Wow! So an amazing response to this over the weekend. I can't believe how many of you have showed such incredible support for this project and I can't wait to see how many people this can reach!
I thought I would take the time to post about my weekend and travel. Most of my friends aren't based around where I live so most of my journeys tend to span over a few days and via train travel. The most common issue that people with MS struggle with fatigue. Some research suggests that could be down to the way the body responds to coping with MS and factors such as heat (and boy, can I vouch for that one, with or without a condition!) and medication could also play a part. So for me, travel needs to be a) light b) organised and c) as stress free as possible.
A) Light
It is so important to travel light and by cutting back on the unnecessary, it helps me to conserve energy that I want to spend on something other than my overnight bag. I'm getting pretty good at ditching my heavy leather wallet, with all my precious loyalty cards and year old receipts, and swapping it over for a small fabric purse. This is enough to carry small change, one or two cards you'll need, train tickets, and a few multi-vitamins cut out of a blister pack for the weekend. Truth be told, it doesn't weigh the same 300g a designer wallet ends up being. It may be pretty, but not always practical when you need to carry so much more.
As for clothes, I try to wear a few light layers that you can peel off, especially if you're London bound and headed for stuffy tubes. You can pop a light layer in your bag with ease. I usually try to carry the lightest and most diverse clothes in my bag, and most frequently its a couple of spare tops. I'm going away for a weekend, I won't have time to wear the whole wardrobe (as much as I would like to, where is the crying emoji when I need it?).
I will admit the heaviest thing in my bag is a bottle of water and for me, this is non-negotiable. Keeping hydrated is vital, particularly over the summer and it keeps headaches at bay. If it's any consolation, as you drink it, your bag will get lighter. So...uhmm...drink it! Drinking water helps to clear toxins out of your body so they aren't lurking around in our systems. MS sufferers are more prone to developing urine infections which make them more vulnerable to relapse. Relapse is no fun for anyone, so keep drinking those fluids and keep your body as happy as you can and kick those toxins out.
In terms of toiletries, I really count on the person I'm seeing to let me use all of their shower goodies and it hasn't been a problem so far. I'm not going to carry an extra 500g in shower products myself, but if you aren't up for using whatever your buddy has, try using an all in one shampoo bar from Lush Cosmetics. They're smaller than a bar of soap, come in so many different fragrances and can serve as a shampoo, conditioner and a shower wash. If you're flying, these even save your liquid allowance and can be carried in hand luggage. With make up and facial lotions,try getting really small pots that are travel size (smaller than lip balm size, try Primark) and put a few squirts of your moisturiser or foundation in them. It depends on how much you use, but for me a few squirts is sufficient. By doing that. I've saved myself carrying around another 150ml. It all adds up.
2) Organised
This makes life to much easier and leads to 3) keeping things as stress free as possible. As best as I can, I book train tickets in advance and collect them before travel. That way I'm not rushing to the station to grab my tickets before my train departs. I also found that with the apps we have available to us, that passbook on Apple iPhone is a godsend and saves the faff of trying to get to a printer to retrieve boarding passes pre-flight = lower stress levels.
I always make sure to give myself plenty of time to get to where I need to be, that way when I am carrying extra weight with me, I can slow down and take rest breaks if I need to. I let the person I'm seeing know when I'll be arriving so if I am carrying something extra they can help me out. It can feel like you shouldn't have to ask for help, but the trick is knowing when to ask for it. It is important to be independent, don't get me wrong, but a mate carrying one of your bags on your way to their's is only going to give you more energy to have fun later.
Arranging travel from your destination to where you're staying in advance makes for less hassle when you there. If you've looked up which bus you need to catch or the number of the local taxi company before, then that makes for less stress!
Most importantly, if you take medication on a regular basis take them with you and enough for a few days extra! You don't know what could happen with delays so it's better to be safe than to be caught short.
These things all sound so obvious but they weren't things I thought about pre-diagnosis and they just weren't as important. Listening to your body is paramount to good health and if we can take the pressure off but cutting out unnecessary stress it equates to happier travel. There has never been a better time to seize the day, so seize it with both hands and get exploring!
