Gutless Kayaking

Justin says:

The logistics for this trip are mind boggling! Packing equipment is a major challenge. There are over 50 separate items of TPN, stoma and ancillary supplies to take. I’ll need over 200 units of some of these items! Plus my regular medication. For this reason alone it can take many months of planning. This is before even thinking about clothing, camping and kayaking equipment, accommodation, etc. It’s a far cry from my earlier life when I would spend about 15 minutes packing before heading off around the world for 2 years. I hate planning of this sort, so I have to depend on and thank everyone who’s helping make all this possible – my family, friends, hospital, supply company, sponsors etc.

One of the most frustrating and debilitating aspects of my condition is fatigue. I could happily doze off at any moment regardless of how much sleep I may have had. This means my hours of activity are severely limited. It is for this reason that our 240 mile kayaking trip will probably take longer for us than would normally be expected. We have set aside 3 weeks in which to get from Manchester to London which should allow me enough time to rest en route.

Another aspect of my condition that has to be carefully monitored is dehydration. Exercise of any sort, sweating or changes in temperature, can very easily cause me to become dehydrated. Drinking fluids makes the problem worse! The only way for me to counter dehydration is to be connected to my liquid nutrition or a saline drip. In this way, fluid is pumped directly into my bloodstream. For this kayaking trip we plan on paddling for about 6 hours a day. I will not be able to achieve this without additional hydration. So while the others are having a lovely refreshing pub lunch next to the canal, I shall be sitting there hooked up to my little backpack full of intravenous feed.

Camping with TPN needs a bit of thought and preparation too. I’ve been practising carrying out the sterile connect/disconnect procedure in my 2-man tent (set up at home in my living room). I’ll have to set up the tent every time I get dehydrated and need to carry out this sterile procedure.

In addition to these considerations is the stoma. The stoma tends to have a mind of its own and can be either no problem or a total nightmare. Generally, if something goes wrong it’s more of an embarrassing inconvenience than a full blown crisis. But in any case it’s essential to have some spare clothing and replacement supplies close at hand.

If you have any of these conditions or would like to discuss more about dealing with them, please feel free to contact me : info@gutlesskayaking.com