It is February, and for most of the country it is a cold month with the possibility of winter storms. When the weather forecast includes snow or ice we all run to the store and buy milk and bread. Are you also preparing yourself medically for winter weather? A snow or ice storm can leave you stranded in your home, and can also cause power outages. Are you prepared?
The first thing you should do when planning for a winter storm is to make sure that all your medications are filled and up to date, and that you have enough medications for a week in case you are trapped in your home, it is even a good idea to purchase extra medications in case the storm is worse than predicted. You may not be able to leave your home, and/or pharmacies might be closed.
Do you need electricity to power any medical apparatus? An example would be a nebulizer needed to dispense asthma medications. If you are dependent on power to operate your devices, you should prepare an alternate power source such as a generator or making sure a battery powered option is available. If you are on oxygen, make sure you have an extra supply on hand.
Be organized! Make sure you have a list of your medications along with dosing instructions, and paper copies of all of your prescriptions; in case you need emergency care you have all the paperwork you need in the event you cannot get in touch with your doctor’s office. In an emergency during a winter storm it may be hard to get medical records from a doctor’s office so it is a good idea to have these on hand.
Keep all your daily medications in one place so that you can easily grab what you need in case you need to make a quick getaway to a safer place before the weather gets too bad. If you are staying in your home, make sure to have enough food and water to last several days in case your pipes freeze and/or you lose power. It is always a good idea to prepare for the worst, but hope for the best!