them in the freezer. I also cooked stir-fried french beans and these went into the freezer too, after they cooled down. I boiled extra sushi rice one day before the trip and placed them in containers and plastic bags one day before the trip. I also had another two containers filled with rice, the potato+minced chicken dish and french beans. These too went into the freezer.

THE Day

I reheated the containers with the rice and 2 dishes and placed them in 2 Thermos flasks. These were for my lunch and dinner. The rest of the frozen stuff were placed into 2 styrofoam boxes with flat blocks of ice. All these were in the check-in luggage. (We were rushing and as a result I forgot to take pictures of the food in the styrofoam! Imagination is as good.)

Once we arrived at the apartment, we put everything into the freezer! (More on that later.)

I then ate my lunch from one of the Thermos.

We then walked to the nearest supermarket and bought some lettuce iceberg, french beans, eggs and a packet of 2kg sushi rice.

For dinner, I reheated one of the containers with the frozen minced chicken+potato dish, the frozen french beans and boiled some sushi rice. I also boiled two hard boiled eggs (which were bought from the supermarket). The three of us had a lovely salicylate-free dinner!

1st Day - Dinner

5. A Place to Stay

In order for me to survive anywhere outside of my home for a long period of time, I need a kitchen! Thus, we had to rent an apartment with a fully equipped kitchen. We also had to make sure they had a big freezer and not those mini-bar size fridge!

The ice blocks are the ones at the freezer door.

6. Cooking Equipment

I brought along my trusty electronic rice pot! I cooked all my meals in this pot!