I’ve always loved to travel and have had the good fortune to be able to do so. Now as a full-fledged functioning (sort of) adult, I am committed to seeing the world with my little ones in tow.
It never even occurred to me that MS might throw up a roadblock to my enjoyment until recently–smack in the middle of a flight overseas– on a trip to see my dear friends get married. I was unbelievably excited for this trip. Not only was I headed to a place where I’d never been, my parents had graciously offered to watch my son so that my husband and I could go away child-free (I realize that I just said in the paragraph above that I want to see the world with children in tow, but I’m also not going to be the person to look a gift horse in the mouth, so…). The trip started off smoothly. We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, we were able to get through security quickly, and we had enough time enjoy dinner and a glass of wine before we boarded our overnight flight. I remember thinking to myself, “What luck, the universe clearly wants us to have the best time of our lives!” In fact, the only minor travel skirmish I had was with an airport conveyor belt walkway, and I’m not so sure I can blame that entirely on my MS.
A quick aside–if you are traveling by plane and are worried about your mobility and MS, you can let your airline know that you require assistance. They are more than willing to help you get to your gate or help you with luggage pickup. Requesting a wheelchair, even if you can walk, might be helpful. Also, you can let the flight attendants know you have MS as soon as you get on the plane. For example, if you explain that you have difficulty walking up the aisle to get to the bathroom, you can alert them and they will keep the bathroom free until you can get there.
I was prepared for an uneventful flight, and it was– until my body belatedly reminded me that my bladder no longer functions the way it’s supposed to. I touched upon this in my previous personal posts, but my bladder function has taken a rather embarrassing turn (and I’ve had a child). If I drink even a sip of liquid, it sends me running to the bathroom within a matter of minutes. Well, when you don’t realize that you have to pee until it’s too late, you sprint up the plane aisle to the bathroom…only to realize that it’s occupied. Then the inevitable happens. A foot away from the airplane bathroom.
COOL. I cleaned myself up the best I could and headed back to my seat. This is the first lesson I learned on my trip: if you have bladder issues, bring a change of clothes/underwear, wear clothing without a lot of snaps or buttons, and have some sort of absorbent pad, adult diapers, or something like these.
The second lesson I learned: airplane seats are very uncomfortable, especially if you have lasting nerve pain and/or your body tends to go numb. I spent the entire flight trying to arrange myself in a comfortable position to alleviate my pain. What I’ll do now: bring a an ergonomic pillow, some lidocaine patches, make sure to take my nerve pain medicine an hour before I’d like to rest/be comfortable, and make sure I get up and walk around periodically.
The third lesson I learned: fatigue is inevitable. Traveling takes a lot out of anybody–autoimmune disease or not. I was so fatigued and my legs felt so heavy once I got off the plane, I was worried about being able to walk. You can always request assistance–it may not be the time to be the hero. If you feel uncomfortable doing so, and/or your level of disability does not call for or require a wheelchair, order a cane from Amazon–it’s amazing what having that option in your back pocket will do. Think of it as a comfort blanket. Maybe one of those weighted ones. It’s okay to take time to rest once you’ve reached your destination. In fact, resting will probably allow you to enjoy the remainder of your vacation much more since you won’t necessarily be feeling like you’re at a deficit.
The fourth and final lesson I learned: Go with the flow. I must constantly adapt to what my body is doing and I must make sure to keep my sense of humor. There will always be some difficult roadblock to navigate around. You might trip and fall. You may have to spend the first few days of your vacation sleeping or sitting down every three minutes. You might lose control of your bladder. You may find yourself sitting in air conditioning when all you want is to be at the beach. You might not be able to participate in everything you want to do. You may even cry and feel a little sorry for yourself. However, in the grand scheme of things, none of these issues are big enough for me to pay them much mind–especially when I’m in a beautiful new place that I’m excited to explore. It’s easy to feel as if MS has set out to take everything from you, but with some advance planning and a little bit of courage mixed with a little bit of stubbornness, I’m confident that travel is something you can enjoy for many years to come.
In health,
Danielle
Living in Color 