bag of holding.

[seryn]

When I was little, my mother told me to pack extra underwear on a trip. I was past that age where bathroom accidents were anticipated with preparedness.

I remember thinking it was silly because no one sees your underwear, as opposed to the obviousness of re-wearing the same shirt.

I know women should always pack extra underwear because the gods strike them with random menstruation whenever they darest put on shoes and leave home. (* statement somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but most women I know have tampons in their purses all the time.)

Personally I always bring extra socks, which makes no sense since I will happily re-wear socks and most of my socks would dry overnight when washed in a sink.

I usually bring about 50% more vitamins than I expect to need. (Hotel bathrooms being one of those places where the 5-second rule would not apply.)

Is there anything you bring extra of on a trip?

Comments

[sciarra]

Medication! (like your vitamins) I always have this vision of being stuck in an airport w/out my meds, which would be bad for everyone. Luckily I use a kepper, so no tampons needed, I just carry it everywhere.

[seryn]

meds. Er... yes. But I would be unlikely to talk about that in public. A shocking number of my long-time friends were weirded out when I talked about it in email.

I put anything non-metallic that I cannot live without in my pockets when going through airport security because it is very difficult to keep an eye on your bags while dealing with being shunted aside for wanding because of bra underwires.

Do those CSI-like TV shows where they show the black-light highlighting blood residue creep you out? They do me and I'm not rinsing something in the sink. I wonder if most women's bathrooms look like murderers have tried to clean up there.

[sciarra]

When I was diagnosed bipolar (there, it's out!), I spent the first couple of years not talking about it at all. However, I grew up in a household where we hid my mother's condition for over ten years, and I finally decided I wanted to be more open about it. I don't tell everyone (my new boss does not know), but as I've worked through some things in graduate school and started doing some disability studies, I've wanted to be an example of someone who could manage this condition (the media portrayals of us are appalling). I've only had a couple of people who were close to me not understand why I would be open about it, and while I'm sure there might be others who have concerns they haven't voiced to me directly, I feel so much better not pretending that something that is a significant challenge in my life doesn't exist. Being open has also led to some amazing conversations and friendships from people newly diagnosed or struggling (one was even an advisor grappling with her son).

As for the residue, I think this is where my hippie upbringing helps out. I've spent enough time living outside, drinking water that's been filtered but still has stuff you can see in it, and eating food that inevitably gets ash and dirt on it that the keeper wasn't a big deal for me to adjust to. But I totally get the ick factor for many.

[seryn]

I'm not icked by the keeper idea as much as by the "not sold in stores" aspect when they first came out. Hmm. I remember hearing they were sold at Walgreens but I don't think I've ever seen them.

Though the luminol scenes on the TV make me question if it's something I should do.

-----

I totally understand wanting to be able to talk about various aspects of your life and to have them be accepted. That was what I was wanting to do to. But the private responses I got were moderately judgmental. I hope things keep going better than that for you.

Someone has to go first, but it's probably going to help more if it's not me because I'm still very negative. What do you do when medical treatment is a violation of your personal morality and you do it anyway? I'm hiding it and feeling ashamed, alternating with telling my friends so they can chide me for being a defective person.

[sciarra]

I know that my decision doesn't work for everyone--you definitely have to decide what's best for you. I think the one thing that can be frustrating for me is having a bad day and then realizing that if you were diabetic, people might be more supportive than if you have a mental illness. My close friends are great, but colleagues have sometimes been frustrating.

Obviously, I don't know much about your personal details (if the morality concerning medical intervention is religiously indicated or something else), but I wish you the very best in making a decision that works you. I'm sorry it's so fraught. FWIW, you're not defective in *my* eyes for taking meds.

[seryn]

I don't think diabetics are getting a free pass anymore. "Well if she wasn't fat, she wouldn't be diabetic and we all know the only way you get fat is by eating too much. There are starving CHILDREN in Africa. So she's only sick because she likes to torture babies." Which is really warped and twisted; but I have actually heard people say that. (Not about me either. I was expected to laugh like that was funny.) Even more ironic is that this prejudice stopped giving exceptions to people with Type I diabetes.

I get what you're trying to say though, there is a lot of prejudice against problems that are "just in your head" because of the usage synonymous with "imaginary". It's really hard to get doctors to treat headaches, for example. There is no measurement for pain, the doctor isn't hurting, so there are no problems. Now that they measure blood pressure on everyone and have cartloads of data, whoa! 300% of all people have issues with that.

I'm not overly religious in those kinds of ways. I'm just really judgmental. Luckily for everyone else around me I did what you're supposed to do, I chose my morals and beliefs and I chide the one person who should know better, me. My morals are not your morals and they probably should not be. I guess once I become perfect, I might start really looking at other people's failings, but so far you're all safe.