How to Survive an Airport with a Chronic Illnesss
Hi there,
Recently, I had the opportunity to go on a vacation and travel to Georgia. I loved every single minute of it! But when I was getting ready for the trip I had some serious fears about traveling. You see last year was the first year I had traveled on an airplane since I had been diagnosed with spondylitis. I had an incredibly intense flare that really hindered a bit of my trip. I was mid-flare before we left and was under a lot of emotional stress as it was due to the nature of the trip. We were originally going to visit my family, but days before found out that we would also be attending a funeral for my grandfather. Emotional stress puts a toll on a normal body, so a person with chronic illness can be a mess during something like that. But then you add to it that you are putting your body through physical strains of travel and pressure differences and lots of walking. You are asking for a difficult time. So this time I was determined to enjoy my vacation and really had the oppurtunity and clear mind to plan ahead for this trip.
First and foremost, be honest with yourself and those you are traveling with. By this I mean, just because everyone else doesn't need a break, doesn't mean that you have to pretend you are fine without one. Take breaks when you need. Traveling does a big number on your body. And when you are only equip with a little amount of spoons as it is, make sure to rejuvenate yourself as needed. Sit down when you can. Let someone else pull that carryon for you for just a bit. You are not being lazy, you are taking the necessary steps for your health. Communicate to those you are traveling with that you may need a break or someone to literally take your load for a bit. If you are like me and have an amazing support system and family with you when you travel then they will be completely understanding and even offer to help when you haven't asked yet.
Next, dress comfy. I find that if I am not comfy I will be adjusting myself all day and then I will likely be in odd positions without realizing it. That's where my back pain can start to kick in. So I often wear comfortable shoes and comfy jeans and loose shirt. I get cold easy so I also bring a jacket. If I am cold, I tense up, and thus I can get pain. I make sure I am not wearing a heavy bag too, so I am not putting added pressure where it is not needed.
Let's talk about the actual flight for a second. Seats on planes are not the best and you are sitting in them for hours on end often times. then you add the fact that there is not much leg room. There is pressure when you go up and pressure when you go down. So bad seats and no leg room equals stiff and then you add force and pressure to that and you get a recipe for pain and discomfort. I usually like the window seat to look out but this time I got the isle seat and was so grateful I did. I was able to stretch out a bit more when I needed to and could unbuckle and move a bit more freely without bothering anyone else in my row. Lots more freedom and found I got much less stiff, making the landing pressure less intense. Win, win, win.
While we are on the subject of pressure, here's what I did to cope with that. I definitely had my essential oils to manage the pain and I put them on before the pain. Yes, you read that right. I find that using them as a preventative is often very beneficial and it allows my body to already have the support it needs. Now I also know that pressure in my body causes inflammation, so I took an ibuprofen before we took off as another preventative measure to make sure my body had all needs of support in place before it needed. (You do what you need and what you and your doctor talk about is best for you, this is just what was right for me.)
Make sure you are well hydrated and fed. Your body needs fuel to function properly. As overwhelming and distracting airports can be with all the people and things to look at and the rushing to the next terminal, it can be hard to remember to recharge and refuel your body. But your body needs to be hydrated in order to function properly. Pressure differences and lack of hydration can lead to feeling light headed and cause worse problems. So drink lots of water and enjoy a beverage on the plane if they offer them. I mean you are paying for the whole experience anyway, might as well enjoy complimentary apple juice or something too. And be sure to eat. I find lots of people forget to eat when they are traveling because they don't have enough time. So I make sure to have some sort of snack, whether I bring it or buy something to eat in the airport. My body feels less drained and I am less likely to completely crash by the end of the day.
Make sure to wash your hands often or use sanitizer when you can. Let's face it, airports are full of people. Lots of people mean lots of potential germs. And these are people from all over the world, meaning some of these germs are not germs your body is used to fighting on a daily basis. The last thing I want to do is get sick when I am on my way to a wonderful vacation where I am going to do some really awesome things I don't usually get to experience. When someone like me with a chronic illness gets sick, sometimes we fight it quick and other times it kicks our butt so bad that we can't get out of bed because the sickness steals all of our spoons for the next several days. If you are one who is on an infusion therapy or an anti-TNF like I was for a while, then you are more susceptible to getting sick too. And after being on them for so long you tend to think about ways to avoid too many germs even after you no longer take the treatments. So I find that I remind myself often to use that hand sanitizer every chance I get. I will go into the bathroom and wash my hands, twice. I try not to touch a lot with my hands.
These are just a few tips and tricks I used while traveling this last trip. A big factor too was not to stress out. Take things as they came and laugh when something didn't quite work out. When it comes to traveling, stressing out over things you can't control just makes for a frustrating environment and it causes stress. Stress puts a damper on your whole experience and your health. Try to just go with the flow and enjoy the unpredictability for a while. Be prepared as much as you can, but don't let forgetting one thing ruin your entire mood. Because to be honest you will inevitably forget something. For instance, I completely forgot my hairbrush and sang the veggie tales song in my head the whole way from the hotel to the airport as I smoothed my fluff of hair down with my hands. (Shout out to my mother-in-love for finding one at the airport for me!) Laugh at the mistakes and enjoy the adventure! It will set up for a fantastic start to your trip!
