I learned to plant and save coral during a trip to Cozumel in September 2018. Saving and replanting coral is more important now than ever as our oceans warm, chemicals from sunscreens abound, and acidification continues to threaten our ecosystems. I now have a Coral Reef Conservation Specialty from PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), and I am ready to travel to help save our reefs! [Read more…] about How I Learned to Plant and Save Our Coral in Cozumel!
Tam’s 8 Tips on How to Travel with Chronic Pain
Knowing how to travel with chronic pain is very important for me. When I began solo traveling and performing citizen science, after my children left home, one of my family’s major concerns was how I would manage my back pain while traveling solo. What would I do without help? I have had two major back surgeries, and I am fused from L2-S2 with rods and 8 pedicle screws. In other words, my spine looks like a madman’s science project! Heavy lifting is a major issue for me in all aspects, and since I do volunteer scuba diving trips, I make arrangements before I go to be sure it is understood I need assistance with the weight of the tank. In addition to my chronic back pain, I have Psoriatic Arthritis which flares up when it is most inconvenient. I have learned about taking care of myself when traveling with chronic pain, and I’m happy to share these lessons, and tell you what works for me.
- Plan to be in pain. Yes. You will be in pain, so be prepared and have pain medications or any pain management items you normally use, at your fingertips. When I fly, I always carry pain relief such as Salonpas Pain Relief Patches, muscle relaxers, and muscle relief creams like Deep Blue or Icy Hot in my purse or backpack. I also take Aleve for joint pain, I find it works best for long term relief.
- Always wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing that does not restrict your body in any way since you may need to apply a patch or a cream. Loose, comfy clothes and shoes are comfortable when I stretch or sleep on a plane. I stretch every time I get up, and try to get up at least once every two hours to stretch and walk a bit.
I was so comfortable and happy with my awesome fringe dress from Chicos! Comfy! - I always have a pillow for my neck. Adding neck pain from uncomfortable seats or planes or trains compounds any type of pain one has. My motto is suffer as little as possible!
- Add 2 or 3 days to your itinerary. I have found this to be imperative, and it is one piece of advice I absolutely urge you to follow. I know this seems excessive, but there have been times I have arrived at a location and had to rest for a day or two, and who wants to lose one second of vacation or a volunteer trip? I always build in the “days of rest” at the beginning of my trip, because chronic pain is unavoidable when you travel. Planes, luggage, airports, walking long distances, standing in lines…I need a couple of days of being on my back with muscle relaxers after a travel day. It is worth the extra cost, and if your body doesn’t need the rest, you’ve gained a couple of extra vacation days!
- Always wear compression socks or leggings on a long flight. The last thing you need to add to your pain is a blood clot!
- Always check your luggage, and when available, use carts or porters or bellboys. I know it costs more, but it is worth it if you are in pain. Lugging bags around is just about the worst thing you can do if you are hurting. I don’t ask, but I always accept offers of assistance, and I’m generous with tips.
- Sleep. Sleep is a cure for almost anything, I find. Take a muscle relaxer or pain pill and get some sleep! You’ll feel better when you wake up, I promise.
- Lastly, hydrate! Water, juice, lemonade, or tea will help to hydrate you and that is beneficial when in pain. Your muscles get tight when dehydrated, so be sure to drink plenty of fluids (alcohol and soda do not add to hydration, they actually dehydrate the body. I never drink alcohol on travel days. Sorry about that!)
There you have it, Tam’s Tips for Traveling with Chronic Pain. I’m very experienced at this, and these are the tips that work best for me. So book your trip, pack up your gear and get going! You will be glad you did.
http://tamtravels.wpengine.com/4-of-the-most-amazing-reasons-i-go-on-citizen-science-trips/
If You Love Nature, get out and March for the Environment April 29th!
Nature. I am a nature girl. It doesn’t matter where…oceans, mountains, forests, parks, I love it. And our planet needs our help if we want our children and grandchildren to see the places we love in the future.
It doesn’t matter if you are conservative or liberal or in between, preserving our wild places and wildlife is a moral issue. Can you imagine drilling for oil in Yosemite? In Antarctica? In the Smoky Mountains? No, no, and no. Millions of people die each year from air and water pollution, and we need regulations and our Environmental Protection Agency (founded by Republican Richard Nixon!). My own husband had a double lung transplant, and part of that came from pollution in our world. There isn’t an alternate world, there are no alternative facts (those are lies), there is not a Planet B, there is only our planet, our lives, our earth. The United States should be the leader of green energies, clean air and water instead of going backward.
So find a march near you! Peoples Climate Movement has a great list! I will see you there!
Home from St. Lucia!
What a wild and crazy week it has been! I returned to Dallas early this morning, around 1230a.m. I still haven’t caught up on my sleep, but I have caught up on my laundry. I will be writing and posting about the events in St. Lucia this week, and in the interim, please enjoy these photos of a beautiful week spent above, and below, St Lucia’s surface!
Wordless Wednesday: Diving St Lucia
I am presently in St Lucia with REEF, doing fish surveys on the coral reefs, which are not well documented. The last time St Lucia was surveyed was 2009. There are eighteen of us, so we’re doing our best to see what is living here. For those of you who think I am a total fish geek, think again! The REEF folks have amazing skill at identifying fish! I love learning, so I will be more of a fish geek than ever! Enjoy the photos!
Off to St Lucia for Citizen Science!
I am super excited to be on my way to St. Lucia with REEF.org on December 5 in order to do Fish Surveys. REEF: Reef Environmental Education Foundation is a grass-roots organization that seeks to conserve marine ecosystems by educating, enlisting and enabling divers and other marine enthusiasts to become active ocean stewards and citizen scientists. I have contributed data to their database for many years, on and off, but this will be my first opportunity to actually meet other, and very active, members of REEF.
REEF has three main projects: the Grouper Moon Project in the Cayman Islands, the Lionfish Project, and the REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project. The Nassau Grouper is a Caribbean icon but was reaching very low numbers. The project began by witnessing a spawning event in the Caymans, but has now grown to educational efforts, tagging, and study. I saw a Nassau Grouper in Cozumel during October…I had not seen one for many years, so I was overjoyed. Lionfish are an invasive species in the Atlantic and the Caribbean, and REEF has programs to try to minimize this fact, including Lionfish Derbies to remove them. Lionfish are actually quite tasty, and hopefully more and more people will begin to fish for, and eat, the Lionfish.
I have been entering data to REEF’s Volunteer Fish Project Survey for many years. I confess I don’t always do it when I dive in the waters they survey, but it is imperative to get population numbers right, so if I am immersed in another project or in photography, I don’t keep track. I have wanted to go on one of REEF’s sponsored trips for years, and now I am getting my wish! Diving vacations that matter! I will post photos and blog from our base in St. Lucia, a place I have never visited. Exciting!