[Shane Tarr]

Hi, I travel a lot, although not too much during COVID because my job requires international travel to many different places in the world. Currently, I am in Vietnam but this year I have been in Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and Fiji. The first tip I suggest is that if you can afford it travel business class although refrain from over-indulging in fine wines (I never refrain but that is because I am not very sensible. The second tip is to try not to be over-tired before traveling and relax on arrival. I find swimming if the weather permits is great or going for a walk in the park (not always possible).  The third tip is try to ensure if on medication you try and calculate taking into account time changes when you should medicate. The fourth tip and most important tip is simply to get up and go and enjoy yourself.  Life is simply too short to worry too much. My neurologist is fine. Mayo Clinic trained and he always likes talking about fine wines and charging the insurance company with what he can get away with.  So, enjoy Morroco.  Watch Casablanca before you go or on the way and enjoy its people, their culture, the scenery, and the excellent food.

 

[Shane Tarr]

Good question.

Reading reply threads above it seems that climate triggers MG symptoms, For most of the year I live in temperatures where the daytime average is 35C and overnight average low 21-24C, Humidity varies from a low of 45% during the hottest month when daytime temperatures regularly exceed 40C although overnight is can be as low as 18C, During the coldest months – well actually weeks rather than days – the overnight temperature can drop to 6C and daytime temperature struggle to reach 26C. However, I do not notice any real changes because U divide up my workday between 4 to 5 hours of paid “intellectual labor” and 4 to 5 hours of quite strenuous physical labor. We grow a range of high-value tree crops, raise fish, and cultivate (“legally”) marijuana for remedial purposes. I find being able to achieve a workable balance between different forms of labor interspersed with some leisure-based activities such as swimming and drinking an icy cold beer or a decent wine enables me to manage my symptoms. Thus, for me, climatic factors per se do not appear to be a real trigger,

 

 

[Shane Tarr]

Folk

I noticed some of you are asking whether there is a causal link between Agent Orange and MG? I work on-and-off in Vietnam and have spent some time in places like A Luoi in Thua Thien Hue – A Luoi is a border district with the Lao PDR  – and Agent Orange was used very widely in this district. I assume if there is a causal link Vietnamese affected by Agent Orange (some of them are still alive) must have some idea as to whether there is or not. Although I am not sure much is known about MG in Vietnam.

I myself was diagnosed with MG in August 2018 but the Thai specialists said my MG might have been caused by being envenomated (bitten) by a beautiful but quite toxic Banded Krait – its venom is reputed to be 10 times more lethal than a cobra while working in the forests along the Mekong River in Cambodia close to the border with the Lao PDR. The pathologists in New Zealand where I was born claimed the Thai claim was nonsense but they were proved quite wrong because several of the world’s leading experts including one from India said it was possible,

I bring this up to illustrate that medical experts are not always correct with their assessments and this might apply to those affected by Agent Orange. Please direct message me and I will do some checking around for you in Vietnam when lockdowns are more relaxed.

 

Cheers

Shane