Citizen Pain

Travelling when sick sucks. Fact. Trying to transfer your carefully curated set of coping mechanisms, routines, supports and meds to another place - let alone another country, across borders and through airports - is incredibly difficult. As someone who has to travel occasionally, there are a few tips I've picked up that, while simple, make a big difference in surviving travel of any kind: Travel Survival Tips Always carry all your meds in your carry-on. Trust me, you do not want to be stuck somewhere without them. Only take comfortable clothes and shoes with you. Everything else is a waste of space. Carry a portable blanket and pillow in your carry-on. Planes are uncomfortable and unless you're a Rockefeller, you'll need to be prepared to take care of yourself comfort-wise. Consider wearing pyjamas on the plane. It doesn't matter if you look silly. Also, you won't look silly. Most other people will be jealous that you're so comfortable. Inform the

A funny thing happened to me over the holidays: I had an increase in symptoms from one of my chronic conditions. Time and experience has taught me two things: 1. Not every symptom increase is a sign of something worse, and it's always wise to stay calm and monitor yourself, objectively, for a while before reading anything into it. 2. Ignoring new or worsening symptoms in the hopes they are just 'temporary' is a slippery slope, and being proactive about nipping issues in the bud (when possible) is an important part of self-care. Clearly, balancing these two, often opposing, rules is tricky, and not something that gets much easier with practice. Having loved ones around you who can act as your 'sanity-check' and help you decide where the line between these two is can be of great help. Also helpful is a confident, trusting relationship with your doctor. Or, perhaps even more importantly, your doctor's office staff. I've spoken before about the impor