How To Introvert While Chronically Ill and On Vacation with Children
Plus: tips on how to get your cane back from a child who's having fun playing with it
Travelling and socializing are hard for me. I’m an introvert, but I also have a collagen repair disorder called hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS). It affects all tissues in the body but especially the joints, and it causes (for me) chronic pain, frequent injury, disabling fatigue, and brain fog. My first bout with COVID exacerbated these symptoms (and also made my short-term memory super glitchy). Thankfully, my pain is now well managed through a combination of medication and regular water aerobics, but the other symptoms seem to be here to stay.
In my infinite wisdom, I recently planned a three week, multistage vacation for my partner and I, with a few different groups of family and friends and their kids. First off, several full days at Disneyland and California Adventure with my sister and her kids and some other friends and family; then, two weeks in Mexico – one week on our own, and one week doing beachy stuff with a bunch of friends and their kids.
Great idea, because so fun! Also, terrible idea, because so delusional!
But Aunties, I survived. In fact, by my standards, I thrived. There was one day where I spent something like 12 full hours at Disneyland and my partner and I got the kids back to the condo on the shuttle and fed them and got them to bed without their parents and I got out of bed like a functioning human the next day. That was a huge win. Here’s another: when we got home I only needed one day in bed before I was ready to do life again. This recovery was many days faster than I’d hoped for.
Here’s what went right:
