Ok, so it’s not that I'm uninventive with titles, but I
couldn't help but use it again for my topic. It just seemed so relevant.
This post is about how I plan to travel with Crohn’s. That’s
if I even leave the airport.
Here’s the thing: I've never travelled – except that time I
went to Queensland and went to theme parks. I was twelve, I think.
Unfortunately, anxiety and other factors have kept me from
travelling sooner, and now that I'm 21 I've watched most of my friends say saħħa* and go on the adventures of a lifetime.
Looking back I should have travelled sooner. It was always
my plan to go travelling; I just never had the guts (lol, Crohn’s pun?) or the
money.
Now I have the money but my guts are in no position to travel.
I always thought I would go after my degree. That was my
plan. And after May of next year my degree will be done (hopefully). So then
would be the time to go! Except in October I was diagnosed with Crohn’s
Disease.
Having Crohn’s has giving me a whole new set of things to
consider. Now not only am I not confident with travelling but I'm concerned
about transport times, being in unfamiliar places, bathroom situations, or how
terrible it would be if I was sick while overseas.
I've looked online for travel tips with Crohn’s and instead
of making things better, it’s making me feel more hesitant about the whole thing.
One site looking at this issue was titled – Disabled World.
I thought immediately – what the hell? I'm not disabled, I've just got a thing
where my body says ‘fuck you,’ and throws itself all over my toilet bowl.
If you haven’t guessed already, I'm not getting along with
the idea of Crohn’s at the moment.
There are so many more things to consider now and getting a
seat near the bathroom on the plane is the least of my worries. But it is
something I do have to consider. Which is ridiculous because it’s not something
most people even have to think about.
Like, I have to consider the food I eat, the water I drink,
when to take medication (whatever that will be), what I'm wearing, how long are
flights, how to say ‘bathroom’, ‘emergency’ and ‘urgent’ in the native language
is crazy! I need to think about travel insurance, flexible flight plans, and I
would need to take documentation and potentially a *shudders* bathroom pass
with me too.
I'm also insanely jealous of the people around me who have
lived and seen more of the world.
I know I can’t let Crohn’s stop me from travelling, but for
the time being I feel like it may do just that.
Reading people’s horror stories about their own travel Crohn’s
nightmares isn't helping either.
I worry about going to a friend’s house ten minutes away,
let alone being on a twelve hour flight.
Unfortunately going through my mind is the possibilities of maybe. I need to stop thinking this way and actually go out there and do it! However that is easier said than done.
I'm going down the coast for Christmas this year. A two hour car trip. While it may not be a twelve hour flight, at least it's a starting point to get over my worries about travel. It may be a good practice run (lol, again pun?) for any longer journey's I may find myself taking.
If you have Crohn’s and are a travel bug, let me know! I’d
love to hear how you deal with it.
*goodbye in Maltese
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