Home My Journey The (Never ending) Holiday Prep… Counting Down The Hours!

The (Never ending) Holiday Prep… Counting Down The Hours!

by InvisiblyMe

I can’t quite believe where the time has gone, though I could say the same thing about the last couple of years let alone the last couple of weeks!

I’ll be going on holiday in a couple of days so there’ll be a week or so when I may not be able to read/like/comment/post very much. I’ll miss you guys! But then I’ll be back to it 🙂

Holiday prep is a bit of a ‘first world problem’ to complain about, but when you’ve never been away before, let alone with a stoma, it’s quite daunting to make sure you’ve got everything right. I’ve tried to get the most important things sorted :

  • Stoma supply order
  • Prescription print outs
  • Overseas spending cards and Euros for spending money
  • Airport parking
  • Travel insurance
  • Online check-in and printing the boarding passes, ATOL cert and all other paperwork bits and pieces needed
  • I’ve worked out roughly what can/can’t go in hand/hold luggage, what to do at the airport, and I’ve got all of the important/emergency phone numbers including those for lost cards
  • Sorting out all emails, washing, shopping, topping up petrol, all other random jazz that needs to be done before heading off
  • Shopping – Plenty of bargain buys in terms of sun lotion, clothes, flip flops, charity shop books, luggage tags, suitcases, etc. I’ve got some looser tops after getting rid, selling or donating the vast majority of my pre-stoma ones that were too tight. I’ve even managed to get a lightweight dress with a tie around sash which should help disguise the bag, so I’m pleased with that as I’m certainly not usually a dress kind of gal!
  • I’ve called Thomson Welfare Department to notify them that my hand luggage will contain medical supplies. They’ve added 5kg to my hand luggage to help. The problem is, I don’t really need more weight, I just need an extra 2-3cm depth, unless I can sit on it while they measure it at the airport…

But things are never quite all plain sailing when it comes to medical jazz.  I’m still waiting on one part of my stoma order after lots of delays, and also a prescription for my migraine medication that they’ve lost and then prescribed the wrong thing for – how they can mistake iron supplement liquid for migraine tablets I’m not sure!

I’ve stressed out constantly about various things, for instance :

  • Whether I’ll have the courage to wear a bikini or light clothes that may not conceal the bag as well as usual. This is both an issue of body image and weight, and having a bag. Neither of which should matter in the slightest, I just hope I remember that when I’m there.
  • Worrying about any leaks, especially at night if I actually manage to sleep for a change
  • Concern over how I’ll manage day to day given as how I can struggle so much at home simply doing small mundane tasks
  • I still constantly think and stress and worry about the job situation, what I’m going to do from here, the fact I have no career path let alone a job after losing mine before my last op. It’s devastating and worrying and it really gets to me, even when I know it’s not something I can or should try to deal with right now. Money is tight but I’m sensible, and I’ll find ways of working around my health issues as I’ve always done when I’m ready. As for the bigger future and the bigger picture, well, that’s too daunting to contemplate. I just don’t want to carry all of this extra baggage with me because that guilt, that sense of failure, never goes away
  • Fretting about whether I’ve got everything I needed to buy, have definitely made the right decisions when it comes to the holiday and hotel, whether I’ve made any silly errors on insurance or forgotten to do something important
  • The hotel serves international buffet meals so there should be a good choice, but it’s a worry not knowing what will be available, whether there are things I can eat and how my stoma will be over the week, whether there will be any problems

Day to day, the majority of the things I stress over are ‘first world problems’, perhaps because it’s easier to stress about the small things than it is to truly contemplate the big, more important ones.

Exhaustion, aches, intense pain, lack of sleep, health issues and a few nasty migraines recently have taken their toll, too.

It looks as though some parts of Spain are reaching 30°C, which will certainly be a shock to the system but I’m definitely looking forward to some sunshine. There are some clouds, rain and possible storms forecast too though, which is typical, but I refuse to take a brolly! Now I just need to stop stressing, get things done, and try to garner a little positivity about it all no matter how bad I’ve been feeling health-wose..

With any luck I’ll be able to post up a few pics while I’m away.

