Today is Day 106 of the Art Apple A Day Retrospective – for information on the project click here.

Day One Hundred Six – January 14, 2010

Looking back 10 years ago today…

Travel days… they are a lot easier these days but I’m currently flaring due to a reduction in my Remicade dose due to weight loss and travel right now would be more strained. In the past travel filled me with anxiety and dread. Why? Pain.

I just did a simple search on my blog to see what I’ve written about pain and interestingly – not much came up. Did I really spend a year raising awareness about A.S. and not discuss it that much? Or… is my site in a desperate need of reindexing? I know it needs better tags and categories but it’s the dullest job on the planet so I keep putting it off. Today I see it needs to happen so that I don’t have to write experiences over. I’m trying to share about this disease but not live in the past trauma and pain. It’s a difficult balancing act for sure.

Since I’m at a loss for finding a past post to link to – here are some tips for travel.

9 Tips for Travel when you have a painful autoimmune arthritis.

1. Rest Up Before You Travel: Bank some spoons because you’re going to need them.

2. For The Love Of God Wear Sturdy Broken In Shoes: There is a lot of walking through airports and often at a quick pace so comfortable shoes are a must.

3. Invest One Of Those Travel Neck Thingies: I have a couple of these. The newest ones you can find have memory foam and a snap to keep the thingy closed tight around your neck which is awesome to give you the ability to rest even when sitting upright. I won’t travel without one!

4. Have your pain meds handy: Keep them is an easily accessible place and not in the overhead compartment.

5. Take A Pillow: For long flights a small pillow for putting at the small of your back is extremely helpful. The seats (especially the discount carriers) are horrible and have zero back support.

6. Voltaren Gel Is Your New Best Friend: If you’ve never tried Voltaren Gel I would run out and get some asap. It is now over the counter! It’s basically ibuprofen in a gel and rubbing it on to a troubled spot gets relief faster than taking a tablet internally in my experience.

7. Head Phones With Calming Music On Your Phone: That baby behind you is about to start screaming and your fibro is now on level 10 so noise is painful. Blocking it out some is imperative.

8. Travel With Someone If Possible: If I travel with my husband or brother, it’s just easier and they are tuned into my needs and so helpful with everything.

9. Travel Light or Check Bags: The less you have to carry the better. I almost always check my bags and carry on a backpack that is as light as possible. If it needs to be heavier, I have a smallish backpack that has a waist strap to carry most of the load on my hips and not put strain on my shoulders and neck.

All of these things done alone are helpful but put them all together and travel is much, much smoother and gets you to your destination in better shape. If you have a travel tip, I’d love to hear it and add it to the list!

To see my original Day 106 post ~ Travel Day ~ from 10 years ago click here or on the image above.

And the story will continue tomorrow…