After being on the road for 5 days, sleeping on a different bed, maneuvering 2 suitcases and a big purse through 4 airports, 2 taxies, 3 bus rides, and a 4-hour car ride home (me driving), I'm back home safe and mostly sound.
Anytime we folks (in this case Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome current or past sufferers) attempt to travel, life can get very challenging. I survived well by using and planning the following ahead of time:
1) Take your favorite pillow or something to snuggle with. (This time I took my smallest pillow because of the sticky airline requirements. It worked great.)2) Plan your RX and over-the-counter medicine requirements carefully and take what you may need. (Planning ahead will keep you from either doing without or having to find drug stores in unfamiliar locales.)
3) Consider taking a sleeping mask and ear plugs to use. (They help me fall into a deeper and more restful sleep.)
4) Take only carrying cases with wheels and easy grip handles. (Using those doesn't completely save the shoulders, but they help a lot. Yesterday after my 10-hour trip, I felt really tired. I looked for my car in vain throughout an immense parking lot. I walked and walked, dragging those cases behind me, ready to leave them in the street if necessary. I would have done it, too, if they had not been on wheels!)
5) Carry a few snacks and water. (Now granted I follow airline security regulations as well as anyone, but I make it a point to never get too hungry or too thirsty. A situation like that only makes me feel worse. Plus, with the airlines offering little food or luxuries anymore, it's critical to think ahead.)
TIP: Check out ahead of time what you can expect to encounter on your journey, i.e., times, distances, airport terminals, food, hotel amenities, beds, etc. Plus, you can request wheelchair assistance at any airport. In some of the larger ones, that luxury alone can feel like it is saving your life!
6) Take some extra money with you if you can. Everything really costs these days. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you need help or resources and can't help yourself. I was glad I took extra funds with me because I could have faced quite a delay with a cancelled flight, plane change and delays in Houston, TX, due to Hurricane Ike. As it turned out, the weather was sunny and pleasant on Monday. If I'd gone through there a few days earlier, I surely would have encountered a worse situation.
Most people choose to stay home when they don't feel well, but a change of scenery can be very beneficial. Even a day trip can be refreshing and cheer you up!
Thanks for your well wishes on my trip. Grateful for it all,
Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show
