Traveling alone with Hydrocephalus (and getting back into writing my blog)

This is the first post that of several that I'm backlogging so when I do eventually post this it will be at least a month or two after I actually wrote it. I got burned out but kept on posting for a while after usually not actually posting something the day or even week that I had planned to. When I went on the adventure this post is about I ended up abandoning this blog altogether and have only written one substantial post since July. I enjoyed not having to think about it on a regular basis to keep on top of it and I plan on writing it now in a way that I don't have to anymore.

In August I spent two days traveling via Greyhound bus from Arizona to Iowa and then back two weeks later to be with one of my best friends for his wedding day. I wasn't told I couldn't fly and I haven't been given the impression from my neurosurgeon that it would be in the past. I am however having shunt problems and the idea of that and elevated pressure made me feel uncomfortable. Also not counting meals taking the Greyhound is usually half the price of flying. Some people with shunts have problems with flying but others have flown many many times without having a problem. If you want to know if you can fly or not your neurosurgeon would be your best source the majority of the time.

The other problem was that it was my first time traveling out of state (I've gone up to Phoenix a few times alone prior). I really didn't want to bring it up to random people I sat by on the bus or especially in stations so I got a medical id bracelet instead. If something went very wrong my bracelet would have been noticeable and I had all my contact info in my wallet. Of course it would be more risky for people with other conditions like epilepsy for example or if their shunt malfunctions more on a regular basis. I made it up there safe and really got to unwind for a couple weeks.

My anxiety level because of the smallness of the town and not knowing other people except for the two people I was visiting and a few others I met while up there, I'm sure it would have had the opposite affect with some people. I felt noticeably better when I was up there except for allergies because of the lack of pollen in Arizona, and I slept better. I made it up there and back safe and I took advantage of the medical id by going alone to the Hydrocephalus walk in Phoenix in October.

Medical ID bracelet

I'm going to be traveling across several states next month alone and on a greyhound bus so I decided to get a medical ID bracelet. It's something I've been planning to do for years but have never gotten around to it. The most common way of buying is through americanmedical-id.com or similar sites and also websites to chain drug stores like Walgreen's. The way I bought mine saved me time I would have spent waiting to get it in the mail and I wanted to made sure I had it before I left. It's always a better way to make sure your information and size of the bracelet is correct. I got mine at a local affordable jewelery store where I had seen them before. Even if they were closed for construction the owner let me make a appointment with me. She made sure it fit and double checked to make sure that she had my correct information, then she engraved it onsite while I had lunch and a couple beers next door (I had already finished work for the day because I started at around 4 or 5am and as long as I don't be stupid I'm allowed to drink without it causing anymore damage to my shunt or messing with meds.). Below is a picture of my bracelet, a couple links and links to social media pages of the store I got my bracelet at. I couldn't get a clear shot of the bracelet but it says "Hydrocephalus" and "VP shunt" with my name on the back. Other medical conditions and medications can also fit onto the bracelet, on a card in your wallet or purse, or you can get a usb medical id bracelet where you can store information on it that can be reached anywhere where there's a computer.

http://www.americanmedical-id.com/category/medical-ID-bracelets-62?gclid=CjwKEAjwxtKeBRDMzoeQmYn5uHcSJACGCF3DfyNXyIztd_t3sCmHUMI2DE8OUXd5sr1yjpGYxYWqPBoCSQnw_wcB

http://www.medicalert.org/promo/connect-with-medicalert?utm_campaign=SEM-medid&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_content=connectwithmed&gclid=CjwKEAjwxtKeBRDMzoeQmYn5uHcSJACGCF3Dx8XwhtS_qo6SCEU5meIdAtzyp_wvuTV3_3CgZ9h9PhoCEhvw_wcB

http://www.walgreens.com/q/medical-id-bracelets

http://www.cvs.com/shop/Health-&-Medicine/First-Aid/Medical-ID-Bracelets/_/N-3uZ13lr5uZ2k?pt=SUBCATEGORY

https://www.facebook.com/SilverSeaJewelry

https://foursquare.com/v/silver-sea/4c1953d04ff90f47b0c80f49?ref=atw

http://www.yelp.com/biz/silver-sea-jewelry-and-gifts-tucson