How do y'all handle outings/vacations with family?

We brought my son, his wife and our 1 year old grandson to the Gaylord Texan Resort for what was suppose to be time to rejuvenate for a few days after Christmas, oh my it has been totally exhausting and not so relaxing. We have had a really great time at the ICE exhibits here and at the Dallas World Aquarium but I told my husband I'd really like to cut our trip short a day and take my sore aching body out of the hustle and bustle of this huge city, go back to my small West Texas town with less traffic and fewer people! My body has not been this exhausted in quite some time, I am truly hoping that this does not send me into a flare, the nerve pain has gotten so bad that my entire right side of my body is numb; literally from the top of my head to my shin on my right leg.

This is our first grandchild and I want so badly to be able to do activities and vacations with him and future grands. This is our first attempt at an out of town excursion. My son also has lupus, so he's totally understanding and always asks "mom are you okay? Is there anything you need?" He also makes sure we get plenty of rest,etc. that said, I don't like to be the one to hold the family back so I tend to push myself to hard and then realize at the end of the day when we slow down "oh, maybe I don't feel as good as I thought I did!"

Anyway, thank y'all for letting me share this here, I don't want to vent this to my family.

Hugs
Melissa

Naps. Plenty of naps. Long restful nights. And pacing - very important to pace yourself. And make wise choices.

For instance, use the airport-supplied wheelchair when flying, save your energy for the baby! At exhibits and aquariums, do the same. Energy used walking could better be applied elsewhere. DO NOT be too bashful to do this!!

about 3 years after my diagnosis, when I had no idea if I'd ever get better and every expectation I'd get worse, I went on my dream sailing vacation to the Galapagos. There were 3 site-seeing trips a day, and the middle one I skipped in favor of a nap - even if it was just a restful quiet time with a book. People stayed up late playing cards, I chose an earlier bedtime.

Even now, with a whole-house carpet replacement project -- before Lupus I'd easily get everything back together in a few days. Now I'm purposely taking my time (first time to deep clean some areas in years), discarding, cleaning, and repairing as I go. As long as I can get to my bed, bathroom, and kitchen it's going to be okay. I am fully prepared to take till April to do this. And hopefully because I've mentally prepared, the intermediate mess won't make me depressed like it usually would.