The Chronic Traveler

08/01/2023

Day Four

The Lonely Mountain.
Today, we meet up with my cousin and her family in the Mt. Hood National Forest. We’re so looking forward to some time with them.

The big news is this morning our camper’s pump began malfunctioning, so the owner is working on a solution for us. We should be back up and running tomorrow or the next day, we’re hoping. For now, we’ll be boondocking and making use of the public facilities.

Tomorrow, we’ll head just north of Portland into Washington for a couple days.

The kids have truly been amazing with all the time we’ve spent in the car. Shiloh made some quick friends at the campground last night. Very soon, we’ll get to set down some temporary roots and stay somewhere for more than a night, and we’re all excited for that.

I thrive off of order and systems, and feel so much more at peace after getting ourselves better organized in the camper yesterday. And as a result, I’m hoping to get back on my schedule with taking meds and staying better hydrated.

I won’t have a connection until later tomorrow, so I’ll be posting a photo dump once we get to our next campground. I hope everyone is having a great day!

07/31/2023

Day Three

Utah did not disappoint.
We finally got to our campsite around 10. We hooked up our electric, cranked up the AC, got everyone situated, then crashed.

We started out slow this morning after two early mornings and long travel days (and the interesting events of yesterday).

Today, we’ll go straight through Idaho and make our way into Oregon. We’re staying the night in Baker City, then tomorrow it’s on to Mt. Hood to meet up with my cousin.

We’re really looking forward to the moment we reach a campground we’ll be at for more than a night.

07/30/2023

Day Two

Low Humidity, mountains, national forests, lots of construction delays, and lots of wind.

So far, I’m really enjoying Wyoming. I feel like I can get my lungs full of air here. The barren landscapes are slightly freeing.

We have 8.5 hours of driving today. Our destination is just south of Salt Lake City, where we’ll pick up our camper. We’re all pretty excited.

Elliot wants to see a tornado. Shiloh wants to both go home and pick up our camper. Micah wants it to be cold. Isaac is stuck by himself in the back and can’t wait until we can declutter Bertha and he can look out both windows.

I think my body is adjusting well to the higher elevations and my lungs love the dry climate. It’s shocking how cool 85 feels in the aridness of Wyoming.

We’re definitely getting tired of driving, but I think we’ve finally rounded the corner where these kids enjoy looking at landscapes and playing road-trip bingo for a good chunk of the time, instead of watching movies and being glued to electronics. Shiloh is doing SO much better than expected.

07/29/2023

Today, we said goodbye to our comfortable home in Illinois for a few weeks as we journey to the west (“I have passed the test.”). Usually at this time of year, we are about to make our way eastward to hang with our friends on the beach. This year, we are embarking upon an epic road trip— the likes of which the Marchands have never attempted.

We will be picking up our camper in Salt Lake City. From there, we’ll be traveling to Oregon, whale-watching in Washington, then over to the wonders of Yellowstone. After we drop off our camper, we’ll jaunt over to Colorado, then home.

In all, we’ll be gone for at least three weeks (“If I take one more step, it’ll be the farthest away from home I’ve ever been.”).

We’re hoping this will be the first of many such trips to come (and many more Lord of the Rings quotes to come).

We’re looking for adventure. To try new things. To stay safe (me), while enjoying the great outdoors. To be active and commune with all of creation. To connect with family (our family of six and other relatives). To create core memories and initiate our vehicle— Bertha— into our family road trips.

Check my stories and posts each day as I document our joys, trials, challenges I face while vacationing with a chronic illness, and sights from our amazing and beautiful country. Cheers.

04/07/2023

Read my latest article about caregiving while dealing with chronic illness.

It’s imperative for our own well-being that we find the right balance for our situation. And this can vary by the season, and sometimes by the day!

03/01/2023

It’s Rare Disease Day, and today we celebrate Shiloh and I. We’ve braved so many challenges. Together and apart. Goodness, she has my heart.

02/22/2023

My latest article. Enjoy!

It’s typically overwhelming to live with a chronic condition on a good day. Throw in a Hallmark holiday and you could have a recipe for disaster.

02/04/2023

01/25/2023

I actually, really love my doctor.

I’m not sure I’ve ever been able to say this about doctors. Rarely have I experienced grace and compassion and true concern from doctors. I unfortunately have a good amount of medical trauma.

But my MCAS specialist is truly a gem. For the past year and a half, she has been the biggest source of relief and hope for me and Chris regarding my health. She is always ready to listen, always asks what I think we need to do, and validates my concerns. Today, I got a hug and so much goodness from my appointment, I almost didn’t mind the 7 hours spent in a car.

Here’s the highlights and an update on my health (and why I’ve been so MIA on my travel account):
-my anaphylactic reactions are worsening in severity and frequency. This is concerning, but we have a plan.
-my airways are way more reactive since having Covid last fall, and my asthma has been almost impossible to consistently keep under control. I see my pulmo in March.
-despite all the bad, I’ve been able to eat. Mostly. I had to fast for four days earlier this month to reboot my system after two bad reactions.
-we’re tweaking some meds, and will most likely be adding an immunosuppressant. The type of drug I would take is used to prevent rejection in organ transplant recipients. I’m nervous, but definitely willing to try.
-On recommendation from my MCAS doc, I’ll be chatting with my allergist about getting Benadryl and solumedrol (steroid) injections to do at home, to supplement what I get when I go to the ER. Lately, I often come home “stable”, but still fairly symptomatic, needing a second round of rescue meds. When I don’t get that second round, it takes me even longer to recover from the reactions, putting me at risk of relapse into another episode of anaphylaxis or asthma exacerbation.

So, we have a plan. My health is still mostly a clusterduck, but I’m so thankful for the providers who are in my corner.

12/23/2022

-24F with wind chill, or 86 and sunny?

I know where I’d rather be right now.

Let me know if you’re looking to book your own tropical, all-inclusive vacation. Then we can all live vicariously through you. 😉

09/27/2022

It’s autumn, and I don’t know about y’all, but my asthma is not having it.

I’ve been MIA because my entire family and I had Covid at the end of August and beginning of September. That took over life for a few weeks.

Life is also taking on a different light as my dad, who has Alzheimer’s, is getting closer to the end of his journey.

And I’ve taken on a new role in my chronic health journey: Patient Leader for the Chronic Hives forum at Health Union. If you or someone you know deals with chronic hives, join us over at chronic-hives.com.

I’ll still be here to assist you in all your travel needs, so please reach out if you’re looking to book some time away! I absolutely love my job, so despite the many plates I’m balancing, I’m still ready and able to help.

08/18/2022

Life has been busy and a tad crazy since the beginning of July.

I deal with chronic illnesses, and July turned out to be a bit of a thumbs down for me. Lots of ER visits, one hospitalization, and gobs of prednisone made for an interesting few weeks. The first two weeks of August was family vacation for my crew, and I feel like we’re finally coming out of the post-travel funk. I definitely over-extended myself during vacation and have been paying for it (not to mention an ER trip for anaphylaxis on the second day of traveling). My kids don’t start school for another three weeks, so I’m trying to fit work in where I can. If you’re looking to schedule some travels over the winter, give me a holler! I’d love to help you find what you’re looking for.