mancmm19 Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 Hi everyone,So this weekend is the Alumni weekend for all sororities and fraternities at my college. All of my sorority sisters who have graduated are going, and I missed the one in Fall due to being so sick. My boyfriend was in a fraternity as well, so after much deliberation, I THINK I might give it a shot. The only reason I may go is because me boyfriend will be there with me (he knows everything I go through) and this is the last Alumni weekend he will attend.I have been back and forth on this for months with a definite NO on monday, but have since felt this strong sense of freedom and don't want POTS to keep ruining the good times in my life. This past weekend was my best friends birthday in Atlantic City and I didn't go because I was so scared about feeling ill (which was a good thing I didn't go because I was in bed all weekend.) I saw all of the pictures yesterday and was so upset being constantly reminded of how I am always the one missing out. Low and behold, I want to go to alumni weekend and enjoy myself.I have decided that I will leave work early on Friday to miss any rush hour traffic which would lengthen the already 4 hour drive. My boyfriend will drive so my eyes are okay and we will stop however many times I need, although the more we go upstate the less frequent the areas to stop. I'm bringing my Xanex along as well and PLENTY of water. Once we get up there, I am going to lay down in the hotel until it is time to go out around 9:30. I have decided to go to the party for a little, as it is my sorority and my boyfriend's fraternity who are hosting the party...I LOVE being the only one sober! :/ On Saturday I am going to take it easy, rest frequently and drink tons of fluids and salt. I will go out for a bit Saturday night as well, and try to get to bed around midnight. On Sunday, we are going to leave around 9-9:30 so I can be home around 2 and have the rest of the day to rest before work on Monday.This is a big step for me, I have not traveled in the car this long since I graduated school in May. I am SO nervous and so is my boyfriend but I have to know I will be okay. Worst-case scenario, there is a hospital in town that I have visited ALL too many times, and I'm sure they even miss me since I graduated!!! (My friends used to joke that I should've earned frequent flyer miles there.) FINALLY, my question to you is this...what can I do to keep myself feeling as good as possible? Does anyone have any tips for traveling? I will bring my Xanex, rest as much as possible, have lots of fluids salt, wear ear plugs at the party so it isn't as noisy, and try to relax. This is a BIG step for me but I feel like I need to make it. By me being so scared to go somewhere away from home and get sick, I have made the circle of things i can do smaller and smaller and I'm scared of how much smaller it can get. I mean I LIVED there for 4 years, 2 of them sick and my last year without my family, boyfriend (he graduated a year ahead of me), or even a diagnosis. How bad can it be...right?In need of a little shove...Michele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurehope Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 All right. I'm shoving. Go..........You are disabled, not dead. You can manage and you will be able to tolerate more than your anxiety makes you think. You will be flexible and do what needs to be done. You're smart enough to choose what to do and how to manage.Go.......Have I convinced you yet?This is your life.....Live it!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellajulz Posted April 16, 2009 Report Share Posted April 16, 2009 You Go Girl! I say go for it! It sounds like your b/f is very helpful and will help you at all times... As far as any tips.. Sounds like you have most things set in place? Do you use a wheelchair? That's the only thing I can think of that may come in handy.Have lots of fun and don't forget to take lots of pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramakentesh Posted April 16, 2009 Report Share Posted April 16, 2009 Strangely im always best on holidays - i have no idea why but im always worried about how it will go and its always fine. And then I return home and POTs either gradually returns, or if ive flown long distances can arrive again abruptly after the flight home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjdube Posted April 16, 2009 Report Share Posted April 16, 2009 I'm going on a weekend trip also and anxious about it. For me I have to pack my own food as eating wrong can set me off. I pray to make it ok in the car 5 hour trip there and then be able to function socially without being too miserable. I'm anxious about the whole thing but DH wants me to go and I'm just doing it to make him happy. I never go anywhere far from home. I don't know if I'll make work Monday. Michelle hope you have a good time and feel good and have some fun!Gentle shove... Keli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mancmm19 Posted April 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2009 Thanks everyone!!! I had a mini panic-attack last night getting all of the anxiety out of my system from the pressure to act normal up there even if I don't feel so normal...but I'm over that now. I am very excited and feel like I'm talking a really big step for myself. If I give into being so scared that I don't go, I'll never go anywhere. I am going to show myself i can do it, and that sick up there is no different than sick down here! Woo hooooo!!!!Keli- Have a good trip as well!!! My car ride is 3.5-4 hours, and considering yours is 5, I'd suggest a lot of stretching and rest stops! I'm relying on that to get me through...hope we both have a great story to share come Monday!Thanks again everyone...i am going to do it! (I feel like I'm walking on the moon- "One small step for Michele, one giant step for POTS!!