-
Getting out with LEMS (the bad)
Here’s the steam train we went to see in downtown Fort Worth. I took a nice friend who has vision problems and can’t drive, but no other physical disabilities. She was very excited to get out on this little outing. We knew in advance the exhibition site would be overrun with a huge crowd. It was Saturday and visiting the train was free. When we got there, the area was surrounded in a traffic jam. I ended up parking about a mile away from the train. Having LEMS this is not what I wanted, but once there, my control of the situation was lost.
She wants to see the train. I want to see the train. The situation is locked in.
After a mile walk into the train exhibition area, we saw huge lines waiting to get on a special train car. It was here I let my friend know about my LEMS and I didn’t feel I was capable of standing for a long wait. She understood and we decided we only wanted to walk the train from the cordoned off area and take photos. It was nice to have a friend with a disability herself, who understood mine. We adapted and had a good time looking at and photographing the train.
About the time we were wrapping up, I began to feel my LEMS symptoms flaring. It wasn’t hot, but it was very humid. Sprinkles began to pepper the area. I was getting soaked in a flop sweat. My hair was getting wet, as was my shirt. My hip weakness was increasing. We had a mile walk ahead to get back to my car.
This is a great example of what can happen, despite some planning. The situation gets out of your control, so you do the best you can, recognizing what’s happening due to the LEMS.
I was able to walk out to the car with no major problem. I was already planning a strategy on the walk out. I knew my core temperature was up and my LEMS was flaring. Once in the car, it was air conditioning on full. At our lunch I drank lots of water to begin replenishing my body from the big loss from sweating. The final strategy was to get home, stay inside and rest the remainder of the day. It worked. Though very tired, I managed to have a decent recovery evening.
The takeaways here are several. First, despite planning, a situation can get out of your control and affect your LEMS. The key is to recognize the situation and make the best plans possible to avoid a bad flare if at all possible. Know how to recognize the triggers and what you can do to mitigate them. Once there’s a problem, knowing how best to counteract and recover is key. It’s all part of living with LEMS. We live and learn! -
0 Replies
Sorry, there were no replies found.
Log in to reply.