[Chris M]

Re: Traveling with multiple myeloma

by Chris M on Mon Feb 08, 2016 9:25 pm

Hi Moonscape,

If you feel well enough and your doctor has no objections to your plans, go for it and enjoy yourself!

One thing you might want to consider: If you needed medical care unexpectedly while traveling, would you be relatively close to a hospital or a medical clinic?

My husband flew out of state last year with coworkers for business. He felt fine when he left home. While there, he became very ill with a GI virus, became very dehydrated, and ended up asking hotel staff to drive him to a local hospital's ER. He was then admitted for an inpatient stay for acute kidney failure. His coworkers had to return home while my husband was still inpatient, and he missed his scheduled flight home. Once the hospital pushed IV fluids into him, his kidneys recovered quickly, thankfully. He was able to get the hotel to pick him up at the hospital and he stayed there until he could arrange his flight home.

Just before my husband's "adventure", we had been mulling over a snorkeling trip to Belize. After he got home from his business trip, we found there was no doctor office near the Belize resort, much less a nearby hospital in case anything unexpected happened again. Needless to say we nixed going to Belize and opted for Treasure Island, Florida!!

Best wishes,
Chris M.

[wesley]

Re: Traveling with multiple myeloma

by wesley on Sat Mar 12, 2016 11:45 pm

Hi

We have been to Turkey (in 2015), to Rome (just before autologous stem cell transplant [ASCT] at Mayo in February, 2014), and we are booked for Southern Africa (three weeks) this summer. We were in Aruba the fall of 2014, after ASCT.

Just got back two weeks ago from Oahu, and NYC the week before that. Looking at Ireland and possibly the Galapagos in 2017. And some domestic travel.

As you can tell, I have the good fortune to feel good since diagnosis, other than ASCT 6 week post. So there IS travel after diagnosis, if you are lucky to tolerate treatment well. I have tolerated 10 mg Revlimid maintenance well, and tolerated induction (although I hated dex!)

I have not worried much about infectious disease, and have not been sick much here or on the road. I hope the same for you!

Wesley