Hi ladies
just a quick question. We want to go on holiday for a week- just tenerife not long haul. Anyway, I’m on eribulin so have infusions 2 out of 3 weeks. I was thinking of asking onc if I could delay cycle 3 or 4 just by a week to have a holiday. I’ve just had a scan and things seem stable at the mo so we are keen to have a break away on the back of the good scan.
Has anyone else asked their onc this and got the go ahead? Surely an extra week break would be ok given this can happen if bloods etc are low?
Or will my onc laugh me off the phone?!
Any advice welcome- I will call her secretary next wk to ask. Just trying not to get our hopes up…
Thanks
tina xx
Hi Gingerbud
Please, what ever your oncologist says, do check out your holiday insurance cover, assuming you have it, before you decide to go ahead with your holiday? Also check with your airline carrier as they have restrictions on certain people such as pregnant women, but no ideas about chemo patients.
Whilst chemo will be delayed if your bloods are low this is because there is a medical reason for this, not a social one. Quite personally I certainly wouldn’t want to be out of the country whilst having chemo and would like to be able to get to a hospital pretty pronto should the need arise. It is important to keep as healthy as poss and infection risk-free whilst having chemo, and I wouldn’t want to run the risk of holiday tummy, aircraft air-conditioning germs or even a repeat of a ‘lava palaver’ which could delay your chemo still further.
Of course, this is my personal view, and I would rather have a holiday once all my treatment was over, but do listen to your oncologist and see what others on here have to say too.
Thanks for your reply. Sadly I have secondary bc so waiting til treatment is over isn’t really an option as I am going to be on treatment for the rest of my life.
Oncs always talk about ‘quality of life’ and I have heard of people having holidays during treatment- there are risks I know but sometimes calculated risks are worthwhile- especially when living with secondary bc.
Has anyone been in this situation? Advice would be great!
Tina x
Hi tina,
I had my FEC delayed by a week due to holiday, but my holiday was within the UK. My onc always says it’s good to enjoy life while on treatment. Honestly, I nearly gave up on FEC because I felt so ill on it and a holiday was just what I needed at the time.
Beware though that they do tend to forget what they’ve agreed to! I got “questioned” after I was back from my holiday why my chemo was late by a week! It soon became clear however and all the guilty finger pointing towards me of “messing them up”. LOL! We did have a good laugh though.
Hope you have a nice time if you get the permission to go.
M xx
Poor you - no wonder you are asking for advice, given that your situation is a bit more complicated than being on a certain number of chemos. Your oncologist is better placed than me to advise you, but let’s hope that they think that a holiday will be the best treatment for you, so here’s wishing you a very happy holiday.
Take care
Mazzalou x
Thanks m1yu 
Good to hear that it’s a possibilty. We are feeling very much in need of a break away and I would feel better going on the back of a good scan than holding out + potentially missing the opportunity if my next scan isn’t so good. I think it’s important to have nice things to look forward to isn’t it+ whilst I’m well enough to enjoy life, I’m bloody well going to enjoy it. A week in the sun with my little boy + hubby would do me the world of good, I’m sure. Hopefully, some other secondary ladies will have some experience of this too. Thanks x
Go for it gingerbud, I’m just negotiating a holiday after mine was cancelled for the second time recently due to treatment and am DETERMINED to get away nect month before i go mad. Can’t imagine a week or so delay would make huge difference, and you’re right, you need a break. Do it I say x
Hi Tina, I also pOstponed FEC for a week to go on hol. My onc was OK about it as long as it was in the.week when my bloods were coming back up. Hope your onc gives you the go-ahead! Love Mo xx
Poor me indeed…!
Francesca- hope you get to go away soon. Thanks for the encouragement, hopefully our oncs will agree that we both need and deserve a break away! X
Mo thanks for the encouraging reply! Fingers crossed x
anyone else managed a trip abroad between chemos?
X
We had to cancel a holiday so that I could start chemo - I asked my onc every time I saw her if we could book a holiday and it was always the same answer. If it was for a weekend and no further than Europe then fine. We didn’t bother. Now looking at booking something for after Rads are done with.
hi gingerbud,
Different again to you and your treatments but may help if you get the go-ahead to go.
I was having Chemo every 3 weeks but did go on holiday to spain Majorca half way through my 8 sessions.
Made the following arrangements before I went.
-Checked with insurance- ok provided doctor agreed and I sent them a letter showing this.
-Spoke to the place where we were staying and asked for a local doctor number, Hospital and how far it was to each.
-Got a letter from the Oncologist which explained the treatments I was on and recomended that I had the int antibiotics for any infection and gave them an emergency number to call if they needed further advise.
-Got a Spanish friend to call up and check hours they were open and if they could give int antibiotics at any time. She also translated the Oncologist letter into Spainish for me.
