A Chronic Illness-Friendly Road Trip Kit!

I think everyone gets a little excited to overpack things that they'll need on a road trip. Extra snacks, extra games, things to keep you occupied, you name it! Everyone loves to have an amazing time. However, sometimes people with Chronic Illness struggle with the long road trips, sitting in one position for a long time, the possibility for frequent bathroom trips, and that overpacking saved us. Preparation literally makes the difference between the worst trip memories you've ever had to the best ones, just trust.

If you're sitting here thinking "What on earth am I supposed to bring?" then let me give you a list of what's going with me, how I'm packing it, and what I'm having on hang for am emergency, and you can tweak based on your needs!

Comfort is Key

• Shoes: I hate sitting in the same spot for hours on end, unless I can get my feet into a strange position like a form of criss-cross-applesauce or having my knees to my chest. So, I usually wear shoes that are easy to take on and off, without much of a hassle, so then I can leave them on the floor board and have my legs be as comfortable as possible, for as long as possible.

• Clothes: I've already planned the clothes that I'm going to be wearing on the road itself for maximum comfort. It's nothing extravagant, just some biker shorts and an over-sized t-shirt, but I already know which ones bring the most comfort and won't overstimulate me if the seatbelt rubs against them for too long.

• Headphones: One thing that Jared and I do not have in common is our preferred music taste, so there's a very good chance I'll be putting on music in my headphones just to sit and relax for a while. That doesn't mean that I'm going to sit there with my headphone on and ignore him the whole trip, not at all, but when I get tired of listening to his music, I'll let him know that I need a music break, and he's okay with that!

• Headache Cap: We're going to have a cooler with icepacks in it, so I'm planning on bringing my headache cap in order to help prevent any motion-sickness or migraines that can happen when I travel.

Eating on the Road

• Snackle Boxes: I have these 2 containers that I absolutely love, they have 6 compartments in them that are the perfect snack sizes, and so I'm going to make a box for Jared and a box for me! It's not going to have anything extravagant in it, just things like goldfish, a couple Nerds Gummy Clusters, you name it!

• Water Bottle: I'm always going to have mine with me, but of course, bring your water bottle! I like to have electrolytes in my water usually, because that encourages me to drink it, but on a short road trip like the one I'm going on, I'm just going to leave my water plain so I drink slightly less and not have to worry about stopping at the restroom at all!

• Easy-To-Swallow Snacks: Like I mentioned in my last blog, I've been having some stomach issues, so I'm going to be bringing things like applesauce pouches and

  Ensure drinks with us so I can have some food on stand by just in case I need something different than what we're eating for dinner and my stomach can handle!

• Blood Sugar regulators: Of course, I'm going to have juice boxes on hand, as well as some beef jerky sticks, fruit snacks, and fruit strips, and those are all very very good low blood sugar snacks for me.

My Medical Bag

I'm taking a smaller bag that I can easily access whatever I need in my backpack. This is going to house everything medical that I need, and what may be helpful for you to bring is:

• Medication Organizer: I'm able to take the days of the week that I need out of my medicine organizer, so I'm going to bring the days that I need and leave them in my makeup bag rather than my medical bag. However, I am going to have a couple extra medications on hand in my medicine bag, so that will also be housed in another organizer in this bag.

• Mobility Aids: Because of my weakness from being sick, I'm going to bring my walker and leave it in the back of our car, just in case, but I always have my cane in my purse, so that will definitely be going with me as well!

• An ice/warming Pack: So many icepacks are ones that can be used hot and cold, so I will be bringing one of those with me just in case I need anything at all!

• Blood Pressure Cuff: I'm on a blood pressure medication, so I have to take my blood pressure everyday, so this is definitely a must!

• Pulse Oximeter: I feel like this is just always good to have on hand when you have POTs, that way you can keep an eye on oxygen levels when you are feeling faint or actively passed out and your family/friends can monitor you. Always keep one on you!

• Motion Sickness Medicine: I take an over the counter medication that has been cleared for me to take by my doctors to help me with my motion sickness, but I take this on every road trip so I can be vigilant about not getting sick.

• Mini first-aid: Truth be told, literally anyone can need a bandage at any time, they're just good to have on hand!

Here's the Truth

Traveling may be really hard and really intimidating to you, but I can promise you that you are able to do this, have so much fun, and be completely prepared for yourself to enjoy your adventure, wherever you may go! Always remember your electrolytes, and always remember that life is going to be fun, life is going to be amazing, but if you don't let it be, that's going to make it suck a lot more.

Peace, Love, and All The Above,

Ella Marie <3