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurehope Posted April 16, 2009 Report Share Posted April 16, 2009 Thanks everyone!!! I had a mini panic-attack last night getting all of the anxiety out of my system from the pressure to act normal up there even if I don't feel so normal...but I'm over that now. I am very excited and feel like I'm talking a really big step for myself. If I give into being so scared that I don't go, I'll never go anywhere. I am going to show myself i can do it, and that sick up there is no different than sick down here! Woo hooooo!!!!Keli- Have a good trip as well!!! My car ride is 3.5-4 hours, and considering yours is 5, I'd suggest a lot of stretching and rest stops! I'm relying on that to get me through...hope we both have a great story to share come Monday!Thanks again everyone...i am going to do it! (I feel like I'm walking on the moon- "One small step for Michele, one giant step for POTS!!"That's the spirit! You'll be fine. I'm convinced. Have a great time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babettess Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 Hi Michele,You are going to have a great time!!! I have just a couple other suggestions that I usually try to do when I go anywhere-just as precautions!!!Take twice the amount of medicine you need and separate it into two different containers. Pack the two different containers in two different places. That way if you lose your purse or drop your pill bottle and spill your meds all over the floor you still have back up medicine. Learned my lesson on this!!!Take plenty of food and drinks with you in case you get stuck in traffic.And to ease your mind a little, make sure you take a list of your current meds and a brief medical history with you in case you get to visit your old ER. If you're feeling good, you might want to just drive by it and wave!!! Don't forget your moon boots!!!Have a great time!!! And be sure to let us all know how the trip goes.Babette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunfish Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 ok. to michele (the original poster) &/or any or everyone else considering any similar venture, GO. in case you haven't gotten enough of a push already from others, GO. unless you have a doctor telling you that it's forbidden, an impossibility, etc. GO GO GO. it might be tough at times, you may pay for it afterwards, etc. but neither of those issues are reason to stay home. they're simply not. without wanting or meaning to minimize anyone's concerns, anxieties, fears, real signs/symptoms, etc., unless you have a physical issue making whatever travel/ trip/ event 100% impossible then DO it. any fear, concern, etc. that can be worked around, overcome, pushed through, etc. is not really reason to not proceed. it's simply not. instead it's something to be worked around &/or overcome. i'm thankful that - in the midst of a myriad of health craziness over the years - i have always tended toward being unreasonably willing to proceed with plans/ events (even to a fault, aka when i was a bit crazy to have done so) but having heard from many others over the years on this forum & elsewhere, as well as having lived through my own ambitious undertakings, i can tell you that i have never heard of ANYone being sorry for having pushed beyond what's comfortable. and as someone who physically can no longer "pick up & go" to any degree b/c of the complexities of my medical realities i really truly just want to encourage you to go for it. you won't be sorry & most likely will be thrilled for having done so. even if it means you're a bit wiped afterward. and you'll likely remember the good far more than the being wiped.good luck! melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mancmm19 Posted April 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Well everyone, I did it. It was a good and bad experience to say the least. I was fine during 95% of the car ride on Friday and just started feeling a little ill within the last 20 minutes. We got to the hotel, I layed down, got some dinner, rested again, and then went out for a bit. Instead of being the usual dance floor party-goer I opted for a relaxing option and sat down away from the loud music with 2 bottles of water. I danced for about 5 minutes the entire night, with ear plugs in to help with the noise. I did A LOT of talking which probably played against me in the long run, and went back to the hotel around 12:30 to get some sleep. WRONG THINKING. I got ill in bed, and everytime I tried to close my eyes I felt very out of it as if I was catching myself falling asleep, without actually falling asleep. I used to get this same feeling when I'd lay out in the sun. Needless to say, I was up until 4:30 a.m. with the chills and feeling horrible. I also had pains in my stomach, not so much of a stomach ache. I let me boyfriend sleep and suffered in silence until I finally feel asleep around 4:30. I woke up Saturday morning at 7:30 am, because my body is on a clock from my work schedule although I was EXHAUSTED on 3 hours of sleep. We went to breakfast with friends, and I wasn't feeling great but not horrible. I started feeling worse around 12pm, and went back to the hotel to lay down. Ugh, it only got worse. I tried to pick myself up out of bed after 3 hours to go down to the park to BBQ with everyone, where my boyfriend was also playing sports. (I didn't want him to miss out on time with his friends because I was sick so I had been laying in the hotel by myself.) Yet again, WRONG THINKING. Within 20 minutes of beng at the park, I felt like DEATH. I had my boyfriend drive me back to the hotel and I layed there for hours. I couldn't fall asleep although I knew how exhausted I was, so I just layed there until it was time for dinner. Around 8pm, I was feeling better and decided to get up and see my friends. We went to the bar with everyone and I sat down the entire time drinking water. It took my mind off of how I felt for a bit and then I went to thr hotel to rest. Around 12am, I went to go visit my boyfriend at his fraternity's party before calling it a night. Needless to say, we got held up there for a while and I didn't wind up getting back to the hotel until almost 2 am. I got sick yet again and didn't fall sleep until after 4. I woke up at 9am Sunday morning, on less than 8 hours of sleep in 2 days, and we left on our 4 hour drive home at 10:15. We had to stop 4 times because I was having stomach issues, and I yet again felt like death. I did my usual try to hold it in, then feel so sick I cry routine, which continued until we got back home. I slept for 3 hours happily in my own bed although on top of everything, I got laryngitis and some bug while I was up there!! (I forgot to mention that I began coming down with something on Saturday and had NO voice Saturday or Sunday.) Needless to say, I DID IT. I went upstate the week before my period (ladies, we all know what a bad time that is alone), in the midst of coming down with something and POTS syndrome. Although I was sick a majority of the time and cried a lot, I am glad that I had the courage to finally leave the house and do something. I conquered my fear and that was well worth it. Today, I am back at work. I took yesterday off because I had a fever and sore throat and went to the doctor, which explains some of my misery while upstate. Of course, the one weekend I decide to do something, I catch a bug that has been going around.Conclusion: I would do it again despite how miserable I was at times. Although POTS effected the things that I did a majority of the time I was up there, it didn't stop me. And surprisingly, for the few hours throughout the weekend that I was "well" I actually had a good time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Yay!!!!! Good job pushing through it! I'm glad you were able to have some fun, and some good memories to look back on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.