How do you take care of your ailments on the road?

[bheff]

Many people post about bad backs, bad knees or other ailments. Curious if your routine changes when you camp? Do you do non-medicine home remedies? Chiropractor, Acupuncture, Yoga?
I have had a back surgery and sometimes get stiff, but simple movement and maybe an occasional Aleve fix it.
I do have to take 4 pills a day for my heart. I keep them in the original container. (Never a daily organizer) IF something were to happen to me on the road, I want the Medics and Doctors to see exactly what I take. (A detailed printed list would also work)

 

[kitphantom]

I tend to get out and walk more while camping, at home I go to gym class twice a week. That's at a gym for those of us over 50, the class is (usually) led by one of the owners, who is a PT. That helps me keep up with balance, stability, etc. For these days of stay-at-home, they did a class last week over Zoom, which was a bit interesting. I have a sheet of balance exercises they hand out, and am currently transcribing a bunch of photos I took of routines, which are written on a white board for each class. The problem for me is just getting to do them while traveling.
I do have a print out of all my meds, allergies, previous surgeries, etc. I carry it to all appointments, and have it on my phone too. One of the things that Sisters on the Fly began encouraging at events last year was to have a contact/medical sheet placed somewhere prominently in the camper or camp. Mine needs to be updated with a new med, but I have it in an envelope on the refrigerator, in a pocket labeled in large letters "Emergency Info".
As for meds, I learned - the hard way - a few years ago to not just pack a daily organizer, even for a short trip. I had car trouble and got stuck for an extra week while visiting friends in AZ. Because my husband was at home, he was able to FedEx extra meds to me. Since then, I now take the bottles in a plastic box. It also gives a secondary source for any medical providers to see what I take, dosages, and prescribers. (All that info is on my print outs.)

 

[jmkay1]

I busted my knee once and PT gave me daily required exercise to be done three times a day. You should have seen me at camp and I had to perform these exercises. Felt like a fool, but for the sake of my knee I did them anyway. Well except for one of the exercises it would have grabbed the wrong kind of attention or offended someone even if I did it in the privacy of my popup. My camp neighbors seen my knee brace so they probably understood more than someone walking the campground. I was supposed to ice my knee twice a day, but only did it once a day every other day as keeping ice stocked was difficult enough for the cooler. Especially since the nearest ice was at a gas station down the street. I brought the entire container for my pain meds for a just in case, but because I was on vacation I wasn’t using it as I took advantage of putting my feet up more so than when I was at home. Then again I treated it as close to business as usual as I knew the importance and even found I was more comfortable if I continued exercises than if I took an extended break and allowed it to stiffen up.

 

[Econ]

I have had a back surgery and sometimes get stiff.....Do you do non-medicine home remedies?

Personality cured my back problems. I am active with a higher than normal threshold for pain. I will not be denied. It keeps the muscles loose- that's the main thing. Camping to me is a base camp to go hiking to somewhere. Just like a motorcyclist who is looking for an excuse to ride somewhere, I hike. You can sit around the campground after sundown. Losing weight improved the back problem even further. It was stunning how losing the first 13 pounds in 15 days stands out in my memory. 6' tall size 32" belt.

Most doctors practice western medicine. They prescribe cures based on it. I wrote a booklet describing my past sx, problems, supplements, other doctors,etc. Few DR even look at it. You will get what we want to give you. Their advice is based on the other 98% of the population who eat the Standard American Diet. Their advise is now frequently ignored. They are used like lab techs to get certain tests done. I cured severe acid reflux by ignoring the gastroenterologist and figuring out myself. Figured out my 99% of doctors don't know anything about weight loss and figured it out how to lose 85 pounds and keep it off for 4 years, without a growling belly. Replaced my rheumatologist with Himalayan rock salt. My cardiologist, the toxic drug salesman, is my method of getting a CAC test every 2 years. Figured out US medicine is highly corrupted by corporate interest , big pharma and the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

As I age I am paying for the sins of a deep south diet. Only if I could go back in time and speak to my younger self.

If you want a more accurate way of telling if you will have a heart attack, take you height and divide by your waist measured at you belly button. If it is a 2 or higher..... you fail. Example 6'/36" =2. You fail. It is more accurate than any blood test but no one gets paid.

Sorry for the rant but its raining heavy this morning and Bheff hit a sensitive area.

 

[firepit]

Not sleeping on a floor in a tent helps my aches and pains...i take very little meds for heartburn and cholesterol.

 

[Arruba]

As for changing up what I do to stay healthy on the road, the short answer is not much.

As for communicating your meds and issues, I can’t stress enough the need to be prepared to communicate with first responders when you can’t speak for yourself. Med lists, med history and contacts are important, and needs to be in multiple places. The standard, as stated, is on the fridge front, plainly and boldly labeled. Another is in your wallet/purse. Alert bracelets/necklaces are very helpful, though not usually fully informative and often not worn when it was needed.

Something else to keep with your stuff are special instructions you have, like a Do Not Resuscitate order for example. Don’t think because you travel with your wife/husband/significant other, lifelong fishing buddy and so on, that written info is not important. Chances are when you really need help, you’ll be by yourself, your now stressed out partner won’t think of what to share, your buddy won’t have your info and history, or maybe is injured too.

There are lots of free forms/cards on line to help you get the necessary questions answered. Probably on your local Health, Emergency Mgt. or Sheriffs Dept. website. There are several vendors that offer emergency ID bracelets on line. Don’t mean to rant or lecture, just know from personal experience the importance of the topic.

Camp On People....

 

[tenttrailer]

I bring the stuff I take and have at home.

 

[jmkay1]

Med lists, med history and contacts are important, and needs to be in multiple places.

. I agree. Found out the hard way with this after scrambling trying to find all the medicine my grandma took when she became very ill and had to go to the hospital while on a day trip hours away from home. We knew where everything was at home, but under the pressure, stress, and worry at a strange hospital three hours from home we were in all time panic mode. Thankfully she had her doctors phone number in her wallet and we managed to get the list from him. Thankfully again she
only had that one doctor and she still had the presence of mind to confirm

 

[daveo1289]

My back is trashed! I've had two operations a while back and now I'm looking at two bulging disks. One high and one low. With that said, walking and stretching does help the problems a lot. The more I move properly, the better I feel. As for the meds. I carry a piece of paper with my current meds with me and place one in the camper paperwork folder we have. If I have to go to the hospital while on the road, my health care history is available on-line through my health care provider. My DW or myself would just have to give the provider access to the site.

 

[nineoaks2004]

After 2 back operations we decided to trade the PUP and bought a small TT this saves the back and the set up time. Other than that life is easier when camping than at the farm (this is where most of my aches and pains come from) also at my age there are naturally aches and pains so I just work thru them and take ibuprofen which helps. We also have Medicare and being retired military we have Tri care for life for real emergencies

 

[bheff]

. I carry a piece of paper with my current meds with me and place one in the camper paperwork folder we have. If I have to go to the hospital while on the road, my health care history is available on-line through my health care provider. My DW or myself would just have to give the provider access to the site.

Many of my patients say the same thing, only problem with that is if the medic or flight crew need to see your meds or obtain a better history and you cant talk. If I have your med list I can nail down your medical history pretty well.
I wear a medical I.D. bracelet and it has 2 contacts on it. (As well as the 2 most important meds/condition)They both have my med list, history and Dr. Names and numbers on their phone. I also carry a detailed list in my wallet as well as instructions for a radiology tech incase I need an MRI.