Summertime

If you've already been on vacation / holiday, how did it go? And if you haven't yet, anything planned?

It would be good to hear about your trips & your tips for handling PsA while away from home.

No getaway holidays for us. I do plan to take the first week of October off, however.

I had to be out of town for work from June 15-17, June 16th being Humira day. We put the whole shebang in a baggie and put that on ice, then in the refrigerator in the hotel room when we got there on Monday. We brought several pillows, both heating pads and my flannel sheet with us.

I told Paul that because we have all this extra stuff when we go anywhere overnight anymore, we look like the dang Clampetts going to Maui. I used it all and was able to do what I needed to in relative comfort, unlike if I hadn't had it.

I do know from that experience that I need to find a shrug or a very light cotton sweater. I got cold and because I got cold, I got achy.

I have to be in Western Kentucky the end of September and in southern Kentucky the second full week of December. If either of those trips coincide with Humira days, we'll do the same thing. I know we'll bring pillows, both heating pads and the flannel sheet (August) or my blankie (December); not sure what else, other than again looking like the Clampetts going to Maui.

I'm a little more concerned about living with PsA and injecting Humira while I'm involved in a six week trial starting in April of next year, especially if we don't get it moved and I'm in a hotel for that long in eastern Kentucky or if it gets moved to western Kentucky. If we're moved to Lexington, I'll either come home every night or bunk with my sister from another mister so that won't be too bad. I should talk to my rheumy when I see him in August.

Hey, Sybil! I love vacations, but looking back on our recent trips to the Black Hills and Ames, IA....it'd be more fun minus the adult in my life who doesn't abide by my rule of being on your best behavior--that means no whining, complaining, crying or yelling during a trip. Leave your bad moods at home!

So, we're planning a week-long stay at the lake the end of July, and I'm crossing my fingers and praying this certain person tries a little harder to put on a happy face for the week and just relax and enjoy!!!

Also, I always carry ibuprofen along, but usually I feel better while on vacation and don't need much of it.

How about you, Sybil? Any summer vacation plans?

We had several weeks on the coast of Maine in June, with good weather and excellent seafood. Now we are home, and I am trying to beat my large fern and hosta garden into shape. It is coming along! I can do most of it from a sitting position: I bum walk from place to place, get REALLY dirty, and then after an hour or so I call it a day and go shower. If I do more than that, I pay, so I’ve learned to quit and take my time. Maybe I’ll post some pics one of these days!

We’re taking it easy and staying home until September, when we will hit the road again in the RV. I’ll swim (or rather do my hydro-physiotherapy) three or four times a week, and we’ll enjoy the back deck, some barbeques, and the garden while the weather is good.

Anywhere that is mosquito free!!!!!! I googled it earlier, seems the Maldives in one of those little stilt shacks built in crystal clear azure blue sea are pretty mozzie free .... long way to go for my week in October.

Sixcat ... we're off the same week as you ..... we could meet up somewhere Clampett style ;-) If we go away it will be my first time travelling with my bio .... although I may tweak my injection days to get it in the day before we travel which I can do as I don't have any post-injection reactions.

Sorry, Sybil, I'm hijacking your holiday post and making it about my mozzie miseries. I'll go now ..............

We use to go to an affordable resort in Maine. It was all inclusive so meals and sailing were right out the door of our cabin. I have more trouble staying in beds other than my own and getting in and out of the car or traveling too far so now we do more day trips and I take a wheel chair if I think the walking will be too much. We are planning a day at the Shelburne Meusuem and dinner out at a very fancy restaurant to celebrate our sons 21 birthday at the end of the month. We also will spend a day at the Montreal Botanical Garden and dinner out in Old Montreal. We are lucky to have so much available within a couple of hours of our house but I miss the ocean terribly. We also rented a house on the cape a couple of times. That way I can have all my supplies with me and we don’t have to pack and unpack with multiple hotels. I can stay in and rest if need be but my family can be as active as they choose.

LOL! Can't get the image of the Beverly Hillbllies out of my mind now. I thought supplies & equipment might loom large! Inspired by Seenie's 'bum walking' too - going to try that one in my garden.

