Road trips

I used to love road trips. I love driving, I love being passenger and watching the scenery, picture dog hanging head out window and your visual is pretty close to how excited I get about the simplest things going by. I find beauty in everything. 

Road trips with Rheumatoid Arthritis are a whole different story. I have to plan ahead and really think out every little step. Then if it's not just a day trip there is a whole extra set of things I have to think through. 

I'll start with some helpful hints I have found for just a road trip. I'll write this from being a passenger. I believe I mentioned my new friend the boppy pillow (a horseshoe shaped baby/breast feeding pillow). If you have one take it with you for the road trip, it will help cushion joints during your ride, including hands, wrists, shoulders, elbows, I even feel it helps my ribs. Mine was given to me by a friend, but I would gladly purchase one now that I know how much help it is. 

Make sure to pack any meds you will need. I always pack a few extra days worth just to be safe. In a car it is fine to put them in a weekly pill container or anything else that is easy for you, however if you are flying I always suggest keeping them in their original containers. 

Another thing I pack is a ziplock bag with antibacterial wipes. These are handy for rest stops that only use hand dryers, wiping down stuff in a hotel, or anything else you think you need to de-germ so you stay healthy. 

I also pack a few empty ziplock baggies, these can be filled with ice for free from any gas station or convenience store you stop at to ice any joints you need to. Can also be used as garbage bags if needed. 

The easiest thing to do to help prevent extra pain later is try to move as much as you can, roll your wrists, ankles and neck,..shrug your shoulders...bend and straighten you knees, toes, fingers and elbows. Make stops and get out and walk a bit. I find scenic viewpoints are great for this and as a bonus you get a view of something beautiful. 

Also get a rolling bag, don't try to carry to much at once, ask for help or make extra trips. You don't want to injure yourself when your on a trip. We hurt enough on a regular basis right. 

These are just a few simple ideas to try to make your next road trip a little more enjoyable and a little less painful. I hope you find these helpful. 

As always thanks for stopping by. 

Clutzy Day

Today was a clumsy day for me. There are some days when my grip is just way off. I can't seem to hold onto to anything for long sometimes I just can't hold it at all. This is common with Rheumatoid Arthritis. It happens for me the most when I have a lot of swelling, which I am dealing with today. 

It started when I was trying to bag up veggies and I kept dropping some of the green beans. Not that big of a deal because my dogs love vegetables so I had the cleanup crew at my feet. Next was a bowl, this was a good hard drop but thankfully I have corelle dishes bought for weight and the added benefit of hard to break. No dishes or humans were injured during this episode lol. 

Next was a water bottle, of course the kid was off at the time! I don't know how it missed the three electronic devices I had right by it. Pure luck only a chord got a bit wet, oh and my ipad case....always get a case. 

 

Once a week I refill my weekly pill dispenser. I always do this on Sundays. I often drop my pills as I am trying to fill this. I have trained my dogs very thoroughly on the "leave it" command. My dogs will not touch anything if I tell them to leave it, to me this is the most important command you can teach your dog as it can save their life. I was scared of filling my dispenser because I had already dropped so much. I actually didn't drop any pills, I'm not sure how it happened but am so glad. 

Tomorrow I have to drive for about 4 hours. Thankfully this will be broken up, 2 hours to get where I am going then two hours to get back. I haven't taken this long of a ride or drive since my RA has been so active, so I will probably have to make multiple stops to stretch and get my joints moving. I know it will be pretty painful and difficult to do, but I'm hoping it won't be too bad, it will be a good test as this summer we will have some even longer trips. I do have some helpful hints for traveling with RA that I will share in another post soon. It will be a good reminder for me too. 

Thank you again for stopping by. Hope everyone is having a great day.