Traveling for any normal person comes with many challenges.
Traveling across the country for 10 days with multiple medical conditions is really rather difficult.
I must be prepared for any situation that may arise while I am away from home. I need everything that will make me as comfortable as possible. I need medicine, equipment, etc. So for this 10 day trip, I had to pack…
- 15 different medications, all in original containers, packed in gallon size baggies (two of them because it wouldn’t all fit in one), in a bag that goes on the plane with me. Because that much medication CANNOT be let out of my sight.
- A tens unit. This is to electrically stimulate muscles and joints which helps with chronic pain. mainly, I use this for my back and shoulders.
- Two knee braces. One that is a sleeve, which easily fits under clothing. Another, bulkier brace which is tighter and better when I am on my feet a lot.
- A heating pad - but one that plugs in because who knows when/where I will have access to a microwave for my other ones.
- A taping kit. This is to help stabilize my ankles on days when we have a lot of walking. Surprisingly, tape works better than any brace I have tried. When I say tape, I mean super strong, medical tape that takes like 3 washes to come off. It’s the good stuff.
- A letter detailing my condition. Just in case we have to make a stop at the ER. This letter for my cardiologist outlines my medical issues and explains what precautions/treatments the ER doctors should take.
- Theragesic. Which I often refer to as “Thera-Jesus” because that stuff is miraculous. It helps sooth muscle aches, kind of like icy hot.
Whew. That’s a lot of important stuff. This on top of ten days worth of clothing, shoes, toiletries, swim suit, bedding, towels, etc. It’s a little stressful to make sure I don’t forget anything. If I forget a toothbrush, I can easily run to Wal*Mart. If I forget pain medication, we are in trouble.
The day before the trip, I had to visit the doctor for medication refills, count ALL my pills. (Fun fact: I will take about 110-120 pills during my 10 day trip.) And I had to pack and weigh my bags and then move medications and other items to mom’s bag because I was over the weight limit. Mom’s are great for those sorts of things.
So fast forward to security check. Here comes the girl with the small box attached to the inside of her waistband with wires going to her back and a knee brace with metal in it. The machine didn’t like it and found three “hot spots.” So the nice TSA lady explained that I needed further screening, which included a slight pat down and rubbing my hands with some sort of something. I still am not sure what she did, but I was cleared to go.
It made me wonder about people with more serious conditions. What about people that need assistive devises to walk? Or people with prosthetic limbs? I’m just glad the TSA people were accommodating, with only a few strange looks. Let’s hope it goes that smoothly on the flight home.
I could have left my tens unit and brace in the bag and put them on after security, but I knew we would be rushed. And why should I have to change what I need for my medical conditions to accommodate the airport security. It may be my sassiness coming out, but I decided that they could accommodate me. I need to be as comfortable as I can be for being smushed in a plane for four hours.
So here I sit, somewhere over what I am guessing is the midwest, hoping for a smooth, stress-free, and (almost) healthy adventure.
Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Las Cruces, here I come.
