Camping with Lymphedema
Camping with Lymphedema - it’s possible!
So, if this is a dream of yours and you have been unsure about going, this I the post to help you figure out how to make it work for you, so you can go out and have fun without feeling like you are sacrificing your health. In fact, if you take care planning, your Lymphedema swelling SHOULD get better from all that fresh air time & movement. Seriously. Mother Nature time os good for us!
After many trips canoeing, hiking in backcountry, and car camping, I have found that camping in nature is one of the best things for my Lymphedema, my mental health, and relationship to myself.
But…the thought of and actually doing it (camping with Lymphedema) used to stress me out.
And maybe that’s where you are right now. I used to worry about getting an infection, cuts/scrapes, bug bites, various ‘WHAT IF’ scenarios, and more, when I let my anxiety be in charge.
But, I didn’t want to give up on it, and I’m glad I didn’t, because when I went camping in the woods AND after I came back, I felt different in a positive way!
The challenge & the reward of camping in nature felt worth it to me. It helped me see my everyday lymphie and life challenges from a new perspective.
So fresh, off the chopping block, I’m going to share a couple thing with you about camping in this blog post below and I have made a simple lymphie camping planner you can download with checklists and my favourite vegetarian camping chili recipe. So good!
When you try my planner, it will take the stress out of planning and make your trip a breeze!
Pre-planning prep:
I’ve been camping literally since I was a kid going to Algonquin park as a teenager with my siblings, and picked up lots of tricks along the way to make it easier for camping with Lymphedema and can’t wait to share them with you!
Before you go, think about what kind of trip you want to do. How long are you going, and where? Does the car need a tune up? Do you need to pick up some camping gear or borrow from a friend? What kind of camping do you want to try?
Canoeing - bring your belongs in your canoe and paddle and portage to your your destination.
Car camping - drive when your gear, park at site and pitch your tent there. (if you have never camped with your Lymphedema, I would recommend starting here, so you can get a sense of what gear is helpful to bring for you and what were things you didn’t end up needing, etc.
Backcountry camping - carry your gear on your back and hike into a campsite. For the more experienced camper. You have to be very strategic in what you bring because you are carrying everything you need from sleeping, cooking tools, and lymphie gear in your backpack.
Other things to consider in pre-planning prep are:
Do you need to see your health professional for a check-up? If you are prone to cellulitis infections, it is worth talking to your health care provider about taking some oral antibiotics with you for just in case.
Tent tips:
Pick a place in the shade or partial shade so that your tent doesn’t heat up during the day.
Pick a flat tent site if possible. If the site has a slight incline, position the tent so that you will be sleeping with your feet elevated, which will encourage restfulness and lymph drainage.
Consider how you are going to keep the tent clean - I bring a mini broom with me to sweep it out. Kiddos are messy, even though I tell them to take their shoes off at the door. It helps to keep my bandages, etc. clean.
Food planning:
If you like to cook, consider making some stews, chiles and dehydrating them. I’ve included my FAVOURITE chili recipe in the camping guide for vegetarian chili that we make for camping trips. It’s so good! So, think about how you are going to heat things up/cook them, and what gear you need for that. As time goes on, you will build a camping gear bin of kitchen things like - camping pots, camp stove, like pictured above, utensils, bowls, mugs, cutting knife, tea towel, dish cloth, mini soap bottle (make sure it’s eco-friendly)
Lymphie gear I like to bring:
Waterproof dry bag from a camping store.
This bag is designed to keep things dry on your trip when canoeing, but I like them as a wash bag for my legs and my stockings. They roll up super small, so easy to take with you that are light weight and not too expensive. ranging from $10 to $150 for deluxe, large versions.
Here is what I do with the bag: At the end of the day, I will take off my garments and set it up to wash my legs in here with a bit of soap. It holds the water. You will need to hold one side with your hand or have a friend/family member help you, as the bag is soft sided. Then when I’m done that, I was my garment in here to soak, seal it up tight and shake it to wash the garment. Which is kind of fun. You can use it like a wash bin and just wash your garment in here though, no shaking required.
Other ideas for washing include a collapsible bucket. I bring this if we are car camping, instead of the wash bag, which is my go to of we are backcountry camping and want to keep everything as light and packable as possible. While I was looking for an image for one to show you, I found this one on amazon, and it folds up flat like my wet/dry bag! I might give it a go. Says it holds 20L, and stands up on its own. yay! They are about $10-$25 on amazon.
Click the photo to go to the product on amazon.ca
Other Lymphie Tools & Tips:
Mini massage gun - this is a luxury item I bring on shorter trips or cap camping trips as it can be a bit of a heavy item, but love being able to give myself a massage before going to sleep.
Night time garments - do you have night time routine? Think about if you have. low profile night garment or do you want to bring your bandages? I am wearing Mobiderm foam + fast n go bandages for my night time routine these days, but am looking into a low profile garment like the Jobst Relax, or tribute night, or Mobiderm Autofit are some low profile options.
Ankle braces or moon shape ankle pads can be helot bring along for adding into your night garments, or under your daytime garments too.
Rope - make a clothes line with between two trees - helpful for hanging up your garments to dry after you wash them. Bring a towel to roll out the water in your garments too before you hang them.
2-3 sets of daytime garments so you have a wash pair, wear pair, and an extra.
Water filter - bring a camping water filter to purify your water. Consider getting some nuun or other electrolyte tablets for your water if it’s got and you will be sweating a lot.
Bug spray & after itch bite cream - bugs can bite through our garments, but it’s harder for them to bite through flat knit that circular. Having something to soothe your skin and help stop the itch helps a lot! Getting a campfire going in the evening can really help keep the mosquitoes away too.
We are about to go on our first camping trip this year, and I’m sure I will think of more things that I forgot to mention, so watch for updates to this post throughout the summer.
Have some camping with Lymphedema questions, comment below and I can answer them.
Want in depth help planning a trip? Book a 1-on-1 with me and I will help you plan your trip!
Was this blog post helpful to you? Comment below. I would love to hear from you.
Amy
xo