Nikki De
Recently, I had the opportunity to go on a vacation and travel to Georgia. I loved every single minute of it! But when I was getting ready for the trip I had some serious fears about traveling. You see last year was the first year I had traveled on an airplane since I had been diagnosed with spondylitis. I had an incredibly intense flare that really hindered a bit of my trip. I was mid-flare before we left and was under a lot of emotional stress as it was due to the nature of the trip. We were originally going to visit my family, but days before found out that we would also be attending a funeral for my grandfather. Emotional stress puts a toll on a normal body, so a person with chronic illness can be a mess during something like that. But then you add to it that you are putting your body through physical strains of travel and pressure differences and lots of walking. You are asking for a difficult time. So this time I was determined to enjoy my vacation and really had the oppurtunity and clear mind to plan ahead for this trip.
First and foremost, be honest with yourself and those you are traveling with. By this I mean, just because everyone else doesn't need a break, doesn't mean that you have to pretend you are fine without one. Take breaks when you need. Traveling does a big number on your body. And when you are only equip with a little amount of spoons as it is, make sure to rejuvenate yourself as needed. Sit down when you can. Let someone else pull that carryon for you for just a bit. You are not being lazy, you are taking the necessary steps for your health. Communicate to those you are traveling with that you may need a break or someone to literally take your load for a bit. If you are like me and have an amazing support system and family with you when you travel then they will be completely understanding and even offer to help when you haven't asked yet.
Next, dress comfy. I find that if I am not comfy I will be adjusting myself all day and then I will likely be in odd positions without realizing it. That's where my back pain can start to kick in. So I often wear comfortable shoes and comfy jeans and loose shirt. I get cold easy so I also bring a jacket. If I am cold, I tense up, and thus I can get pain. I make sure I am not wearing a heavy bag too, so I am not putting added pressure where it is not needed.
Let's talk about the actual flight for a second. Seats on planes are not the best and you are sitting in them for hours on end often times. then you add the fact that there is not much leg room. There is pressure when you go up and pressure when you go down. So bad seats and no leg room equals stiff and then you add force and pressure to that and you get a recipe for pain and discomfort. I usually like the window seat to look out but this time I got the isle seat and was so grateful I did. I was able to stretch out a bit more when I needed to and could unbuckle and move a bit more freely without bothering anyone else in my row. Lots more freedom and found I got much less stiff, making the landing pressure less intense. Win, win, win.
While we are on the subject of pressure, here's what I did to cope with that. I definitely had my essential oils to manage the pain and I put them on before the pain. Yes, you read that right. I find that using them as a preventative is often very beneficial and it allows my body to already have the support it needs. Now I also know that pressure in my body causes inflammation, so I took an ibuprofen before we took off as another preventative measure to make sure my body had all needs of support in place before it needed. (You do what you need and what you and your doctor talk about is best for you, this is just what was right for me.)
Make sure you are well hydrated and fed. Your body needs fuel to function properly. As overwhelming and distracting airports can be with all the people and things to look at and the rushing to the next terminal, it can be hard to remember to recharge and refuel your body. But your body needs to be hydrated in order to function properly. Pressure differences and lack of hydration can lead to feeling light headed and cause worse problems. So drink lots of water and enjoy a beverage on the plane if they offer them. I mean you are paying for the whole experience anyway, might as well enjoy complimentary apple juice or something too. And be sure to eat. I find lots of people forget to eat when they are traveling because they don't have enough time. So I make sure to have some sort of snack, whether I bring it or buy something to eat in the airport. My body feels less drained and I am less likely to completely crash by the end of the day.
Make sure to wash your hands often or use sanitizer when you can. Let's face it, airports are full of people. Lots of people mean lots of potential germs. And these are people from all over the world, meaning some of these germs are not germs your body is used to fighting on a daily basis. The last thing I want to do is get sick when I am on my way to a wonderful vacation where I am going to do some really awesome things I don't usually get to experience. When someone like me with a chronic illness gets sick, sometimes we fight it quick and other times it kicks our butt so bad that we can't get out of bed because the sickness steals all of our spoons for the next several days. If you are one who is on an infusion therapy or an anti-TNF like I was for a while, then you are more susceptible to getting sick too. And after being on them for so long you tend to think about ways to avoid too many germs even after you no longer take the treatments. So I find that I remind myself often to use that hand sanitizer every chance I get. I will go into the bathroom and wash my hands, twice. I try not to touch a lot with my hands.
These are just a few tips and tricks I used while traveling this last trip. A big factor too was not to stress out. Take things as they came and laugh when something didn't quite work out. When it comes to traveling, stressing out over things you can't control just makes for a frustrating environment and it causes stress. Stress puts a damper on your whole experience and your health. Try to just go with the flow and enjoy the unpredictability for a while. Be prepared as much as you can, but don't let forgetting one thing ruin your entire mood. Because to be honest you will inevitably forget something. For instance, I completely forgot my hairbrush and sang the veggie tales song in my head the whole way from the hotel to the airport as I smoothed my fluff of hair down with my hands. (Shout out to my mother-in-love for finding one at the airport for me!) Laugh at the mistakes and enjoy the adventure! It will set up for a fantastic start to your trip!
Nikki De
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