Packing For A Cross Country Procedure? – it's just a bad day, not a bad life!

Autoimmunity is a tricky beast. I truly believe the key to conquering it is learning how to keep your immune system in check. How do you do that? Lots of experimentation with diet, exercise, toxins, ect …. Basically everything and anything that can interact with your body’s chemical reactions (and guess what, that’s basically everything!) So needless to say, it’s a daunting, almost inconceivable, task.

Over the past 2 years, I’ve determined some techniques and items that help me maintain my inflammatory responses at a manageable level. It’s truly a mind, body, and spirit task. When I realized I’d be having to travel cross-country for my procedure, I knew I’d be taking a shit ton of things with me. My bag was like 60 pounds haha but I ended up spreading it across our other bags to disperse the weight.

What the heck do you pack to travel half way across the country to have a procedure done?

So what am I relying on? What did I pack? What did I buy here?

Packed:

– Diffuser

I definitely needed to bring my oils with me. They help protect me from getting sick, help calm my anxieties, lift my mood up and do so much more! I always have a little key chain with about 8 different oils in it in my crutch bag, but hey! I had to be prepared!!!

– Oils

On Guard – to keep me healthy!!
Serenity – to keep me calm and help me sleep. My plan is to keep using this to help keep my nerves in check. Maybe it can help prevent my CRPS from coming out of remission. I’m pretty sure it’ll help!
Balance – to help keep me grounded and my nerves in check.
Deep Blue – to help my knee’s inflammation and pain.
Oregano – to help my digestive tract’s bacteria overgrowth.
Ginger – to help with my digestive issues.
Correct X – this gel is perfect to put on my incisions after my procedure.
Frankincense & Immortelle – to put on my knee to help support my cells differentiating.
Vetiver, Lavender, Melaleuca, Lemon, Citrus Bliss – just figured I needed to cover my bases.

– Earthing Sheet

Gotta continue to use the earth’s energy to help heal! This was an easy thing to pack – didn’t take up too much room.

– Crystals

I have NO experience with crystals. I know that the Lifeforce machine uses crystals, but that’s about it. My good friend gave me a sack of these crystals before I left and told me to keep them close to me. I’ve been meditating with them and have been keeping them by my side 24/7. I don’t know if they’re work, but it can’t hurt- right?!

Dioptase – This rare mineral is one of the best healing stones. Living in the moment is the energy of this mineral. It can promote inner cellular awareness such that each cell, affected by a disorder can singularly, and collectively, recognize the reason for the malfunction and then release the anomaly, facilitating both alignment with the perfect self and the healing state. It also can help relieve pain!
Green Tourmaline – This mineral is to help the user “see with the heart”. It can transform negative energy to a positive state without releasing it to the atmosphere. It can be used to reintegrate the heart, thymus, ductless glands and the immune system.
Dry Head Agate – The energy of dry-head agate is conducive to deep meditative states and can help one maintain peace within the inner being. It can produce calm and soothing effects on the mind and facilitate the release of tension from the physical body.
Lapis – Lapis lazuli is a “stone of total awareness”. It enables one to obtain relief and release emotional baggage. It is a protecting stone and helps balance the yin and yang energies. Lapis can be used in the treatment of disorder of the throat, bone marrow, thymus and immune system. It can assist in preventing and in rectifying RNA/DNA damage and has been used to activate the regenerative energies within the body. It can be used to stimulate cellular re-structuring.
Chevron Amethyst – This crystal helps brighten your aura and helps release tension in your chakras. It’s excellent for helping you to journeying into yourself, evolution and helps stimulate a positive answer to any imaginable problem. The chevron amethyst allows one to gain knowledge into spiritual healing and helps repel negativity.

(the above descriptions were taken from handouts given to me by a friend – I will need to find the source and will update with the appropriate citation.)

– Heating Pad

I brought my regular heating pad from home, but since I’ve been here I actually have a new one! An infrared heating pad that I will need to use after my procedure.

– Diet approved snacks

Nori & Tuna and Salmon packets
Lara bars
Cinnamon Apple Sauce
Homemade Nut, Coconut, Raisins, Cinnamon & Chia Seed Mix
Trader Joe’s Fruit Strips
Chia Seeds
Kale Chips
Freeze Dried Fruit

– Meditation & Yoga.

Ok, you can’t really pack these, but they’re definitely in my tool box. With the low oxygen, you have to make sure to breathe from your diaphragm. By doing this, it really is a forced way of relaxing my nervous system!

What I Bought Here:

– Lots of anti-inflammatory foods.

I made sure to book us in a suite that has a little kitchen in it so that I can prepare my own foods some of the time. When you’re on such a restrictive diet you don’t like eating out every single meal. I like to know exactly what I’m eating. And if any time were more important than other times, it would be this week!!!

The Centeno-Schultz Clinic suggests you cut sugar, reduce calories and reduce your triglycerides for awhile before the procedure. You want to keep your insulin and triglycerides in check. It’s also been tough for me not having my fish oil. Fish oil really helps gets my joints moving and overall makes me feel so much better. Since it’s also a very powerful anti-coagulant, I had to stop taking them in prep for the procedure. I’ve been trying to get lots of omega 3’s from other sources – via chia seeds and salmon.

Salmon
Cold pressed juice from Whole Foods – Which obviously are not as good as home juiced juices, but when you’re on the go it’s better than nothing! I’ve been putting a tablespoon of chia seeds in my juices in the morning.
Fresh fruit and veggies
Almond milk & Chia tea
Easy, anti-inflammatory meals to make. Example: bought spiraled zucchini (aka zoodles) and sautéed with some olive oil, veggies and some tomato sauce. All organic! No sugar added.

Added bonuses I didn’t even think of, but am getting:

– Lots of healing, fresh mountain air!

There’s so much energy to be picked up from the earth. This is a beautiful environment to tap into the earth’s healing energy to help heal my own body!

– Fresh flowers!

I have such amazing supportive people in my life and received 2 flower arrangements to enjoy! My bestie sent me gorgeous flowers and my Aunt, Uncle & Cousins sent me tulips. My Aunt wrote how tulips are a sign of new life and this procedure really is bringing me an opportunity for new life!!

– Positive energy at the clinic!

The clinic I’m getting my procedure done through has great positivity and energy. My Doctor is super up beat and I feel really comfortable with him doing my procedure.

When I traveled for work it was definitely a faux pas to check a bag… Well, this trip is an exception and I definitely couldn’t pack everything in a carry on. Plus, I can’t really smuggle a jar of coconut oil through the security check point, could I? (I use that shit for everything – hair, face, moisturizer, body lotion, anti-bacterial…. It’s almost like my duck tape. I could find a use for it in almost everything I do! Haha!!!)

It’s extremely important when you’re healing to be in an environment where you feel safe and comfortable. The hotel I booked for my parents and I to stay at are little suites – so there are 2 bedrooms, a little kitchen and a living area. It’s good because I can shut the door and retreat into my healing space. Because I’m prepared, I don’t have to panic and worry about not having anything or what to do when I’m staying off my leg for the first few days.

Traveling for procedures aren’t ideal, but if you have to do it make sure you think through everything ahead of time. The day of your procedure and the ‘rest days’ after will be a lot less stressful. Stress is exactly what you want to AVOID when calling upon your own healing mechanisms.

I truly believe this clinic is in the perfect location because it really provides a total wellbeing experience.

Do you have any experience traveling for a procedure? What are your suggestions and ‘lessons learned’ from your trip!? Comment below!

Want to read about how I found this procedure and got ready for it? Check it out here!

Wishing You A Pain Free Day!