Travelling with Lymphedema
What every lymphedema patient needs for a successful trip away!
As I packed for my family trip to NYC, this holiday, I felt confident I would have everything I might need for:
daily selfcare
Flare-ups
Fun!
Some night time and extra compression items I have brought on trips before
L —> R: Jobst Relax, Balms and body oils, Solidea 3D wave leggings, Bauerfeind knee brace, Rossingol Short stretch compression bandages, Circaid calf wraps, and Bauerfeind ankle braces.
This was a far cry from how I used to treat myself on trips. I use to hate that my lymphie gear took up almost half my suitcase…Can you relate? I didn’t see my tools as my ally to ensuring I could be my best self on my trip and make the best memories. They were a burden I wanted to get rid of.
What helped me shift my thinking was an interview I saw years ago with Rachel from ‘Girl, wash your face’. And she talked about why we don’t choose the best things for ourselves and we sometimes engage in self destructive behaviours. The comment that really struck me was. If your best friend was sitting across from you, would you do the same thing to them that you are doing to yourself? For example, if you know wine is hurting your friends lymphedema, would you offer them a glass knowing it hurts them? Probably not.
So when we treat ourselves from the perspective of being our own best friend, we make better choices.
If you thought and acted like your BFF what would you change for your lymphie self-care? Tell me in the comments below.
What best friending myself this holiday looks like.
Bringing and wearing my compression. 3 pairs. No ifs, ands, or buts.
Thinking through various events, weather, timing, and creating a strategy for what I need to bring on my trip, and in my backpack each day when we hop around on the metro.
Daily skincare - dry brush mitt, tallow balms, tallow deodorant, massage oils,
Daily tinctures/vitamins: Herbal Cafe Mocha, Lymph Love + Rooted tinctures
Bringing tools for flare-ups: antibiotics, massage gun, pieces of foam for targeting fibrotic areas
Building rest into my schedule
Building gentle activity into my schedule. Walking, stretching,
Boundary work. Being confident in saying no thank you to foods and event choices that will make my swelling worse
Accountability & support buddies. This could be a family member I’m travelling with, who I can lean on for support, or a friend far away who I can reach out to, or it could be both.
Routine routine, routine. keep my daily routine as much as possible
Stick to what works. this isn’t the best time to try new things. You can definitely bring something new, but pack the classics that you know that work for you too.
So how has the trip gone go with this new mindset?
Excellent! No infections so far. Leg swelling is doing great. We’ve been walking between 15,000-20,000 steps most days.
I did catch a cold. So glad I brought some elderberry syrup kit with me and made some at my sister in laws house. Sipping on it in a lemon ginger tea at the moment.
Was it hard to follow your eating routine? Yep! So here is what I did.
I didn’t follow my usual diet every day, as we we were eating in a group, and chose to eat with everyone, and we did indulge in sweets too. I still limited the amount of bread, alcohol, and meat I was having though.
Even though I was not following my diet closely, I reduced my overall inflammation and stress with:
Meals with family and friends. There is nothing sweeter in life than gathering over food, IMO
daily walking of more than 10,000+ steps,
ate meals with others,
got outside for at least 20 min a day in the daylight, and
laughed daily.
All these things matter so much to our eating patterns. It’s not just what we eat, but how, when, and with whom that affect our overall health.
Would I change anything?
Yes!
I only had 2 new sets of compression and one old set for back up.
I would bring another set or more as it’s been time consuming washing one set each day so I have a clean set each day. My legs really need the new tight compression with all the extra walking we are doing. Hence my suggestion about 3 sets above.
Another pair of shoes so I have 2 good walking sets.
More time meal planning so we weren’t relying on take-out and street food vendors which tend on the salty and heavy side of things. This was tricky without a kitchen though. Next time, I would
buy a bag of oranges, and fruits to stock in my little bar fridge,
boxes of granola bars,
tea bags for tea on the go (doing loose leaf in a hotel was hard and messy!)
a thermos for bringing hot water up to my room or taking with me.
Afraid to travel? Get in there and give it a go! You might surprise yourself!
Some of the best ways to learn what you need to bring are by trying it out. Try a shorter trip like a weekend away and follow the tips above, track changes and make notes about what you forgot or wish you had brought with you, then adapt from there. This helps you prepare for longer trip so they don’t feel so daunting.
I hope these tips and suggestions will help you feel empowered to lymph well to live well!
Amy
xo
