# Traveling with health issues



## QueerCoyote (Sep 19, 2016)

A good friend today approached me with concerns regarding my traveling plans. I'm finishing up a degree now, but after that I plan on taking my bike to the west coast and just going with the flow, doing some wwoofing, freelance art and modeling, etc.

I have a musculoskeletal condition that causes chronic pain and makes me hyperflexible and prone to subluxations, which is also accompanied by several other conditions that make it hard to keep warm (raynauds) and sometimes cause dizziness or fainting (POTs). That being said, because of the hypermobility I have to keep myself in decent shape or I'm pretty much a subluxating human noodle. I backpack when I can (have to keep in the lightweight range due to dislocating ribs and scoliosis) and can run or bike for longer than your average joe, though I'm not a gym nut by any means.

My main worry about this trip so far has been loneliness, biking is going to be a pretty lonely way to travel. Her big concern is that I weigh 95lbs and am unable to gain weight on top of this, and with food availability not being as reliable as it is when you have a house, fridge, and money is that the increase in physical activity could cause my body weight to plummet and then my other conditions will be exacerbated. This happened a couple years ago and resulted in me being 84lbs with bronchitis and having to drop out of my senior year of college.

That being said I need an escape from all that comes with babylon. I've been working since I was a kid, I'm fed up with my doctors, fed up with feeling like an extremist for making it known that I think the current dominant culture of my society sucks. I'm tired of being isolated to one region, and of not being able to participate in life in a way that feels fulfilling except in small doses. Traveling isn't an automatic answer to that, but the idea of it has been enough that all of my free time is spent researching and thinking of ways to eschew the system without being a homesteader locked to one place or a crust kid. It's the thing dangling from the fishing pole to encourage me to push through tough finances and health long enough to finish this degree.

Any advice, thoughts? Similar experiences traveling with health issues?


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## Kim Chee (Sep 19, 2016)

I'd really recommend staying away from anywhere that gets cold especially considering you don't have much fat. If you are in prolonged cold I think you might shiver off the last bit of fat you have.

You might do well to consider the southern states or wwoofing in places which will house you up and feed you well.


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## creature (Sep 20, 2016)

QueerCoyote said:


> biking is going to be a pretty lonely way to travel



you know.. just kind of wondering..
CL has all kinds of biking enthusiasts, everywhere.. meetups, trips, etc..
& although if you bike alone, you won't *always* be alone, by a long shot..

a bike is a great way to meet people, at least from my 'not biking' perspective..

i bet you do some bike meetups, you'd not only make friends, but connections, too..

i'd suggest biking locally for a week or two & see how it settles with you.. do a 200 mile round tripper & see how you feel, how camping went, what your food needs were & how your body responded..

sometimes getting out isn't about going anywhere..

looks like (guessing) you're taking a degree in fine arts?

def stay put until you finish, do some smaller traveling on the side..

i dunno how bad the pain is, but i have some shit wrong with me, & it's always, always a bitch.. but..since the pain is neither constant nor unbearable, it's just a thing to be dealt with..

anyways.. don't just jump.. check out your MO before you do..

community is good.. a lot of folks wwoof, of course..

main thing is that whatever opportunity you may find to be nearer what you wish could be
is if you are there, when it is, also..


good luck, & peace,


C


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## Inhibition (Sep 20, 2016)

I have similar concerns regarding traveling with illness. I have glossopharyngeal neuralgia and was mute, in relentless pain, and on an all liquid diet for years prior to finding medications that manage it. 

I still go mute from time to time, but I'm completely tied to my medications. If I lose those, I'm pretty much done. I heard stories of people getting robbed on here and that would be potentially fatal. My current solution is to stay safely with my medications and keep things low key. 

I wish I had better input, but the best I got is you might want to test your boundaries a bit. The vast majority of people do not have your condition so only you will be able to really test those limits. If you move too far from a support network and past your limits in endurance, weather/nutrition etc it could be bad. For me personally, knowing what it is like dealing with a painful and debilitating health condition, I wouldn't go in all at once knowing how quickly things can turn upside down. Maybe hitch a town over, squat out in the wilderness, etc. 

