Traveling Pain-Free With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Traveling with rheumatoid arthritis is simply a small much complicated, but it doesn't person to beryllium little fun.

"There's nary crushed you can't question conscionable due to the fact that you person RA," says Victoria Ruffing, RN, programme manager astatine the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center successful Baltimore. "You conscionable request to instrumentality immoderate other precautions earlier you go."

Planning Pain-Free Travel

First things first: Where are you going? Most of the satellite should beryllium unfastened to you, but determination are a fewer things to deliberation about.

• Make it relaxing. If you person RA, you request rest. If you don't get it, your symptoms could flare. So marque definite to program plentifulness of downtime. Now is astir apt not the clip to program a travel astir the world. You tin spell conscionable astir anyplace you like, arsenic agelong arsenic you don’t overload your plans, says Jane McCabe, OTR/L, an occupational therapist and certified aging-in-place specializer successful Laguna Hills, Calif.

• Set your ain pace. If you're reasoning astir traveling with household oregon friends oregon connected a tour, marque definite that you won't beryllium stuck connected a strict oregon draining schedule, McCabe says. You request to person power implicit your day.

• Plan for your health. Will you person casual entree to aesculapian attraction if you request it? Identify hospitals and a pharmacy successful the areas wherever you’ll beryllium traveling.

Talk to Your Doctor

Before you go, inquire your doctor:

• Does this travel look similar a bully idea? If you're caller to traveling with RA, spot what your doc thinks astir your travel plans.

• What vaccinations bash I need? You whitethorn not beryllium capable to person definite travel vaccines if you’re connected a biologic medication.

• Should I instrumentality immoderate peculiar medications? Your doc mightiness privation you to person different drugs connected the roadworthy successful lawsuit you tally into problems. For instance, steroids could assistance if you overdo it and person a achy flare, Ruffing says. Antibiotics could beryllium useful if you get an infection.

• Can I get an other transcript of my prescriptions? Losing your medicine could derail your trip.

Booking Your Room

When you question with RA, your edifice country is much than conscionable a spot to crash. It's a refuge. So bash immoderate probe to find a spot that's comfy and casual to manage. You whitethorn want:

• A country adjacent the elevator oregon entrance, truthful you don't person to locomotion excessively far

• A bath with a tub oregon ablution that's casual to get successful and retired of

• Easy entree for a walker oregon wheelchair if you usage one

• A refrigerator, successful either your country oregon a unafraid area, if you request to support medicine cool

Packing for Your Trip

To conserve vigor and debar pain:

• Choose the close luggage. "You request wheels connected everything," says Lenore Frost, PhD, OTR/L, a objective adjunct prof of occupational therapy astatine Sacred Heart University successful Fairfield, Conn. Suitcases that rotation are easier connected your joints and little tiring to move. For time trips portion you're away, usage a backpack oregon a container with a shoulder strap to dispersed the weight. Handheld bags tin enactment excessively overmuch accent connected your fingers and wrists.

• Keep your medications successful your carry-on. You're little apt to suffer them, and you'll cognize they’re safe. "RA medications tin beryllium fragile," Ruffing says. "If you battalion them successful your check-in luggage, somesthesia oregon unit changes could perchance harm them." The Transportation Safety Administration says that erstwhile they’ve been screened, each types of medicine are allowed done checkpoints.

• Pack for comfort. What’s astir important? Shoes that connection bully support.

While You're Away

To consciousness refreshed and prevention energy:

• Stretch and determination during travel. Sitting excessively agelong volition permission your joints aching and swollen. If you're driving, instrumentality breaks each hr to agelong your joints. If you question by bid oregon plane, instrumentality walks up and down the aisles to debar getting stiff.

• Think astir utilizing an assistive device. Even if you don't usually request one, a cane oregon different instrumentality whitethorn assistance portion you're distant -- particularly successful agelong lines astatine museums oregon tourer spots.

• Take it easy. Overdoing it aboriginal could permission you fatigued and sore for days. So adjacent if you're excited to get retired and about, spell slow. Better yet, don't marque plans for your archetypal day. Build clip into each time to relax. Arrive other aboriginal astatine the airdrome coming and going, truthful you tin instrumentality a interruption aft check-in and earlier boarding. Build successful astatine slightest 1 time disconnected aft your trip, truthful you'll beryllium refreshed and acceptable to go, not sore and dragging.