Vacations are fun and are a great way to relax and forget about the stresses you have in your life. Traveling can be hard when you have endometriosis because a lot of people are in pain all the time, and it’s more difficult to manage pain when you aren’t in the comfort of your own home. There is nothing worse than being on vacation and your endometriosis pain flares because most people don’t understand and will still expect you to function at the same capacity as people without pain. You cannot completely prevent flares from happening because you don’t always know what triggered your pain, and you can be doing everything right and still have increased pain levels. Pain doesn’t care if it’s a holiday or if you are on vacation, and in my experience, flares at the most inconvenient times. There is nothing you can do to completely prevent flares, but you can prepare for the worst and hope for the best. How can you manage endometriosis pain while you are on vacation? In this post, I am going to share a few things I would do to manage endometriosis pain if I were going on vacation.
Bring a couple of extra pillows– Long road trips can cause anyone to have back pain because you are sitting in one spot for long periods of time. When you have endometriosis sometimes you can have even more pain than the average person because you are already in pain all the time. Long road trips can sometimes be triggering for people with endometriosis because a lot of us already experience back pain and bumpy roads can make it worse. People with endometriosis often need more support than someone without the condition because sometimes just sitting can be painful. If you are in pain and going on a long road trip, it can be helpful to bring a couple of extra pillows because when you have extra support it helps you be a little more comfortable.
Bring a heating pad if you can- Medication can help people with endometriosis who are experiencing higher pain levels get some relief but managing pain does not end with medication. Medication can help but it does not work miracles and get your pain to zero like most people think it does. I have prescription-strength pain medication that I can take when I have elevated pain levels but it doesn’t always work and sometimes I still have to get out my heating pad to get my pain to a level I can function. If I am traveling, I don’t generally bring my heating pad with me because I usually stay with family that will probably have one if I were to need it. If I was staying at a hotel and anticipated higher pain levels I would bring a heating pad just in case because it is likely your hotel won’t have that available. It might be difficult to bring a heating pad if you are flying to your destination but if you are driving I would make sure that it was in my travel bag.
Eat as anti-inflammatory as possible- People with endometriosis often have inflammation throughout their whole body because, despite what most people believe it’s not just a bad period. Diet plays a major role in managing symptoms because eating the wrong types of foods can trigger more pain. When you are traveling, sometimes people eat out a lot more and there no shame in that because you are on vacation and are supposed to be having fun. If you have endometriosis, eating out for every meal can be a problem and trigger more pain because fast food causes inflammation, which can trigger more pain. You may not be able to eat healthy at every meals, but if you want less pain, don’t let your nutrition go and eat as anti-inflammatory as possible because the last thing you need is for pain to ruin your vacation. Bring your own safe snacks if you don’t think you will have a lot of anti-inflammatory foods available. Anti-inflammatory foods do not cure endometriosis, but they do lower inflammation in your body and slows the progression of the disease, so you want to eat as anti-inflammatory as you can.
Wear comfortable clothing- Before I had endometriosis pain, I preferred to wear t-shirts and shorts, but now I only wear them when I am exercising and sleeping. Pain has changed the way I dress, and I don’t like to wear a lot of shorts unless they are very loose, because often it presses on my stomach and causes more pain. It doesn’t matter how cute an outfit is, I will not wear anything that is uncomfortable and tight because the pain it will bring is not worth it. If you are traveling with pain, the clothes you wear matter and you want to make sure you are choosing something loose and comfortable to help make the pain you are already experiencing a little more bearable.
Ask for help if you are struggling- As a disabled person, I like to do as much independently as I can because I need help for a lot of things that most people can do effortlessly. If I am struggling with endometriosis pain, the simplest tasks that I normally wouldn’t struggle with can be ten times harder, and sometimes I have to ask for help. There is no shame in asking for help if you need it, and if you have elevated pain levels, I would recommend that you do, because you want to save as much energy as you can.
Don’t try and push through the pain- When you are struggling with pain sometimes people try to push through the pain but pushing through pain is not like pushing through a tough workout and it could make it worse. No one is impressed by your ability to push through pain and if you are struggling with pain, you need to listen to your body and rest.
Bring extra laxatives- People with endometriosis can sometimes have more difficulty going to the bathroom because endometriosis is not just bad period cramps and affects your bowels. I always bring laxatives with me when I am on vacation because my bowels don’t work properly and I can’t go without them. I have been struggling to go to the bathroom a little bit more than usual, and I always make sure I have backup laxatives in case I need a little extra.
Traveling with endometriosis can be difficult because you can’t always bring the same things to manage your pain that you would have available at home. When I travel, I can’t always bring everything to help me manage pain, but I do try to bring as much as I can because there is nothing worse than not being prepared and having to fake being well. Be as prepared as you can be and rest when you have to because doing too much and trying to push through the pain is the worst thing you can do. Endometriosis pain is often invisible, and most people will not see it but that doesn’t mean it’s not real. If your pain flares while you are on vacation, take that as a sign to rest and slow down because the worst thing you can do is push yourself to do more. Pain is not your fault and try not to stress about it because high stress levels can trigger more pain How do you manage endometriosis pain while you are on vacation? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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