Travelling Alone!

Travelling with Lupus

Hey there :-) ! I’ve been trying to find inspiration for something to write about, and since I’m currently abroad I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for me to share my thoughts, worries and struggles along the way. 

Having a chronic condition like Lupus is definitely a tough journey, even when at home surrounded by your family & friends. So can you imagine the decisions that needed to be made, whether or not it is the right choice to then leave your comfort zone and travel 6000 miles across the globe, alone to work in a city where you’re not even sure what your condition is called in that language. If anything were to happen within the two months of being here, there could be insane consequences. As with Lupus, anything could happen. The thoughts and worries that crossed my mind almost made me reject this amazing opportunity.

I am currently in the beautiful city of Hong Kong, a place where the sun shines so bright and the heat could just melt me. My first and foremost biggest worry was the sun, now I absolutely love being outside and getting a tan, but when you’re supposed to avoid sun light - it’s a bit hard to enjoy. Sunlight is one of the most common triggers of a flare up, meaning I must wear SPF50 and carry about an umbrella! In a place like Hong Kong that’s pretty acceptable so it’s not so bad….but I couldn’t imagine carrying around an umbrella anywhere else (outside of Asia), when the sun is beating down.

In the past 5 years of having Lupus, I’ve not really had any flares until this year (2015). For some reason, this year I’ve had a few (pretty serious) incidents happen to me, rendering me unable to walk, lie down, breath, straighten my arm and so on. If this is the year for my Lupus to play up, it is probably the most risky time for me to leave the UK and travel somewhere so far away for an extended period. I would say I am a very optimistic person and am full of positive energy, that is what keeps me going through all of this. So far everything has been fine, apart from this weekend just past my foot became swollen again and I couldn’t walk at all. There was a throbbing pain bursting through the veins in my foot, just like how it was in Barcelona - damn it happened again. The pain was so bad that I ended up having to hop around as any pressure or movement of my right foot was unbearable. Thankfully I was with my lovely aunt this weekend and she kindly took me to see an acupuncturist the next day since I’ve been limping around the past month or two. However I was actually too weak on that day to have it done, so I am due for my first session this Wednesday (05/08/2015) - I’m so scarred!

There are a lot of other worries that have gone / are still going through my mind, but there’s nothing that can be done. Lupus is so undetectable and so unpredictable that you just have to be prepared and accept when something happens, making the best of what you have got.

So far, the experience at work and in Hong Kong has been awesome, I do not regret one bit about coming here. It has been well worth the risk so far and if anything were to happen, I am ready for it and have accepted that something may well happen no matter how many precautions I take. No matter how difficult it is, I'm sure I will survive through it. Pain is only for the moment, you just have to live with it as best you can and not let it tear you down. I am actually scared of a lot of things, but that fear makes me want to do it even more, enabling me to face things head on.

Returning back to the focus of my blog; staying positive is definitely the best way to live your life, although it may be hard to do so, try your best. It will lift your spirit, and in turn have a positive effect on your health. This is truly what I believe and it will help you stay sane & happy! Be enthusiastic about life, face your worries & fears and you will go far.

I will be updating you soon on my acupuncture experience! Speak to you all soon. 

Much Love xX