Lupus symptoms and flares can be unpredictable. This unpredictability often affects your everyday life as you’re constantly thinking about how to keep things stress-free to avoid making your symptoms worse. Unfortunately, that also means many people with lupus don’t enjoy traveling as much as they used to. If you’re longing for a little vacation, it’s good to know that you can still go on a trip with lupus with the right plan.
6 Tips For a Great Trip With Lupus
1. Choose the Right Destination
When you’re picking a destination, you have to consider factors like the climate and altitude. Humidity, heat, and cold can all cause flares in your symptoms so it’s a good idea to choose a location with moderate temperatures. Your accommodations should also have air conditioning that allows you to get comfortable.
2. Pack a Comfort Kit
A comfort kit is a great way to bring your relaxation aids with you. These can include comfortable clothing, a soothing playlist, your favorite books, your favorite drinks, and snacks that you usually eat to soothe yourself.
3. Have a Medical Plan
Apart from checking your destination’s climate, you should know where the nearest medical facilities like clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies are. If your health takes a downturn, you need to be able to get help as quickly as possible.
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You should also bring your medication as well as a first-aid kit. If you’re traveling outside of the country, check the rules for bringing your medications so that you’re not left without essential drugs.
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4. Protect Your Skin
While Vitamin D can be helpful with lupus, there’s a fine line when it comes to sun exposure as heat can make the symptoms worse. For Black people, the need to wear sunscreen is even greater as studies show that they can have a more aggressive reaction to sun exposure.
5. Don’t be Afraid to Rest
If you’ve planned a trip that’s full of adventure, you might feel the pressure to keep up with all the activities. Unfortunately, that could be bad news for your lupus. The best thing to do is to incorporate rest times into your plans.
Long walks can be broken down into little rest stops where you can catch your breath and relax. In cases where that’s not possible, ask others to step in so you can get the rest you need. You should also ensure that you stay hydrated.
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6. Take Time to Stretch
People with lupus can have a higher risk of developing blood clots if they’re sitting for too long so it’s best to stretch every hour or so. That’s easier to do if you’re on a flight but you can also add rest stops to long drives. Since the joint or muscle pain that’s characteristic of lupus can make sitting for long periods difficult, the breaks can help with that too.
How Stress Affects Lupus
Though living with lupus can be a stressful situation, studies show that it’s the stress from external issues that affects you the most. Whether it’s physical or emotional stress, you’re more likely to experience a flare.
During a lupus flare, your symptoms get worse and you can deal with hair loss, fever, fatigue, shortness of breath, joint pain, chest pain, headaches, rashes, memory loss, and inflammation. Since lupus flares generally lead to increased inflammation, you also run the risk of organ damage.
The key to avoiding stress is planning. Ideally, your plans should include time to rest, relaxing hobbies, and regular exercise. It also helps to get help from others so you have a support structure.
Why Black People Need to Take It Easy
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black Americans are three times more likely to develop lupus than other ethnicities. The condition also affects women more than men as about 1 in 250 Black women have been diagnosed with lupus. Additionally, Black people are more likely to have worse symptoms and higher risks of complications.
That’s why you need to keep your stress levels low when you’re living with lupus. The odds are higher that you’ll have a flare and suffer worse consequences. For example, Black people are more likely to develop kidney damage from lupus.
Planning a trip can be stressful when you’re dealing with a chronic illness - especially one that gets worse when you’re stressed out. The best thing you can do is plan carefully for your trip. Once you have things under control, you’ll be able to enjoy your time.
