I Had a Beach Weekend - Here’s How it Went!

Traveling has looked very different for a lot of us over the past 2 years. For me, I haven’t gone anywhere that requires a flight. I’m just not ready for that yet. I mostly take trips around my area, and this past weekend I had a girl's weekend at a beach town near me.

Preparing for a weekend getaway

Getting ready for a trip - no matter how long or short it is - is always different with a chronic illness. I need to make sure I have everything I could possibly need in case a flare-up happens. Chances are it won’t happen, but just in case, I need to be prepared.

I always pack every possible pain-relief product that I can fit. I personally can’t use any NSAIDS, so I just use things like heat and ice. So for that, I packed my Icyhot patches and cream, and my heating pad. I almost brought a microwavable hot pack, but I thought that might be overkill and make my bag heavier as well.

Also packed in my bag was my wrist brace in case a fibromyalgia flare happened in my arms, but luckily it didn’t.

Last but not least, of course, I brought my walker with me. I bring it most places with me nowadays, so it’s rarely forgotten.

How the few days affected me

The first night we got there late, so we really didn’t do much other than a short walk to the beach and back, which was really nice. The beach had 2 areas (out of 6) with accessible beach mats which made it possible for me to go out onto the sand with my walker. Accessible beach mats are definitely needed if you have a mobility aid with wheels, let me tell you, sand is VERY inaccessible.

The second day was a lot busier. We went shopping at a few stores before it got warm out, and then we were at the beach a few times throughout the day. We also went out to dinner that night. Things were so busy that I was exhausted by 7 pm. It was probably a combination of being out and doing things, and being out in the sun, but my friend and I went to bed at 9:30 pm that night. I could feel the pain creeping in.

Our last day

The last day was more like a few hours, but nonetheless, we still had a lot to do. We visited the beach one last time in the morning before packing up our stuff and leaving.

The pain in my right SI joint was starting to kick in, and I felt the fatigue hit me as well, and the feeling of just wanting to be home was strong. We stopped at a few farm stores (and a farm) on our way back, because Ontario has a lot of these for baked goods and fresh produce, and we love them.

Was it worth it?

Overall, the trip was so needed and so worth it. I was tired and in pain for a few days following, but getaways are so important every once in a while. It’s okay to do something you know will cause you some symptoms in order to refresh and feel happy.