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New to the site.

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Trevor

Guest
Hello,

My name is Trevor. I am 31 years of age, and i am a solicitor living in Birmingham.
I have Crohns disease, and currently take pentassa and prednisolone.

I am extremely pleased to have come across this site, as i have not yet met anyone who has shared my experiences with my health situations.

I am due to go on my holidays to Florida this coming weekend, and would be very greatful of any advice in coping whilst travelling.

Thankyou in advance.

Trev.
 

mikeyarmo

Co-Founder
Hey Trevor, welcome to the community! We are also very pleased that you found us, and would be more than happy to help you with your questions.

Perhaps you can first tell us some symptons you suffer from, so we know what type of advice is best for you. Some general things I can think of now though are:

Make sure you always have some sort of snack with you (crackers or something) in case you cannot find food that you are able to eat. Also make sure you carry your medication with you always, so you do not forget to take it. Make sure to not eat anything adventerous on the airplane, as that is not a good place to be when your stomach is acting up. I highly recommend brigning your own food if possible to eat on the plane. Also just try and listen to your body throughout the trip. If you are starting to feel a bit tired, than it is best to just rest for a bit. Make sure you get a good amount of sleep, so that you can fully enjoy your holidays. It is better to sleep an extra hour each day of a vacation and be healthy then be rushing an extra hour each day around and feeling awful.
 
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Trevor

Guest
Hello Mikeyarmo,

Thank you very much for your reply.

I have been away once since being diagnosed with Crohns disease, but i was in a relationship at the time, and as most of us men do, i let her take care of sorting my medication etc.

On this holiday trip, i will be travelling with friends, so no woman to look out for my needs. :ylol:

These are some of my concerns:

Hydration in the Florida climate.
Energy levels.
Toilet facilities in a unfamiliar destination.
Also the worry of being taken ill and hospitalised in another country.

All replies very much appreciated.

Trev
 

mikeyarmo

Co-Founder
Those all seem like reasonable concerns (except wheres the one about having a great vacation :D). I will go over them point-by-point. These are just my suggestions and thoughts though, so do not accept this as anything more than advice (I am no expert, so do not take this as expert opinion :)). My main piece of advice though that will go for basically what you should be thinking your whole trip: BE PREPARED!

Hydration: Defiantely something to think about in Florida during the summer months. I recommend bringing (or buying) a 1-2L (16-32 oz) Nalgene water bottle. Of course as soon as I say that I find this link in google (http://www.mercola.com/2004/apr/7/nalgene_water.htm). But they are pretty popular and I had never heard anything wrong about them before (Is there anything that is safe for us anymore :().

Energy: By ensuring you have plenty of water to drink, are getting enough sleep and eating frequently, this should not be a problem. Make sure you also take your medications when you are supposed to. If you are not taking any vitamins, consider taking a multi-vitamin during the trip, which may help energy. Also, if you know you are low in something but have not really been doing anything about it, then I suggest to consider making the change for the trip (example: if you know you are slightly deficient in iron but have done nothing about it yet, consider taking iron pills during the trip). With regards to eating, always ensure you have some small snack with you that is easy for you to eat, and try and eat smaller, more frequent meals (or snacks).

Toilets: This can be a bit of a challenge depending on where you are. Firstly, any of the big stores (Wal-mart, grovery stores, etc.) should have public washrooms that any of the staff can help you find. Keep a look out for such stores throughout your travels. Also try and see if you can spot any washrooms (or good substitutes in case of an emergency :)) whenever you go somewhere new. I think the best way to be prepared though is to bring an extra pair of underwear with you always just in case. This can be concealed in a backpack, fannypack, or even in a shopping bag in your pocket. This will make an accident less worrisome and ensure that you can enjoy yourself no matter what happens.

Hospital/Being Ill: Before the trip make sure you have proper insurance and you are aware of what would need to be done if you needed to go to a hospital (as in who you would phone, perhaps where you could be admitted, etc.). This is just precautionary and would just make you feel better to know you are prepared if something did go wrong (but nothing will so you have nothing to worry about). As for being ill, you cannot do anything about this really. Do not worry about such matters though, as they are out of your control. During the trip though do not do things which you know usually cause trouble for you (eating nuts or spicy foods perhaps). Also make sure you really listen to your body and do not let the wants of your friends come before your health. Maybe end a night a bit early sometimes or take a break for a bit during the day if you need it. You need to do what is best for you, and if it is going to be a challenge to keep up with others than maybe it is best to take it a bit slower sometimes.

