Travel Planning for Those with Relasping Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Traveling with MS can be a challenge. Most of us who suffer from M.S are not wheel chair bound, so when I talk about MS and travel I am addressing those of us who are not dealing with wheel chairs or who have severe mobility issues.

The major issue for many traveling with M.S today is actually medication storage. The most popular MS drugs are Copaxone, Rebif , Avonex and Betaseron. These are self injected drugs that need to be usually refrigerated .The drugs can also pose a problem going through air port security and traveling in foreign countries.

The first thing you should do is get a clearly written letter from the doctor saying that you are taking MS drugs and need to have the needles and a cooler. This should allow you to satisfy the curious at air ports or on planes. There have been lots of stories in the news lately about people being kicked off air planes because they were acting odd. Appearing drunk or out of it (because of fatigue and balance issues )are common with M.S . You can avoid some potentially embarrassing situations by having your letter handy should you need it.

Since 9/11 people have gone overboard on 'reporting ' people on air planes for behavior they would have not noticed in the past . It is a good idea to have a letter stating your medical condition for lots of reasons. Even when you're going through airport security , you can be tagged for appearing a little lost . They do not really invest in top notch screeners so again having the letter stating you have a neurological condition ma y save you some additional hassle.

Have the emergency contact information of your neurologist where you can get it. Keep it in your wallet or purse. If you are traveling to somewhere in the states for a period of at least a month you may want to check with your neurologist and insurance about where you should seek medical care in the event of an emergency in the area you are staying in.

If you are traveling abroad and are in one place for an extended period of time you will want to do your research even more about where they have specialty care. If you are traveling in countries that have a limited amount of appropriate medical facilities you may want to talk to your travel agent about the kind of travel insurance that will fly you to somewhere that has appropriate medical care in case of a fully fledged emergency.

You should try not to confuse a travel related M.S flare up on a trip with a fully fledged exacerbation. Heat, stress and fatigue may cause a number of your symptoms to worsen while traveling. If you are not normally on a muscle relaxer , you may want to ask your doctor to prescribe on just in case . Try to any other drugs you can treat symptoms of a minor M.S. flare up while traveling and have a supply if you can. A minor flare up should not ruin your vacation. Plan ahead for fatigue problem. Schedule in a 'recovery" day after you arrive at your destination , so you can get over a travel stress induced flare up .

Using a travel agent can just be a good idea for people with M.S. They can help you have what you need not to get your syringe medication confiscated or lost while traveling in a foreign country. They can help you avoid planning to stay in places where it is hard to get ice abroad when you need to keep self injected drugs cool.

Travel agents will also be able to put out right in front of you a realistic travel agenda that takes into account the mobility issues and fatigue issues all sufferers of M.S. deal with. That tropical vacation will not be that great if you have to spend the whole vacation in the air conditioned hotel; because of M.S. related heat intolerance. If you can plan outing early in the day or evening when it is cooler your trip will be more satisfying.

Looking for the right travel aides can help too. If you don't normally use a cooling vest where you live to deal with M.S heat issues; you may want one if you are traveling somewhere where it is warm. I tend to lose my ability to unzip and unbutton small buttons when I am fatiqued.

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I tend to take travel gear and clothes that are easy to get on and off. If you normally use child proof lids on your prescription bottles , try the easy open ones on vacation. You do not want to be frustrated trying to open pill bottles on a tour bus, because your coordination is off because the day is a little warm. If you use a cane; take along two just in case one gets misplaced or broken. You may not be in a place that has a medical supply store .

Talk to your pharmacist about special travel aides for the medicines that you self inject. You may want a soft sided cooler and something other than those big red bins to dispose of your needles while traveling. Again , different countries may have different rules about disposing of used needles ; try to find this information before you leave for the air port.

Lastly , you are on vacation don't feel weird about asking for help from airport, train, or bus staff. If you need a lot of help , then of course the polite thing would be to make inquiries before you arrive at your travel hub. If you are just struggling with too much luggage or are having an off day , then don't hesitate to ask for help.

Traveling with M.S can be a breeze if you plan ahead and take all the help you can get. Don't get so caught up in making sure things go smoothly that you forget to have fun. Part of the fun of travel is the risk of the unknown, it should be no different for you as long as you can control a few things.

http://www.activemsers.org/tipstricks/travelingwithms.html

http://www.deborahgray.org/multiple-sclerosis-for-newbies/traveling-with-ms/

http://www.unitedspinal.org/msscene/2009/06/11/traveling-with-multiple-scelrosis/