Traveling with someone who has Lupus

I think if you told us a little bit about what this means, we might be able to help you. Many of us have no idea what having Lupus entails. Are you talking about traveling with the medications, down time,not being able to walk, needing to go to hospitals or doctors, or any other specific needs or activities?

Hi Jace!

Here's some general info from the Lupus Foundation--it might be a good place to start:

Lupus Foundation

Best,
Sharon

Jace - I also have Lupus, and depending on the degree of the disease and the time of year you're traveling you can make a few changes to make it easier.

For me, Lupus means joint inflammation and sun sensitivity. So, I make sure to have plenty of advil whenever I anticipte a lot of walking. I do walk about 3 miles every day, so that keeps the joints pretty much in good shape for me. So alot will depend on what your friends starting point as far as problems with mobility. Sometimes standing for long periods of time is diffifult, so best to visit the longest line places early in the morning where the wait is shortest. Taking a nice break either by touring via a bus or boat for a few hours is a welcomed treat.

If you're going in the summer, touring in the early morning and later in the day - both times when the sun is not blaring is best. I've managed to go on beach vacations with my sun loving family and have a great time under my sun umbrella. It's not so much the sunburn - just the sun itself. So sunscreen doesn't do much. A lot of the meds I take make me break out in an awful rash when exposed to the direct sunlight for too long.

If you have more specific questions I'd be glad to answer.

There are many degress of lupus, and we would need to know what some of your friends difficulties are before really helping. I've told you what mine are and how I manage them.

The two aspects of lupus most likely to affect a traveler are joint pain and sun sensitivity (less of a concern for the destinations you picked). However, because the severity and distribution of symptoms are unique for every patient, it would help to be aware of your travel partners limitations, if any. As long as your friend is healthy otherwise, the chances of an emergency hospitalization are low.

EDIT: And I see now that Chris has beaten me to it and given some excellent information.