You’re suffering from Lower Back Pain that has resulted in Sciatica. You feel like social life as you knew it is over, as you’re lucky if you can make it to your front door without the dreaded muscle spasm delivering rigamortice throughout your whole body. And the thought of travelling abroad renders you to tears. That’s what I use to think until a year ago.
Yes lower back pain and sciatica is hell, yes you will look and feel like your a robot, yes you will feel like you just can’t do it, but by God if there is one thing I am not going to do, it’s let this injury kill my love of travelling. Life is stressful as it is going through this situation. So there had to be away.
A year ago I discovered that as long as you get the OK from your Doctor or Surgeon and take their advice, get some realistic exercises that you can do on the plane from your Physiotherapist, do not fall asleep or get comfortable while on the plane, be willing to stand at the back of the plane exercising for most for the flight, pack your hand luggage full of the pain medication you need, carry an funny looking orthopaedic cushion everywhere, and take your credit card you may just may be able to experience a fairly pleasant trip abroad. When I say pleasant, I mean you should be able to just about survive the journey to your sun soaked destination. Unfortunately the lower back pain and sciatica is likely to follow you to your destination, but you will be in better spirits in nicer surroundings so its likely to be worth it just for that experience.
Fast forward a year, and I have embarked on my 2nd trip abroad, in slightly better shape than last year, but unfortunately still suffering with lower back pain and sciatica. This time I was convinced I would survive the hour long journey to the airport and the even longer journey on the plane in economy, but I was brought firmly into reality after only 30 mins into an hour taxi ride to London Gatwick from East London. Sciatica decided to really show me who is boss, while sat in a position that meant I couldn’t stretch my leg out. I tried my best to take the pain, but I have to admit I was close to defeat. My saving grace was we arrived earlier than I expected.
During the longish walk from the drop off point to the departure area I tried to convince myself that the 9 hour flight would go OK as I would have the option to stand up and move about (as previously recommended by my Surgeon and Physio), but after standing in line for 15 minutes I had to give in and ask for an upgrade…
Me: “Please Miss, is it possible to upgrade my seat please”…
Assistant: “What type of upgrade are you looking for ”
Me: “To something where I can possibly lay down”…
Assistant: There are 2 options… World Traveller Plus which gives you a wider seat and a lot more leg room at £199… or Business Class which gives you a seat that can turn into a bed..£698 (she shrugs as she says it)…
Me: “Sigh…. “
I told her why I needed to upgrade due to lower back pain and sciatica and after an hour in a taxi here I’ve realised I would not be able to handle 9 hours in cattle class…
Assistant: “… Oh I see….” long pause and a bit of fussing between the assistant and her colleague while looking at the computer screen…
To be honest I was ready to hand over the credit card and close my eyes while agreeing to the extortionate Business Class Upgrade price, but the assistant some how managed to find me the perfect seat whether I could stretch out property, and convinced me that the seat in World Traveller Plus would work for me (you’d think they would want to take all your money from you, but this lady was really on my side :-)).
Assistant: “There is space in World Traveller Plus… 12 G…. There will be no one in front of you and it will give you a lot of room to move around and stretch out. There might be babies next to you and its in front of the cot tables, but this will give you the best option to stretch out.. This is £199 upgrade fee”.
Me: “At this stage I’ll try anything… Thank you for sorting this out for me, I really appreciate this “.
I almost got emotional, the lady really understood what I was going through and took the time out to look at the layout of the cabin and select a seat to accommodate my needs. Good service or what… Thank you British Airways :-).
The moral of my story is don’t be afraid to admit defeat and ask for help. Pride will cause you hours of unnecessary pain while travelling. Swallow your pride and ask for a upgrade so you can travel in much more comfort, and be able to walk at the end of your flight. Coming off your flight in a tropical destination on a stretcher is not a good look.
My sciatica was an absolute bitch throughout the majority of the flight, but thank God that lady put me in an excellent seat with bags of leg room and plenty of room to stand up and stretch without pissing anyone else off. I have to say it was worth the £199 fee, and glad I didn’t go to the extremes of paying £698 for business class, as I had 3 weeks to recover in the sun. Admittedly I had to pay a whopping £800 on the way back for the Business Class upgrade, as there were allegedly no seats left in Premium Economy on the return flight, but considering I was due back to work 2 days later, I had no option but to had over my credit card, close my eyes and gasp for air :-(. The benefits are I got to lay down throughout most of the flight, or just stretch my legs out without bothering anyone. Plus you get a cheeky glass of champers when you first board, and food on real plate :-). Still extortionate (and I was still paying off for it in January 2018 lol), but I really appreciated being able to lay down.
As a last resort, if you are due back to work straight away at the end of your holiday, save yourself and just pay the upgrade for Business Class seat on the way back so you lay down throughout the flight.
My overall advice is if you loved travelling before you back pain and sciatica started, you need to find a way to get back to this hobby as soon as possible as its good for your mind and body. Yes you will feel like s**t when you arrive at your destination. Yes you will still be in pain throughout your holiday, and feel like rough most days. But may be, just may be, you might enjoy being in different surroundings, with the sun beating down on your head, have the option to stay in bed or take a exercise swim in the hotel pool or sea. Either way, going away gives you that breathing space you need to not think about your troubles day in day out. You may have to be honest with yourself though, you may to factor in the cost of booking World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) or Business Class/First Class for the rest of your life going forward. Its expensive, but it means you can still take a break somewhere hot and nice and get there in one piece.
Happy Travelling 🙂