I also just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone that reads InvisiblyMe, to those that follow the blog and/or Facebook page, to those that ‘like’ and comment on posts. You’re awesome!  

Caz x

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23 comments

Christy B July 4, 2017 - 6:08 pm

Enjoy your time away! Stressors can be overwhelming but know you have coping mechanisms in place to get through it <3 Tell us all about the trip!

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InvisiblyMe July 5, 2017 - 2:54 pm

Thank you, Christy! Have a great week while I’m away 🙂

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Christy B July 5, 2017 - 9:09 pm

Aww thanks 🙂 Yes, we’ll catch up when you get back xx

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Sam July 4, 2017 - 8:20 pm

Have a wonderful holiday Caz. Can’t wait to read about how wonderful it was & how smoothly everything went because it will. You’ve done a great job preparing so now you relax & enjoy every minute.
Sam xx

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InvisiblyMe July 5, 2017 - 2:55 pm

Yes, I definitely need to relax soon… Now I can see why people need a holiday after their holiday! Thank you so much for your lovely comment Sam 🙂

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TheWorryGames July 4, 2017 - 11:43 pm

I will never complain about having to get five kids ready for vacation ever again. 😉 You have an amazing rest and let us all know how it goes.

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InvisiblyMe July 5, 2017 - 2:56 pm

Eek, I think 5 kids definitely trumps what I’m dealing with! Thank you Lisa, you have a good week 🙂

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Ipuna Black July 5, 2017 - 1:41 am

Have a wonderful and safe time on your vacation!

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InvisiblyMe July 5, 2017 - 2:56 pm

Thanks Ipuna! Have a good week 🙂
Caz x

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Ipuna Black July 6, 2017 - 4:38 am

You too!

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Cheryl Wright July 5, 2017 - 6:46 pm

Have a great time!

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InvisiblyMe July 6, 2017 - 12:08 pm

Thanks Cheryl! Have a lovely week/weekend 🙂

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Margaret from soulfood101blog July 6, 2017 - 12:07 am

Enjoy your holiday. It’s going to be amazing. Take lots of pictures to post with your blog when you tell us all about it :):) I’ve never been to Spain, what a blessing for you!

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InvisiblyMe July 6, 2017 - 7:27 am

I will definitely try to take plenty of photos. Thank you! 🙂 xx

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Rose July 6, 2017 - 7:18 am

This is so exciting!! I can’t wait to read future blog posts about your vacation. You’ll have a ton of fun, I know that for sure. ;D <3

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InvisiblyMe July 6, 2017 - 12:08 pm

Thanks Rose! 🙂
xx

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Rosie July 6, 2017 - 9:45 am

It sounds like you’ve done a stellar job of keeping on top of the pre-holiday to-do list, even if there are a few things left to sort out. Enjoy your trip and the sunshine, and look forward to hearing about it soon 🙂

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InvisiblyMe July 6, 2017 - 12:09 pm

I’ll definitely soak up as much Vit D as possible! Thanks Rosie 🙂
xx

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storyspiller July 6, 2017 - 11:04 am

Remember without holidays we wouldn’t miss home. Don’t worry so much and enjoy yourself, it’s a holiday after all! For what its worth, all that effort will make you feel good when your on that vacation too!

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InvisiblyMe July 6, 2017 - 12:09 pm

That’s very true..! Thanks for the comment 🙂

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Natalie | Surviving life's hurdles July 6, 2017 - 12:12 pm

I hope you’re having a great time on your holiday! I know it’s really stressful leading up to a holiday, I’m going away in August and I’m starting to worry too but I always feel so relaxed once I’m there! Can’t wait to see your holiday snaps! xx

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InvisiblyMe July 6, 2017 - 1:21 pm

I’ll be driving to the airport about 3am, so not long to go. Thanks Nat, will definitely try to get plenty of photos! 🙂
Where are you off to in August..? Are you doing okay at the moment, especially after the cold?x

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knittingwithheart July 7, 2017 - 5:48 am

Wishing you safe travels and a wonderful time away! 🙂 ? Jackie@KWH

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