Experienced travelers here may have better perspective, but a lot of health problems are not usually stable or predictable and if you don't know how you'll respond to the types of scenarios you'll encounter, you don't know, right? If you were to recreate those situations with a safety net. That might be an option before you go all out.


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## QueerCoyote (Sep 20, 2016)

creature said:


> you know.. just kind of wondering..
> CL has all kinds of biking enthusiasts, everywhere.. meetups, trips, etc..
> & although if you bike alone, you won't *always* be alone, by a long shot..


That's very true. One of the reasons I'm planning on wwoofing is because I've seen people do it at the farm I work at and it's a good way to get to know people, get good food, and have someone house you.



creature said:


> looks like (guessing) you're taking a degree in fine arts?


Science, actually. Majoring in conservation biology. 



Inhibition said:


> I wish I had better input, but the best I got is you might want to test your boundaries a bit. The vast majority of people do not have your condition so only you will be able to really test those limits. If you move too far from a support network and past your limits in endurance, weather/nutrition etc it could be bad. For me personally, knowing what it is like dealing with a painful and debilitating health condition, I wouldn't go in all at once knowing how quickly things can turn upside down. Maybe hitch a town over, squat out in the wilderness, etc.
> 
> Experienced travelers here may have better perspective, but a lot of health problems are not usually stable or predictable and if you don't know how you'll respond to the types of scenarios you'll encounter, you don't know, right? If you were to recreate those situations with a safety net. That might be an option before you go all out.



Yeah. I do short backpacking trips now, and I've been biking a lot but no extended trips yet. Unfortunately that will have to wait for spring, but I have "safe" trips planned for once the snow melts. The biggest thing is that I get enough sleep (not enough makes me have a full body flare) and adequate food. Other things might make me feel awful (long biking, subluxations, pain) but they won't do me in the same way losing weight and sleep does.


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## outskirts (Dec 9, 2016)

QueerCoyote said:


> A good friend today approached me with concerns regarding my traveling plans. I'm finishing up a degree now, but after that I plan on taking my bike to the west coast and just going with the flow, doing some wwoofing, freelance art and modeling, etc.
> 
> I have a musculoskeletal condition that causes chronic pain and makes me hyperflexible and prone to subluxations, which is also accompanied by several other conditions that make it hard to keep warm (raynauds) and sometimes cause dizziness or fainting (POTs). That being said, because of the hypermobility I have to keep myself in decent shape or I'm pretty much a subluxating human noodle. I backpack when I can (have to keep in the lightweight range due to dislocating ribs and scoliosis) and can run or bike for longer than your average joe, though I'm not a gym nut by any means.
> 
> ...



It sounds like you struggle with what my cousin does, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. His condition is bad though, and he'd never make it on the road. It makes my health problems look easy to deal with.


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## Gonx (Feb 22, 2017)

I have 100% faith you can do it!
It might be a little daunting and scary, but you're obviously taking it seriously which I think is all the proof I need to know you can do it.

I would suggest to maybe set aside a sufficient emergency fund to get you back to "safety"...(family/friends/someone who will help you recover if your health deteriorates)

I only have done a 3 day bike trip with a friend so don't know much about that but 
I met a gal who biked from arcata to san Francisco and can get you in touch with her if you want


Ive never woofed but I bet that would be a great way to go for sure, you would know you're getting steady wholesome.meals.

I travel with crohns and diet is a vital factor for me. Hitching, it's generally easy enough to get to a grocery store to get 'safe food' but I always have a jar of peanut butter and some tuna cans for those in between times of getting stuck in a small town with nothing but a mcdonalds n chevron ... the bullshit of traveling with a disease has been well out weighed by the vitality and perspective I've gained from my time on the road thus far.

What you're dealing with sounds drastically different, but the main thing that worries me is the thought of you being on a bike, fainting in traffic. Overall though, you seem like you have a good head on your shoulders and if you listen to your body and trust yourself I think you will be able to iron out all the kinks along the way just fine..

Done rambling--safe travels and best of health to you!


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## Poptart (Apr 25, 2017)

Bringing this thread back from the dead. I have an immune deficiency and have to take injections for it every week. I really want to travel, but is it possible for me to do so? I'm unsure, maybe one of you guys can give me some solid advice!


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