Brainstorming. Feel free to add your own pointers.
Ivy.
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1. EMERGENCY PLANS
Did you know that people with chronic illness are notorious for flaring just as their doctors are about
to leave for the weekend or the holidays? It's something to do with stress and anxiety, they think, and some suggest that a good way to manage this is to set up contingency plans:
a. Do you know who you can call for help if you get sick while your doctor is away? Is there an on-call doctor who works on the holidays and weekends, for instance?
b. If you're going to be away from home, have you packed your doctor (and on-call doctor's) contact details? Do you know who you can call for professional help, if you get sick while you're out of town? Do you know where the nearest hospital is, for instance?
c. If your symptoms are unstable, sometimes it can help to work out an actual treatment plan with your doctor, just in case things get bad while s/he is away. This might involve upping your pred dose, for instance, or adding a new med to your regime. Try discussing this with your doctor now (or as soon as practicable), before s/he disappears for the holiday season.
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2. TRAVEL
Do you have adequate supplies of Depends, Imodium, anxiety meds if needed, spare underwear, etc etc? It's best to stock up on these now, before the shops get disgustingly busy.
I like to travel with a small roll of my own gentle toilet paper, a variety of calming creams for my bottom, a spare pair of knickers and a dressing for my fistula, as well as Imodium, pain meds, etc, in case symptoms hit while I'm out and about
.
Have you thought about
packing some "safe" food so you will be less likely to be hit by food-related symptoms while you're on the road?
If you'll be travelling with injections (e.g. Humira) do you know how to do this safely and legally? If not, please ring your doctor, nurse, or the medication helpline for advice NOW, so that you can get whatever supplies you need now, before the shops get too busy.
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3. AT HOME
Think about
all the supplies you need to get through ordinary Crohnsy life at home. Do you have enough toilet paper, baby wipes, ointments, medications, fistula dressings, surgical dressings, etc etc etc etc etc, to get you through the holiday season? Remember, the shops are likely to be busy until late December at least, so it would be a good idea to stock up on these now, if you can, to spare yourself from having to make any emergency dashes to the shops.
If you think you are likely to get stressed and sick over the holiday period, it might be a good idea to stock up on some of your safe flare foods now, so you have them on hand if needed. Also, does your heating pack work? Do you have hot water bottles etc if needed? If you're someone who needs to snuggle with videos etc when feeling unwell, do you have some saved that you can watch while feeling sick? Remember, you may not want to have to go out to the video shop while your symptoms are bad, and the traffic can be bad during the holiday season too.
Have you checked to make sure that your prescript
ions won't run out during the holiday period? If they need to be renewed, try to get them renewed NOW, before your doctors go on holidays.
The same applies for any government, legal, insurance, administrative paperwork, and referrals, that may need their signature before the end of 2010.
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4. FOOD
If you're someone who can't resist sampling food you know is bad for you, and then paying for it later, have you thought of buying / making your own safe and delicious alternative, and taking it to the table with you? That way, you won't have to miss out on something nice, and you'll be less likely to suffer for having made dangerous food choices, later.
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5. SURVIVING RELATIVES / GUESTS / VISITORS / RANDOM DROP-INS...
Any tips gratefully received
Incidentally, if you know in advance that you are going to be thrust into a situation that is going to cause you distress, it might be a good idea to think about
how you can manage it this year. For those of us who are lucky enough to have counsellors or psychotherapists, this might be something we can discuss in our sessions, or maybe we could also discuss it here, on the forum.
Management might be as basic as avoiding Aunt Mildred before she starts telling you that your symptoms are all in your head, and that you really *must* eat that salad / nut cake / whatever... or as evil as placing her next to Uncle Harold so she can badger him instead
... or as complicated as a well-thought out conversational strategy, or a new approach towards assertiveness. As I said, you might like to discuss this with your professional helpers, but it would also be a great topic to tackle here, on the forum.
OK, now it's your turn to add your tips
Ivy.