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trip to VEGAS - advice?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 2/26/2013 8:22 PM (GMT 0)
so me & some single girlfriends are booking a 4 day trip to vegas in april. i've never traveled like this before & am terrified of heights/planes (although i have been on a plane once before & did okay). i also know that A LOT of alcohol will be consumed during these 4 days.

i am not as sick with uc as i have been in the past, but still not back to full health, and my main issue right now is urgency. bm's are still mostly liquid, but am at least only going about 2 - 3 times a day now with only a little mucus & no blood.

any advice for taking this kind of trip? meds i can ask my gi for? things to help keep myself calm (especially when waiting for take off & landing on the plane - i know those will be my roughest moments)? any restaurants to stay away from? are there lots of potties along the strip? HAHAHA.

i have tons of prednisone left over from when i was on it before - would it be okay to just go on a lower dosage for 4 days? would imodium help with the diarrhea & urgency issues at all?

i am sooooo excited, but also nervous. the 4 of us are also going to be sharing ONE hotel room, so bathroom-wise i think that might be a little tough on me. i am trying to push for two conjoining rooms. one of the other girls going has IBS so i imagine she might have a bit of trouble as well.

also sig is not updating for some reason - no more prednisone. have been doing pentasa enemas semi-regularly for the last 3 weeks.
Posted 2/26/2013 8:50 PM (GMT 0)
Talk about looking for trouble.......Don't go!
Posted 2/26/2013 9:02 PM (GMT 0)
I highly recommend staying away from alcohol. 4 days of pred isn't going to do much of anything but if prednisone works well on you you could start before your trip. I recently took a medrol dose pack and it worked well on me for about a week and a half. A medrol dose pack is 4mg pills so you wind up taking 24mgs day one, then the next days you take 20, 16, 12, 8, 4, and then off. Of course you can adjust your treatment plan depending on your pill size but maybe you could take 20mgs for a few days before your trip and during and then once you get back decrease by 5mgs every two days until you are down to zero. Imodium is also a good thing to take as long as you are not having solid stools. It is very dangerous to take if you have solid stools. Have a great trip and bet on RED.
Posted 2/26/2013 9:17 PM (GMT 0)
I recommend NOT eating from the buffets! I was there 3 years ago and got really sick but my husband didn't and we ate the same foods. It was a ok trip but be careful what you eat. Don't buy the water on the streets just from the stores! There are a lot of people trying to sell water on the streets for cheap! Take some align with you( probiotics and take them before breakfast and before bed if you can take them. Good luck and have fun!
Posted 2/26/2013 9:32 PM (GMT 0)
Be careful what you eat.  Stay away from the buffets.  And lastly.........

what goes on in Vegas, stays in Vegas.... smilewinkgrin

Posted 2/26/2013 10:37 PM (GMT 0)
I too am going to Vegas in April for my Husbands 30th bday. I am also kinda nervous for the trip. I am going to load up on imodium and talk to my GI before I go. I have been once before in 2009 thats acually where I first started realizing I was sick. There are Bathrooms everywhere, I remember that. I also am gluten free and have looked up restaurants that support that and there are tons. Stay away from the slushy sugary drinks you can get really big ones for cheap and I remember them irritating me. It's hard to stay away from Alcohol while your there. If you are like me, I like to have drinks with friends, I now know the types of drinks that are worse on me. I may ask my Dr for something to calm my nerves for the plane ride, cause my anxiety is going to be going good that day. Its soo hard not to think of thats all I have been thinking about lately. What dates are you going?

Jo
Posted 2/26/2013 11:14 PM (GMT 0)
thanks guys! would not have thought of the buffet or bottled water thing - will definitely stay away from those! and pick up some imodium!

slushy drinks have never been my thing, so avoiding those will be easy! i am a cranberry vodka girl for the most part - seems to cause the least suffering for me, haha.
i will be there from april 19th - 22nd.
Posted 2/26/2013 11:19 PM (GMT 0)
also i think the advice of "don't go!" is terrible. i am only 25 & single once! stop living my life because of uc? no freakin' way!!!!
Posted 2/26/2013 11:31 PM (GMT 0)
Good call!! Dont let this stupid disease take over your life! I totally live by that I`m only 27 and like to have a good time.
I drink Vodka Cran too add some gingerale into it sometimes. Ginger and spiced rum is really good too. I find red wine soothing. Doesn`t mean I feel amazing after I drink but I still do it. If I am having a bad flare obviously I stay away from it,I pretty much stay away from everything then. Vegas is fun and your gunna have a blast!!!
Posted 2/27/2013 4:34 AM (GMT 0)
Vicodin. Or equivalent. Not a steady diet of it but 1/2 tab will both slow the gut and decrease the anxiety. So just one tab total for the whole trip, both flights.

Immodium alone might be enough, but how long is the flight?

The scary part is sharing a room with 3 others.

Let us know...

Posted 2/27/2013 7:02 AM (GMT 0)
Well you got one thing up your sleeves. If your 3 friends drinks a lot there will be sleeping later in the morning and that gives you plenty of time to do your uc routine: go to bathroom, have breakfast and go again and once you feel empty have a nice shower.

I would avoid bad food, be careful and all that jazz but to be honest if I go with the girls on a trip for 4 days I would just go out and do it. You don't need to overdo it but please don't underdo it because you are scared. Have fun, its only 4 days and you deserve it!

Alcool wise stay away from beers and cocktails.
Posted 2/27/2013 6:30 PM (GMT 0)
I think it's great that you're going to Vegas.  And I completely understand that alcohol can make symptoms worse, but you cannot let this disease cannot take over your life. I think it's fine to have a few drinks without going crazy.  You can even eat at buffets - just stick to your "safe" foods.  Given the prices at some Vegas restaurants, sometimes it's cheaper to pay for a buffet even with a limited diet.   I've found that, when on travel with friends, a glass of white wine before the flight tends to calm my nerves and relax my system.  NEVER red wine - that makes my stomach cramp instantly.   While friends are still sleeping I usually go down to the lobby or find a public restroom so that I can have some alone time without disturbing my travel-mates. One great thing about Vegas is there are restrooms everywhere - although be cognoscente of long restroom lines at nightclubs.   Have a great trip!
Posted 2/27/2013 7:43 PM (GMT 0)
lv2Bhealthy- weird that white wine is better one you then red. I can not even have a sip or white it upsets me. Red soothes me. Goes to show you everyone reacts to things differently.
Posted 2/28/2013 3:42 AM (GMT 0)
Vegas is so much fun! I went last summer...got to see the Grand Canyon as well, so amazing..fountains at the Bellagio, Caesars Palace, and Pawn Stars were probably my favorite things that I saw in Vegas..take lots of pics and don't miss taking pics with the sign! Don't miss Fremont Street..I stayed there, but would stay on the Strip if I went back but would definitely not miss Fremont street for at least one night.
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