Beach Tips for Folx with Lupus

I was fucking DEVASTATED last year when I had one of my worst flares after spending a hot summer day at the beach. That's how I learned the hard way that my lupus reacts to excessive sun and heat, and I was bed/couch-ridden for weeks, sleeping 16-20 hours a day, unable to work, etcetc.

I reallyreally loOoOoOoOve the beach. Growing up, I spent all my summers at the Jersey shore, so I was fucking stoked when I moved to a place where the beaches were accessible all year round. (Well, kind of.) But after that gnarly flare last year, I thought that summertime beach fun was donezo for me and I was soooooo saaaaaaaaad.

Welp, I got to thinking about how I could mitigate the impact of the sun and heat so I can still enjoy getting sand in my ass and being scared of floating seaweed, and I'm happy to report that I've cracked the code! Here's how I made it work for me:

☀️ Broad spectrum sunscreen (protects from UVB and UVA rays) (found it for $6 at Aldi!)

☀️ Giant floppy sun hat

☀️ Beach tent

☀️ Drank lots of wooder

☀️ Drove 1.5 hours north to a city that was 20 degrees cooler than LA

☀️ Went with someone in case I got sick (but also for fun!! tbh I've done this as date days with my partner, awwwwuuuhhhh)

I've tried this twice and I will say, I did have some increased brain fog and fatigue, BUT!!!! It cleared up by the end of the week and it was nothing compared to Flaregate 2022. There were other benefits of traveling further, too. Leaving LA meant we found a much less populated beach. We were able to spread out far enough from others that I felt comfortable taking off my mask and I even completely submerged in the ocean for the first time in yeeeeaaaaars.

Long story long, I am feeling very nourished by the sand and the sea and I'm looking forward to another dip next week!