Tuesday, May 11, 2010

MS Spasticity and Fatigue haven't got a chance!!

Last week I went on an adventure, one which involved a passport and long 8-9 hour flights over “the pond.” I traveled from Virginia to Switzerland for a meeting involving other MS patients. During this travel some of the things I was concerned about were fatigue and spasticity, both problems related to my MS.

The welcome dinner for the event did not take place until Sunday evening, but I boarded a plane Thursday to arrive Friday morning. The reason I traveled a couple of days early was to get adjusted to the time difference and to recover from the exhaustion of travel. Plus I wanted to see just a bit of the area.

An ‘overnight’ flight sounds like a great way to sleep on the way over; however, leaving at 6pm from the US and arriving at 8am (in a time zone which is 6 hours ahead of home) is like waking up around 1am on the plane to eat ‘breakfast’ and begin a full day ahead. I don’t know about you, but I don’t exactly function well on only a few hours of sleep (assuming I was even able to fall asleep and stay asleep on the plane).

Read this post in its entirety:

Taking MS On the Road: International Travel, Spasticity, and Hot Baths

Personal note: I was extremely fortunate to be able to find a way to deal with these MS-related issues. Not everybody is so lucky all of the time. Perhaps due to sheer will or the new medication I'm using (Rituxan), who knows, but I seem to have fully recovered from the trip without much residual effect.

I am very ready for next week's Rituxan infusion since my RA has started to act up again and my joints are feeling the effects. I've become a cranky RA person again. I'm told that some patients report even greater benefit after the 2nd and 3rd rounds of medication. That would be awesome, and maybe I will achieve as close to remission as is possible with my rheumatoid arthritis. That would be very cool.

Next week I've got another story related to my recent trip. This one, however, involves a bathroom, soaked underwear, and going commando. You can probably figure this one out ahead of time. ;)

5 comments:

  1. Glad to hear you were able to make the trip successfully. You are an inspiration. I used to travel often, but fatigue and the worry about what problems might surface while I was away home has dampened my wanderlust. You have given me hope that travel with MS and all its hindrances is still a possibility.

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  2. I applaud you. I thought I was gonna die after just going to a doctor appt yesterday. Are you really still coming 6/17?

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  3. Rae,

    I really was worried about the fatigue and whatever MS might throw at me during the trip. I didn't know if suddenly an arm wouldn't work, or a leg, or my eyes. So I didn't travel alone. My Mom (my caregiver) came with me just in case and I think that it helped knowing that I wouldn't be alone.

    This bit of traveling really makes me want to do more. I haven't been anywhere except Oklahoma, Texas, or Florida in the past few years. However, this year is the one for much more adventure.

    Hopefully your wanderlust will return when you are ready for it. :)

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  4. Diane,

    Am I still coming?

    AB-SO-FRIK-IN-LUTE-LY!!

    You, Jen, and I need to figure out the logistics though. I do recall that there are others in the Seattle area who would also love to join a get-together. This could be an official "MS blogger" event.

    Rob and I will have to figure out our transportation. We are actually staying at one of his friend's house before the cruise (somewhere past Bellevue maybe? not sure). Perhaps a taxi into town and back.

    I'm really looking forward to it!!

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  5. An official event...gulp. My cuz is droppin this Sunday, haven't seen him in 50 years...all these visits...I wish I had bought a new couch. We can gather in the social room...the crazy organ player is there...oh, it will at least be a hoot.

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