Travelling tips anyone? (car)

[andypants]

@Allele I think you may be on to something.

I haven’t tried it yet for driving, but I use BCAAs after other demanding activities to limit the backlash. I’m planning to use it during and after my next car trip to limit fatigue and PEM. Will report back (next weekend probably).

I combine a BCAA mixture with Taurine (GABA precursor) and L-Theanine and L-Tyrosine (dopamine precursors) that help to not only lower serotonin and cortisol but help with relaxation and calm. No guarantee it will help with driving but it probably won’t hurt either.

 

[andypants]

I’m trying to think of ways you could limit vibrations (I feel like that’s a big part of the overstimulation effect), but it’s not easy in a moving vehicle.

I seemed to do slightly better in an electric car, I’m assuming because of less noise and less vibration.

Maybe a foam mattress to absorb some of it? In something slow moving I would suggest a hammock but that’s hardly appropriate in a car.

 

[AndyPandy]

In the early stages of my illness I struggled to travel 5 minutes in the car as a passenger.

These days I can manage road trips. We have accepted that it will take longer to get where we want to go.

I can go up to an hour and a half before I need to stop and rest. If I push on further I start to crash.

At the rest break I use a cheap fold up sun lounge, a pillow and a blanket. It really makes a difference. We set up anywhere there is a nice park or just somewhere off the road. A rest and some food and drink then off we go again.

After another hour and a half we stop overnight. When we arrive I go straight to bed and rest.

For me the extra time it takes to get somewhere is worth it. Such a joy to travel.

 

[Mattie]

@Mattie, can I come live in your village? It's gorgeous!

Yes you can! We are renting it out nowadays.

I used to use very low-dose (0.25mg) clonazepam daily, until I decided to come off it for mitochondrial relief. Now I find it is really useful in every-so-often situations, esp bc its half life is longer than 24 hrs.(I understand many people can't or won't use this class of drug.) I mention GABA bc it works in a similar fashion but does not cause dependency, and isn't toxic to mitochondria long-term. Weirdly, over time I developed a bad reaction to GABA but tolerate clonaz just fine.

Tried Klonopin. Did not help. Maybe at a higher dose it would, but I am in the last phase of tapering the stuff because of the nasty side effects and interdose withdrawal.

 

[Mattie]

I seemed to do slightly better in an electric car, I’m assuming because of less noise and less vibration.

Last trip we did was in our Tesla. The reduction in noise is nice, but in terms of movements/vibration it's not very different.

Best solution would be Hyperloop. Faster and less shaky than car.
But it may take some time before we'll have that from door to door.

 

[hellytheelephant]

@Mattie - so much good advice on here already...but two things I would add: I would break the journey with an overnight stop. I know it's tempting to get the journey ' out of the way', but actually some time not moving and just recharging could be helpful.An overnight stop could also be a fun thing too.

I find taking Arnica 30 two days before and two after is helpful. It is the remedy for 'bruising' and dental/ medical procedures, but is also good for anything that shakes things up.

I would also concentrate on being proactive to calm the nervous system- lavender oil, chamomile tea, protein snacks every couple of hours. I don't know if you have dysautonomia, but even if not, I would drink electrolyte along the way.

I don't know how long you can get away from, but I would always have the first day there for recovery.

Good luck!