Got Bladder Pain? How You Can Prepare for Travel
Do you have major bladder pain? The thought of travel is just pure hell. Here are some tips I have if you are flying out to see doctors and specialists for your pelvic pain, mystery chronic cystitis, never-ending UTI, pelvic floor dysfunction, or interstitial cystitis. Or if you're traveling for an emergency. Any form of travel is daunting and frightening, especially when your body is in exponential pain or exhaustion. I'm flying out soon to the States (I'm from Canada) which is going to be 2 flights with 1 stop in between (what a total nightmare) while I'm having frequency and pain.
1) Rent a wheelchair
My bladder pain is so bad that I carry a walking cane with me and am constantly driven everywhere. I can walk without a walking cane very slowly for about 15 minutes. But after that, I need to sit or lay down and just not move. Since I will be flying out to Washington, London, and possibly Toronto for advice and treatments, there is NO WAY I can be mobile for that. I have started searching on the internet for wheelchair rentals. Riding in a wheelchair or scooter would help with you waiting in line via long line-ups, getting a better seat on the airplane, and getting around in general. But if I'm going to hail a taxi cab to/from the doctor, I'm going to get up and use my walking cane because I heard that wheelchair-taxis are hard to come by and wheelchair users have shared horror stories of waiting for hours for a taxi. You don't want to miss your expensive appointment with your specialist because of that. Look up a wheelchair rental, get it early and start practicing using your wheelchair / scooter around the home and your block.
2) Bring or Hire a Companion
If you can, bring a companion - a family member, friend, colleague, anyone. It's going to really help. If it's not a family member, just know that you should be paying for your friend or colleague's ticket to fly out with you to take care of you. You can share your hotel room with that person and that person can pay for their own food. If you have nobody to go with you, you can hire a travel companion or travel nurse. I found those via Google. As for me, I'm either going to go alone or hire a travel companion because my family members have to work full-time and have a difficult time getting days off. If you're going alone, then you will definitely have to plan ahead and really strategize.
3) Pack Light
If you're going alone, pack very light. You don't want to be lugging stuff around if you're in a wheelchair or scooter and in constant pain. I'm going to make my trip very short, and only packing a carry-on with me, so I don't have to check in/out any luggage. Make sure you read the requirements on what you're allowed and not allowed to bring on carry-on luggage - there are a lot of restrictions including liquids.
I'll write more later on this post. I'm too exhausted to write anymore for the day.
1) Rent a wheelchair
My bladder pain is so bad that I carry a walking cane with me and am constantly driven everywhere. I can walk without a walking cane very slowly for about 15 minutes. But after that, I need to sit or lay down and just not move. Since I will be flying out to Washington, London, and possibly Toronto for advice and treatments, there is NO WAY I can be mobile for that. I have started searching on the internet for wheelchair rentals. Riding in a wheelchair or scooter would help with you waiting in line via long line-ups, getting a better seat on the airplane, and getting around in general. But if I'm going to hail a taxi cab to/from the doctor, I'm going to get up and use my walking cane because I heard that wheelchair-taxis are hard to come by and wheelchair users have shared horror stories of waiting for hours for a taxi. You don't want to miss your expensive appointment with your specialist because of that. Look up a wheelchair rental, get it early and start practicing using your wheelchair / scooter around the home and your block.
2) Bring or Hire a Companion
If you can, bring a companion - a family member, friend, colleague, anyone. It's going to really help. If it's not a family member, just know that you should be paying for your friend or colleague's ticket to fly out with you to take care of you. You can share your hotel room with that person and that person can pay for their own food. If you have nobody to go with you, you can hire a travel companion or travel nurse. I found those via Google. As for me, I'm either going to go alone or hire a travel companion because my family members have to work full-time and have a difficult time getting days off. If you're going alone, then you will definitely have to plan ahead and really strategize.
3) Pack Light
If you're going alone, pack very light. You don't want to be lugging stuff around if you're in a wheelchair or scooter and in constant pain. I'm going to make my trip very short, and only packing a carry-on with me, so I don't have to check in/out any luggage. Make sure you read the requirements on what you're allowed and not allowed to bring on carry-on luggage - there are a lot of restrictions including liquids.
I'll write more later on this post. I'm too exhausted to write anymore for the day.