I reckon I've programmed my husband pretty well. Every time we go away he piles more and more 'necessities' into the car or suitcases.... lots of which I don't think I need but then maybe they are'necessities' if I'm to live up to Grandma J's exacting standards of holiday behaviour!

We went to Athens a couple of months ago. I knew a lot pounding the streets would be involved and managed to maximise that by getting totally lost the one & only time I went out on my own. The poverty that's hit the Greeks so hard wasn't as much in evidence to tourist eyes as I'd thought it would be. But I guess on some level, the knowledge that any 'people like me' there, people with chronic conditions, were likely to be in a much more serious pickle helped me ride out a few bouts of feeling knackered & a bit useless.

sixcat, your potential enforced vacation sounds like a real endurance test. But can't you get the hotel to refrigerate Humira for you?

Hey Jules, mozzies never bother me on hols, but here on the Welsh border I have to sleep with a pillow over my head sometimes, just to shut out the torturous noise the odd one or two make.

I'm with you on staying put in one place Michael. Anyone else do Airbnb? Or is it mainly a European thing? I think it makes a huge difference if you know you've got a bit of space & privacy to lie down / chill out as necessary. Hope your son's 21st goes with a swing!

Oh and I also spent 2 & a bit days in hospital waiting for surgery I didn't need after falling over the day before we were due to go to Norfolk for a week. My leg wouldn't work. And lo, on the third day .... The Surgeon did appear to me early in the morning, and he said 'Lift up thy leg' and the leg did rise! I said "It's a miracle, you're a natural healer!" And he said "I'm the Jedi Master". And I was out of there & on the road within hours.

Hi Sybil!

I traveled to from the US to France for a 12 day vacation in May and then in June I spent abut the same amount of time in China and South Korea for work. Each trip necessitated traveling with my biologic injectibles. I have a cool pack that I pack in my carry-on luggage which raised suspicion only in Amsterdam (as, according to the security personnel there, the gel in the frozen cool pack is not easy to see through in the security x-ray machine). But I didn't encounter difficulties elsewhere traveling with my meds.

The two trips were very different. The trip to France was incredibly relaxing but the work trip was high stress. In order to keep my symptoms in check on the work trip I took a small daily dose (10mg) of prednisone while I was away. While this really helped me keep up my energy while away, I have been suffering the rebound effects of stopping it and have had some mild psoriasis outbreaks which I'm just now, three weeks later, getting under control (I hate prednisone for how it messes me up as much as I love it for how it helps me).

The only other difficulty I experienced was with the extensive walking we did in France and in East Asia. I've been a bit of a couch potato for the last several months so my feet took a beating from all the walking. I France I was able to wear my new hiking shoes for support, but in East Asia (where it was significantly warmer) I found that I didn't have supportive enough footwear other than sneakers/tennis shoes which I don't really like to wear unless I'm going to the gym (sorry, is my British showing?). If I'd been on my game I would have brought much more sturdy footwear with me to East Asia. Oh and I would have done more walking at home in preparation.

Hope everyone has had/will have good stories of PsA taking holidays around the world!

Jane

Hiking in the Dordogne


Great Wall, Beijing


Wow! You all are having some lovely vacations!
We leave from Florida in a few days, Pensacola. My grandmother lives there. It's part vacation, part helping her. We have some gardens to fix, house needs some work, and doing some chores. It will be tough on me and I am sure I will be very sore and tired once we arrive home, but she needs the help. Plus there is the beach! No other trips planned. My son starts Kindergarten in the fall and we are stuck to the school calendar. Oh well. Maybe a weekend trip here and there. We love going to Texas hill country. It's Lovely.

Sixcat, I hear ya. I travel heavy! I even mail things ahead a time. Hotels are the worst. I don't blame you one bit!

Seenie, Good luck with the garden! I found this on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007XIXR70/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3GJW1FPJFAQLL&coliid=I3RD338OL789L5&psc=1
It's something I want for gardening. Might help with the ups and downs. How do you like traveling with the RV? We have tossed around the idea of having one or a 5th wheel.

