Hello, Tennessee!

We left South Carolina Friday afternoon and stopped in Georgia for the night. I wasn’t feeling very well, but I managed. Saturday morning we left Madison, Georgia and headed for Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was rough. Really rough. They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger… and, quite frankly, I wasn’t sure which way it was going to go. Thankfully, I survived. And, praise God, I woke up Sunday morning feeling the best I had in weeks. I have a ways to go, but I am definitely headed in the right direction!  Hooray!!!

Somewhere between Atlanta and Chattanooga we blew out a trailer tire.  Amazingly enough, this was only the second time we’ve been broken down alongside the road. Poor Nick had a heck of a time changing the tire (Note: be sure you have the right jack for changing a travel trailer tire. Yeah.). But, he got us back on the road rather quickly and we were off again.

We are staying at Raccoon Mountain just outside of Chattanooga. Tennessee is beautiful and we are loving it. We are eagerly awaiting the leaves changing colors. What an amazing place to enjoy the beauty of autumn!

Moving Along

I just wanted to thank everyone for keeping me in their prayers.  I have been feeling a little better each day. I am moving in the right direction!

Speaking of moving along, we are heading on to Tennessee this afternoon. Ready or not. I’m not really feeling well enough to travel, so wish me luck!

Tennessee, here we come! 

Down for the Count

I’m sorry I haven’t posted anything about South Carolina, but there is really nothing for me to say. I have been too sick to leave the RV, so, sadly, I have not been able to see anything. It has been a great disappointment. (What do I mean by “too sick to leave the RV”? I am running to the bathroom 20-30 times a day. I am in terrible pain. And I am spending almost all my time flat on my back, because sitting up or laying in any other position causes increased pain and sends me immediately back to the bathroom.  Such is life when you are having a UC flare.)

Fortunately,  Nick was able to take the kids out this weekend to explore Charleston. They went on a horse drawn carriage tour through the city, visited the beach, and took a ferry to a fort.  Hopefully,  he will post about their adventures soon!

I just want to make a quick note for others, particularly with IBD (http://www.thegreatbowelmovement.org). I do not believe traveling had any part in this flare up. And I still believe that traveling in an RV is the best way to travel with IBD. I an so thankful to have my own bed and my own bathroom with me everywhere we go! With IBD there will be flares, but I hope this doesn’t discourage anyone from setting off on adventures.

South Carolina

(Blogging from my phone again.  I’m sorry for the strange typos/autocorrects in the last post!)

Last week we had a fairly quiet, relaxing time staying at the NC State Fairgrounds campground. Of course, being surrounded by the ever busy fairgrounds and across the street from NC State’s football field made for some interesting neighbors and noises (Hello, loud marching band music lovers from Clemson University! Haha).  If I had been feeling better, we would have taken advantage of some of the festivities around us.

I am currently in a full-blown UC flare up. I had switch to a plant-based (vegan) diet 2 years ago and it changed my life! Seriously! Within days of the switch, most of my UC symptoms disappeared. It was a miracle. There were some small bumps in the road, but I was able to lead an almost normal life for a year and a half.  Unfortunately, I had a bad flare after using pain medications this past February/March. I have been up and down ever since and have not been able to get into a stable remission.  I work extremely hard to manage my symptoms, but autoimmune disease have a mind of their own. Sometime this disease refuses to be controlled. The struggle continues.

Traveling during a flare up of this disease is not fun. But, I gathered my courage and off we went! We headed south and we are staying just outside of beautiful Charleston, SC. I can’t wait to explore this amazing city and the nearby coastline!

 

Betsy and George making friends with our new neighbors here in South Carolina.