On the Road with Cancer: Tips That May Help You During Your Vacation
This summer, I’ve had the chance to slip away from the office for a couple of vacations. For me, traveling pretty much means making my reservations, packing my bags, and making sure we have someone lined up to watch our pets. In other words, it’s not that big of a deal.
But what about people who are battling cancer? What is travel like for them? On one hand, I would think that getting away from it all for even a weekend could be really relaxing. Ideally, a trip would help get their minds off of things and they could rest and try to feel better.
On the other hand though, traveling is not always easy. Anyone who has gone through security at an airport knows this. Plus, all of the preparation to get ready to go could be very taxing to someone who is already not feeling their best.
If you think about it, there are actually other reasons a person with cancer might need to hit the road or fly the friendly skies. In addition to traveling for pleasure, others might need to travel for business. And some patients travel to other parts of the country for their treatments. No matter what the reason, traveling while battling cancer seems to be something that many people have to deal with.
This past week I started researching this topic online and it turns out there are many websites with sections devoted to tips to make traveling with cancer as easy as possible. I thought I would share some of what I read with you here, and then at the bottom I’ll list the links that I was using to gather my information.
Before going any further, it is important to note that there are some situations where traveling with cancer is not advised. For example, if you have a lot of trouble catching your breath, if you are anemic, had recent surgery on certain areas of your body (like on the brain, colon or chest, among others), if you are at risk of increased brain swelling, or if you have ear or sinus issues, it might be better to delay your vacation until a later date.
But if you are healthy enough to get away for whatever reason, the tips that I found online that may help make traveling a bit easier include the following:
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
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Good info here. I would like to add that if you are wanting some blood or scan results while on vacation, to tell your provider ahead of time so they aren't calling your home or you continue to miss calls.
August 10, 2009 - 3:13pmIf you are vacationing with family or friends soon after your cancer treatments end be prepared for some awkwardness from them not asking or asking more than you want to share.
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