International travel with autoimmune disease is more complicated, but not impossible. I am preparing to travel to the United Kingdom in the next few weeks. Last year I made my first visit to Scotland, and I feel like I’ve learned a few things to make international travel and flights a little more bearable.
Besides primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), I also have fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren’s disease. This combination means that unfortunately I live with chronic pain every day of my life. When I travel, I always make sure to wear a loose hoodie, cozy pants, tennis shoes and compression socks. My arthritis is pretty bad in my feet, so supportive tennis shoes are a must for walking through huge airports. My joints also tend to swell, especially after a long flight, so loose and comfortable clothes tend to be much more comfortable to me. And of course compression socks can help with blood flow and swelling.
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I have a lot of prescription medications I have to take every day to keep my multiple autoimmune diseases under control. I always make sure I have at least a week or two’s worth of extra prescription medications, just in case. I would rather not need them and have them than need them and not have them. I also make sure to have over-the-counter medications I may need, like Tums and ibuprofen. There isn’t always a guarantee that a foreign country may have the medications you are used to taking and that work for you. I also ask my rheumatologist to prescribe me a steroid taper that I can take with me. It’s important to have that with me because travelling sends my body into a massive flare-up. Having steroids with me helps me to get pain relief immediately instead of having to wait until I am back home to see my doctor.
Last time I travelled to Scotland, I did not check any bags. I was worried about my luggage getting lost and having to be without something. Carrying a small carry-on suitcase and a backpack last year was extremely difficult for me. I quickly learned that my body cannot handle lifting luggage into the overhead compartments. It was stressful keeping track of it all and carrying it with me through very large airports. This time, I plan to check one large suitcase and carry one backpack with me on the plane. In my backpack, I am only keeping the necessities like my tablet, my medications, and a day’s worth of clean clothes as a back-up.
Quite possibly the most important thing I learned while travelling abroad last year was to never plan a connecting flight in Europe if you can avoid it. If travelling from the U.S., try to find a direct flight from the U.S. directly to your destination. Last year I was stuck making stops in Paris and in Amsterdam — both of which had massive airports. It was incredibly tough to push my luggage through security again and to different terminals. I think this made my body flare up even worse.
I am not a travel expert by any means, but I do feel like I know a lot about how to travel internationally while being chronically ill and travelling in economy. Hopefully I will learn even more this time around to make my next trip even more successful and easier on my body.
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