Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion Helpful Tips car travel

I have a great deal of pain when I sit... This is making car travel almost impossible, any tips? Do others share this problem?

Yes i have the same problem.

I can't travel by car for any length of time (just around town) and then I have to have an ice pack on my back when I do it. I fill a cooler with ice packs, take them where ever I go, short trip.

Long trip, I drug myself pretty good (zanaflex, aleve, prednisone - in the past - will see what I have to do now that on Humira) and I fly…. but again, typically an hour or two flight, max. Thus I mostly stick to the East coast to go to an annual meeting. Again, hoping maybe Humira changes what I can do.

Yes, about 10min is my limit before all I want to do is stand up! So I haven't gone anywhere in a pretty long time!

I haven't been out of town but once in about a year and a half. I only went about 60 miles then and had to stop and get out and walk around and rest a while about half way. Riding really gets me but then sitting very long any place does.

I haven't flown in about a year. It was a couple of hours and I sat on an aisle seat where I could get up and stand or move around.

Traveling is just tough.

Blessings.

I cant sit more than 10-30 mins properly too, depending on pain level.

i have always wondered why im unique about having so much pain while sitting. I mean i met so many patients i never saw anyone as bad as me regarding sitting pain. Just heard 1-2 patients over here. Many doctors found it unusual and told me this is not common to AS.

Frustrating. And very limiting for life.

Now i try not to restrict my life bc of this. my solution is; if i have to go longer than i can endure, my wife drives and i sit behind the car. This way i lay down whenever pain is unendurable.
But even this way i cant go more than 2 hours.

And of course flying is not possible for me. Even with opioids.

Yes, I share your pain!I can't sit on a standard chair at all. At home I use higher stools so I can perch on the edge and I alternate that with a saddle chair. I had to fly to Canada a year ago and the only option was first class, where the seat goes horizontal.. but even take off and landing is tough as you must be upright.

Oh my gosh, I thought I only felt like this.

I can't sit for very long generally, but in the car really tests my pain limits.

It gets to the point that I can not remember the last time I sat and watched a full length movie. I usually get up several times.

It's awful!!!!!!!

In the car, I sit on a tempurpedic seat cushion, and it helps a bit. At home, I use a cushion that has a hole where the tailbone goes and this helps a great deal, but it isn't a gd fit in the car. You can find a similar cushion here: http://www.amazon.com/Seat-Solution-Orth...shion+with+hole

I also just sit on my side a lot or "Indian style" and this helps me sit for longer periods of time.

I cannot sit for more than 30 minutes at a time and driving around usually uses up my upright sitting. Ironically, I do deliver meals on wheels 1 day a week (I need the next day off to recoup) The total trip-to the senior center, delivery the meals, back to the senior center, and then home takes about an hour and 1/2 but it's not all sitting or all standing. But, I am wiped out after that and need to recline for a couple of hours to decompress.
I also cannot stand for very long but laying around is BORING! and I wanted to be able to do something and give what little I could.