-Obtained taxi number 24 hour to get me there if neccesary. ( translation of exactly where I wanted to go on a bit of paper as well)
-took 2 different types of antiobiotics from the GP.
Needed none of it !!! lucky me.
I hope this helps.
BB
P.S.The only thing which was a struggle was the long walk to the plane at Gatwick… should have booked one of those little golf buggy things.
Tina I had to cancel a holiday when I had my primary Chemo, but asked to delay starting Chemo for my recurrence and they were happy to delay the start.
Hope you get a chance to get away with your boys xxx
Lulu x
Hi Tina - ive now been on hol four times during chemo. As you say, we cant wait till treatment is over as that will not be the case. Weve ben to New York (primary bc), france twice and devon. We are off to Sweeden in feb. Ive done a mixture of delaying chemo a week and going on a ‘good week’. Onc happy with quality of life balance! One piece of advice, book ALL your family insurance with the same company so if you have to cancel cos you are not well it will pay all your holiday costs back, not just yours as prob oh nd dan not want to go without you?! Insurance is hard mid treatment but MIA online have been fab nd, i think, v reasonable (about £160 for 4 of us for a week including all my medical conditions).
Holiday are special - go for it!!
Pm me if you want more details esp about mia insurance!
Sadie Xx Xx
Hi Tina I had hol breaks why on chemo but was only going uk when we tried to get ins to go abroad was stupid money ESP why on chemo to i talk to my bcn and she advises or talks to my onc for me gd luck Laura
Thanks so much for all the replies I’m hopeful we will be able to work something out after Reading ur posts.
I was thinking of asking for a neulasta jab after chemo to give my counts an extra boost + also, would take anti b’s with me. I have been lucky in that I’ve never had neutrapenia or any other similar probs on any of the chemos I’ve had so far (*touches wood*) so I would feel confident about going away 2wks after an infusion.
I think I will have big probs getting insurance though. Sadie I will contact MIA online and see what they say. When we went to Ibiza last summer a few wks after my last carbo, we ended up just taking the EHIC card as the insurance quotes were rediculous. Most companies wouldn’t even give me a quote, so I guess my options will be even more limited this time, being mid chemo with suspected (early) organ involvement now…
I would probably book at last minute + use the EHIC card. We have full cover with our bank, excluding bc.
Oh to be well +to be able to do what we want when we want!
Thanks ladies, i will keep u posted
tina xx
Hi. Hope MIA come up trumps! They certainly have insured me mid chemo with organ involvment several times now! Fingers crossed. The thought of holidays certainly keeps me going!! Chemo number 30 tomorrow, i think i need a badge!
Hugs,
Sadie Xx Xx
Hi sadie Chemo 30 wow!! U deserve more than a badge!! Hope it goes well. fingers crossed u get that chemo break very soon! I called MIA today but got to speak to someone tomorrow so will let u know what they say. The baby is adamant we are going away + is talking about the beach non stop so really hope we dont have to disappoint him (or us!). Won’t book til nearer the time so going to wait til I see onc on 24th to ask her 4the break (we want to go on 6th feb). Think she will want 2c how I am on this new chemo for a bit longer + I don’t want to put her on the spot on the phone. The best things come to those who wait lol!
Watch this space!!
Tina xxx
I delayed starting my chemo so I could go on holiday. I have just finished chemo and asked around about a holiday during it. Most insurance companies want a gap between finishing and going abroad or wanted really really silly money.
Regarding asking for a Neulasta jab there very strict (well they are at the Marsden) I was neutrophenic twice, the second time after a Neulasta Jab so they finished my chemo early. As it was close to Christmas and I was neutrophenic I said could I have one. The oncs answer was your bloods will go back up within a week just stay out of the company of unwell people. He went on to say that they only give them to neutrophenic patients so that they can have there chemo and as they were stopping it I didn’t need one. He went on to explain that Neulasta stimulates all cells to grow good and bad and it has to be given to outweigh that fact.
Really hope you and your family manage to get a break xx
Hi Tina,
I’m another one who has delayed chemo for a holiday, all with my oncologist’s blessing. You may remember that my family live in the Middle East but I have my treatment in the UK. During Gemcitabine/carboplatin last year (another 2 week out of three regime) and Abraxane/Xeloda this year we managed to arrange the schedules so that I could fly out for the October half term, which was wonderful for all of us. Quality of life is so important both for us and those around us - i know our whole family found the separation much easier to cope with knowing that we had these windows when we could all be together again - and never underestimate the fantastic feeling of a bit of warm sun too!
Best wishes!
Julie x
Thanks for your comments girls!
I have just tried MIA online + they were brilliant!! They will cover the 3 of us including bc for just £144!! Unbelievable!! They won’t give us cancellation cover but I didn’t expect that anyway + we plan to boook much nearer the time anyway.
My onc better agree now lol !!
Sadie thanks for the recommendation
xx