I hope this does not sound depressing or upset you, because it is not meant to. Not all of us can run marathons, so why would we all try to keep up with such an athlete if we went for a recreational run? This is supposed to be your holiday, so make sure it is fun & relaxing. If making your body work overtime is necessary for your holiday, how is this actually helping you enjoy yourself? Take things at your own pace and enjoy yourself!

So in summary,

-Get the sleep and rest you need
-Eat, drink and take medications frequently/as required
-Be prepared
-Enjoy yourself :).
 

Karen

FRIEND 4 1 & ALL

Hello Trevor ... I am GRANDMA BEAR aka KAREN & so I am here to extend my hand to say WELCOME ABOARD & I am sure that you will find plenty of good friends here that are willing to HELP YOU OUT ... as I am :( to say that I am not a CROHNNIE ... it's my husband an finding this site has let me meet a lot of new friends ... so take care and see you again soon !!
 
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jojo_bunny

Guest
Hi Trevor

Just like to welcome you to the site, I'm sure you'll find it a great help.

Hope you have a fab holiday in Florida, the others have given great advice so I'm sure you'll be fine.

And you say there will be 'no women to look out for your needs' . Don't you mean to keep an eye on you and keep you out of trouble ??? LOL

Joanne xx
 
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Trevor

Guest
Hello JoJo_bunny,

Thank you for your warm welcome to the site.

I am very much looking forward to my holidays, thank you.

I think although it is proving to be difficult sorting my own medical pieces for this holiday, weighing it up against a woman being there to look out for me incase i get into any trouble, maybe things are not so bad after all. :thumright:
Although i hope you are not offended by that statement, i am sure my past girlfriend was a one off bad experience for me, and would in no way compare her to someone such as yourself.

Thank you again.

Trev
 
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jojo_bunny

Guest
Trevor said:
Although i hope you are not offended by that statement, i am sure my past girlfriend was a one off bad experience for me, and would in no way compare her to someone such as yourself.

Thank you again.

Trev
Hi Trevor

Well I was going to say, you really shouldn't tar us all with the same brush (as so many men do). But you managed to put it right just at the end. LOL

Jo x
 
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Jonny

Guest
Hi Trevor welcome to the forums and all the best on your hols in the lovely superfine Florida
 
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ElaineH

Guest
Hi Trevor and welcome to the site! I'm sure you'll find it very useful! :)

Elaine xxx
 
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Valentina

Guest
Hi Trevor, welcome to the site, hope you find it helpful!
enjoy your trip to florida as well! I love it there, never been in the summer though! should be nice and hot for you.. I say drink as much water as you can, and have a great time :)
 
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Trevor

Guest
Hello everyone,

Thank you very much for your replies and time, much appreciated. I feel very welcome already :)

Trev
 

cookey

Mama Crohnie
Hi Trevor, great to meet you. I think Mike said it all..and very nicely I might add. I don't think there is anything I can really add to that, except have fun in Florida, don't stress ok. Nice to meet you, and I look forward to getting to know you.
 
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btcrv

Guest
Hi Trevor,

Have you gone on your vacation yet? I live in Florida and hydration is definately an issue. Something I do all the time (not just on vacation) is to carry a small card in my pocket with my medications and my primary care and GI doctor contact information. In case of emergency it is easier to show the card instead of get all that info from memory.

WELCOME

Brandi
 

Kev

Senior Member
Hey Trevor

Welcome to the site... Happy to pass on any advice... First, get as much travel ins
as you can (u don't want the long winded story I could tell you on that subject). I don't know how well u travelled before becoming ill (some people ill or not just do not adjust well to local water AND THAT includes ice cubes)... Pack extra and take it a day at a time.. contact info re Doctors, meds, etc.. are always a good idea.. I also suggest a pill calendar for meds (easy to forget or miss a dose on vacation).
I don't know what your dietary restrictions are like, mine pretty much rule out any fast food places and a lot of restaurants. My last trip to Florida I opted for a condo
with full kitchen.. packed some of my own food items, but was able to stock it with local equiv. once there. Rest, relax, enjoy.... Things usually always work out,
even if not in the manner we try to predict... PS Don't forget the essentials... the sun in Florida will get you if you don't watch it.... And of course, really dark pair of sunglasses will both shade your eyes and prevent getting your face slapped if the girls on the beach caught you staring otherwise... After all, you are going stag, rite
 
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