Planning the Perfect Vacation With Psoriatic Arthritis

"The thing I love most about going on vacation is that I get to leave behind any kind of schedule. My entire life is scheduled from morning to night, and when I'm on vacation, there is no schedule." –Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson's quote about vacation is what I miss the most about my life before PsA, fibromyalgia, and endometriosis. I miss the freedom of acting like I have no care in the world. That's the cruddy part of living with multiple chronic illnesses.

People like me have schedules that need to be followed, even on vacation. Depending on how our conditions react to our chosen destination, we may find ourselves adding more illness management tasks to our already ridiculous schedule.

With that said, my husband and I have planned a bucket list vacation. To say planning has been stressful would be an understatement.

But as twenty-plus years of chronic living have taught me, it is better to be over-prepared than under! Here is how I am tackling the three biggest issues of traveling with PsA and other chronic buddies.

Facing the challenges of traveling with a chronic illness

I miss the excitement of planning a vacation to a mysterious and new destination. I also miss the joy of revisiting my favorite places.

No longer knowing how my body was going to react to the climate made traveling anywhere a terrifying prospect. The best choice is to choose a destination and season that I know my body doesn't hate. But that isn't always possible.

This year, I will be visiting Walt Disney World in Florida during hurricane season. What was I thinking?

To be honest, I don't think the season I visit will really make a difference. My body hates heat and humidity. From what I understand, there isn't a season when Florida isn't hot and humid.

Never having visited Florida before, I have no way of knowing how my body will react, which is why I am prepared for the worst. I have cooling towels, layers of lightweight clothing, an umbrella, and a personal cooling fan that can be clipped to my clothing or be worn on a lanyard packed to help with body temperature.

Overcoming the difficulties of long flights

In a perfect world, my husband and I would have the time to drive across the country leisurely, taking in the sights and sounds of each state as we moseyed on through. Not wanting to wait until he retires, I have accepted that flying is our only option.

It isn't that I am afraid of flying because I got over that a long time ago. But I do fear how my body will react to being on a plane for so long.

Sitting for such a long flight typically whips up an extra helping of pain in my hips, sacrum, and spine. It also sets off an inflammation storm that involves all of my chronic illnesses.

Essentials for a comfortable flight

I am bringing the following to make the flight across the country more comfortable and less stressful.

• Underwear that is made for period and bladder leaks. (In the past, I have worn pads or adult diapers, both leaving that area feeling bruised and itchy.)
• A neck pillow for support.Lightweight clothing that fully covers most of my body to avoid skin and muscle irritation from the air conditioning blowing on it. But the outfit is also layered, so pieces can be removed if my body decides to overheat.
• Memory foam seat cushion from my wheelchair.
• A footrest that hangs from the tray in front of me.
• A sedative to relax.

Balancing rest and fun

We have nothing major planned for our first two days to combat jet lag and give my body time to recover from the flight. Instead, we are devoting those days to enjoying our resort and checking out Disney Springs nearby.

I may not leave the hotel, and that is okay! Knowing that I would not be able to function at the level needed at a theme park, we scheduled another rest day in the center of our park days.

As for our park days, my husband and daughter have jam-packed schedules. With my current health status, I won't be going on rides except for a few that don't have jerky turns, and that will allow me to remain in my wheelchair.

My goal is to show up for two very important meal reservations. With that said, my week is wide open. I am waiting to see how my body responds to daily afternoon storms and spend the hours of the day that my body is happiest in the parks. Luckily, we have early morning and late night hours as part of our package to ease any guilt of needing to spend afternoons in bed.

As you can see, traveling with multiple chronic illnesses makes planning extremely difficult but not impossible. I have had to overhaul my vacation expectations completely.

I have also accepted that spending the entire vacation in bed may be a possibility. But after seeing photos and videos of our resort, I am okay with that, too!

How has vacation planning changed since your PsA diagnosis?