Things that make great surprises – pizza, gifts, and when someone sends a meme and says ‘I saw this and thought of you’. Things that don’t make great surprises – Endometriosis flares. Especially when you’re away from home and away from your usual creature comforts. But, unfortunately, as much as they suck, they do happen. Here’s my guide on how to handle an Endometriosis flare while traveling.
How To Handle An Endometriosis Flare While Traveling
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Important note
Before I get into some things that help me, it’s good to remember that it’s important to find what works best for you.
Endometriosis flares affect people differently, and I hope some of these tips can help, but at the end of the day, remember to do what helps you to feel better.
If you want to build the confidence to start traveling, download my free guide of one month of empowering affirmations for travelers with a chronic illness.
Wear loose-fitting clothing
This is more of a tip for preparing in case of an Endometriosis flare than actually getting one, but I like to stick to loose-fitting clothing.
It’s a preventative measure because, as you probably know, the flare-ups can strike at any time and without notice.
This way, if I’m out and about exploring and one hits, at least I can avoid the uncomfortable welts from the swelling. I learned this the hard way in Austria when I got an unexpected one while I was out and had deep welts cut into my skin from my tight jeans.
Now I usually stick to maxi dresses, loose t-shirts or sweaters, and stretchy jeans – my favorite jeans are these high waisted ones
that are so good I have 3 pairs of them!
Rest – however you can
This can be really hard while you’re traveling because when you’re out and about it’s not like you can just lay down and rest.
What I try to do is find ways to rest however I can to get through the day until I can get back to my hotel room and rest properly.
It depends on where I am and what I’m doing, but here are some of the different things I have done to rest while out and about:
- Take a few minutes to sit on a park bench to recuperate
- Once I was in a museum and sat down at every exhibit to read the displays
- Take a train or taxi instead of walking to give my legs a rest
- Go see a movie
- Once I took a river cruise just to be able to sit down but still see some sights
Doing things like this allows me to alter my plans without completely rearranging them or missing out on too much while I’m out traveling.
You might need to get creative, but find ways to get some rest until you can get back to your room.
Rest when you can, where you can.
Use heat patches
Heat patches are handy to travel with because they don’t use any of your liquids allowance and they’re light and easy to pack.
I get a lot of back pain during an Endometriosis flare and use these heat patches
to help.
They’re great for quick relief if you just need to buy yourself some time until you can properly rest – I find them especially helpful for long flights.
Visit a spa or pool
There’s something about swimming that I find really soothing for an endo flare.
I don’t mean swimming laps for exercise, simply being in water takes the stress of your body and helps with the aches and pains.
I like finding accommodation with a pool or jacuzzi for this reason, but it’s not always possible. My second option is a hotel with a spa so if I get a really bad flare up then I can get a massage without having to travel far.
Another option I like to do is work being in water into the trip – it doesn’t have to be a beach trip to be able to go swimming.
I’ve found heated pools around towns in places like Budapest and Iceland, swam in icy cold water in Finland, and cooled off in a plunge pool at a riad in Marrakech. Even soaking in a bathtub can give your body a nice break.
Mitigate your stress
As you probably already know, stress is a big trigger for Endometriosis flares. So if one happens, stressing about it will just make things worse.
One thing that helps is just to accept what’s happening without trying to control or change it.
In my early days of dealing with Endometriosis, I think I made everything worse because I was constantly fighting with this invisible illness trying to make it go away or wish I didn’t have it.
Now I have a different approach where I just accept that this is what I have. It is what it is.
When I get an unexpected Endo flare now, I’m not trying to fight it off or change my body. Instead, I know it will pass and do what I can to feel better until it does.
This attitude has definitely made things easier for me because it reduces the stress that makes Endo worse.
If you get really stressed, doing some yin yoga in your hotel room or writing in a journal can help. Here’s the KSB travel journal
I made if you want to support my work too.
Medication
Whether you take medication and how much is a personal decision and needs to be discussed with your doctor.
For me, I don’t take any medication. My strategy is to reduce the triggers as much as possible, rest as soon as the early signs of a flare begin, and listen to my body.
If you will be traveling with medication, be sure to check the entry rules for the country you will be visiting to ensure you have the appropriate paperwork.
Other helpful posts for living with Endometriosis
- Traveling With Endometriosis – How To Have Chronically Awesome Vacations
- Tips For Living With Endometriosis – 5 Tips To Overcome The Challenges
- Adventuring With Endometriosis – Because It Doesn’t Have To Stop You!
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