Jane, Love the pictures!! Your adventures sound wonderful, minus the flares and pain or course.

Blimey janeatiu! No giving into PsA for you then! Not that that surprises me. For some reason I was thinking about you & your pragmatic use of pred on testing trips recently. Sorry to hear there's a kick-back but I guess that's worth being able to high-function thousands of miles from home. Wonderful photos!

Have a great trip amielynn, the beach is a definite bonus!

amielynn38 said:

Wow! You all are having some lovely vacations!
We leave from Florida in a few days, Pensacola. My grandmother lives there. It's part vacation, part helping her. We have some gardens to fix, house needs some work, and doing some chores. It will be tough on me and I am sure I will be very sore and tired once we arrive home, but she needs the help. Plus there is the beach! No other trips planned. My son starts Kindergarten in the fall and we are stuck to the school calendar. Oh well. Maybe a weekend trip here and there. We love going to Texas hill country. It's Lovely.


LOLOLOL!!! Finley took a weird look at me when I read your remark and burst out laughing, Sybil! Sorry I'm so strict about leaving the "crabbies" at home! Hehe--somehow I don't think you're a crabby or moody person. At least you don't seem to bring any bad moods to the discussions!

Wow, yes, I'm amazed at some of the vacations posted! It would be so fun to travel somewhere other than the U.S. and I suppose those of you from other continents/countries feel the same way....but, yet I feel that I should see more of my country before I leave the U.S. (which I doubt I'll ever do).


Sybil said:

LOL! Can't get the image of the Beverly Hillbllies out of my mind now. I thought supplies & equipment might loom large! Inspired by Seenie's 'bum walking' too - going to try that one in my garden.

I reckon I've programmed my husband pretty well. Every time we go away he piles more and more 'necessities' into the car or suitcases.... lots of which I don't think I need but then maybe they are'necessities' if I'm to live up to Grandma J's exacting standards of holiday behaviour!

We went to Athens a couple of months ago. I knew a lot pounding the streets would be involved and managed to maximise that by getting totally lost the one & only time I went out on my own. The poverty that's hit the Greeks so hard wasn't as much in evidence to tourist eyes as I'd thought it would be. But I guess on some level, the knowledge that any 'people like me' there, people with chronic conditions, were likely to be in a much more serious pickle helped me ride out a few bouts of feeling knackered & a bit useless.

sixcat, your potential enforced vacation sounds like a real endurance test. But can't you get the hotel to refrigerate Humira for you?

Hey Jules, mozzies never bother me on hols, but here on the Welsh border I have to sleep with a pillow over my head sometimes, just to shut out the torturous noise the odd one or two make.

I'm with you on staying put in one place Michael. Anyone else do Airbnb? Or is it mainly a European thing? I think it makes a huge difference if you know you've got a bit of space & privacy to lie down / chill out as necessary. Hope your son's 21st goes with a swing!

Oh and I also spent 2 & a bit days in hospital waiting for surgery I didn't need after falling over the day before we were due to go to Norfolk for a week. My leg wouldn't work. And lo, on the third day .... The Surgeon did appear to me early in the morning, and he said 'Lift up thy leg' and the leg did rise! I said "It's a miracle, you're a natural healer!" And he said "I'm the Jedi Master". And I was out of there & on the road within hours.

Oh I can do crabby Grandma J. I guess that's why my other half plans like he does ... he takes the same line as you do & I crabbily agree that it makes a lot of sense!

Grandma J said:

LOLOLOL!!! Finley took a weird look at me when I read your remark and burst out laughing, Sybil! Sorry I'm so strict about leaving the "crabbies" at home! Hehe--somehow I don't think you're a crabby or moody person. At least you don't seem to bring any bad moods to the discussions!

Wow, yes, I'm amazed at some of the vacations posted! It would be so fun to travel somewhere other than the U.S. and I suppose those of you from other continents/countries feel the same way....but, yet I feel that I should see more of my country before I leave the U.S. (which I doubt I'll ever do).