I thought I would take the time to post about my weekend and travel. Most of my friends aren't based around where I live so most of my journeys tend to span over a few days and via train travel. The most common issue that people with MS struggle with fatigue. Some research suggests that could be down to the way the body responds to coping with MS and factors such as heat (and boy, can I vouch for that one, with or without a condition!) and medication could also play a part. So for me, travel needs to be a) light b) organised and c) as stress free as possible.
A) Light
It is so important to travel light and by cutting back on the unnecessary, it helps me to conserve energy that I want to spend on something other than my overnight bag. I'm getting pretty good at ditching my heavy leather wallet, with all my precious loyalty cards and year old receipts, and swapping it over for a small fabric purse. This is enough to carry small change, one or two cards you'll need, train tickets, and a few multi-vitamins cut out of a blister pack for the weekend. Truth be told, it doesn't weigh the same 300g a designer wallet ends up being. It may be pretty, but not always practical when you need to carry so much more.
As for clothes, I try to wear a few light layers that you can peel off, especially if you're London bound and headed for stuffy tubes. You can pop a light layer in your bag with ease. I usually try to carry the lightest and most diverse clothes in my bag, and most frequently its a couple of spare tops. I'm going away for a weekend, I won't have time to wear the whole wardrobe (as much as I would like to, where is the crying emoji when I need it?).
I will admit the heaviest thing in my bag is a bottle of water and for me, this is non-negotiable. Keeping hydrated is vital, particularly over the summer and it keeps headaches at bay. If it's any consolation, as you drink it, your bag will get lighter. So...uhmm...drink it! Drinking water helps to clear toxins out of your body so they aren't lurking around in our systems. MS sufferers are more prone to developing urine infections which make them more vulnerable to relapse. Relapse is no fun for anyone, so keep drinking those fluids and keep your body as happy as you can and kick those toxins out.
In terms of toiletries, I really count on the person I'm seeing to let me use all of their shower goodies and it hasn't been a problem so far. I'm not going to carry an extra 500g in shower products myself, but if you aren't up for using whatever your buddy has, try using an all in one shampoo bar from Lush Cosmetics. They're smaller than a bar of soap, come in so many different fragrances and can serve as a shampoo, conditioner and a shower wash. If you're flying, these even save your liquid allowance and can be carried in hand luggage. With make up and facial lotions,try getting really small pots that are travel size (smaller than lip balm size, try Primark) and put a few squirts of your moisturiser or foundation in them. It depends on how much you use, but for me a few squirts is sufficient. By doing that. I've saved myself carrying around another 150ml. It all adds up.
2) Organised
This makes life to much easier and leads to 3) keeping things as stress free as possible. As best as I can, I book train tickets in advance and collect them before travel. That way I'm not rushing to the station to grab my tickets before my train departs. I also found that with the apps we have available to us, that passbook on Apple iPhone is a godsend and saves the faff of trying to get to a printer to retrieve boarding passes pre-flight = lower stress levels.
I always make sure to give myself plenty of time to get to where I need to be, that way when I am carrying extra weight with me, I can slow down and take rest breaks if I need to. I let the person I'm seeing know when I'll be arriving so if I am carrying something extra they can help me out. It can feel like you shouldn't have to ask for help, but the trick is knowing when to ask for it. It is important to be independent, don't get me wrong, but a mate carrying one of your bags on your way to their's is only going to give you more energy to have fun later.
Arranging travel from your destination to where you're staying in advance makes for less hassle when you there. If you've looked up which bus you need to catch or the number of the local taxi company before, then that makes for less stress!
Most importantly, if you take medication on a regular basis take them with you and enough for a few days extra! You don't know what could happen with delays so it's better to be safe than to be caught short.
These things all sound so obvious but they weren't things I thought about pre-diagnosis and they just weren't as important. Listening to your body is paramount to good health and if we can take the pressure off but cutting out unnecessary stress it equates to happier travel. There has never been a better time to seize the day, so seize it with both hands and get exploring!
Comments
Post a Comment