Are holiday delays between chemo and rads acceptable?

Public Archive
1

Hi,

If I have no delays, my last chemo is set for 23rd July. I haven’t had a rads planning meeting yet, but do know i will be having 3 weeks of rads. We have a holiday booked at a cottage in Wales starting on 31st August. I realise this doesn’t give enough time to have my rads beforehand, so am hoping they will allow me to delay rads until after September 8th.
Has anyone else been allowed to delay rads?

2

After her MX in spetember last year my mum was allowed to delay her planning session for rads by one week to come to my wedding but the onc was keen to get on with it and she went immediately she got back from the wedding. Mum didn’t have chemo. I would guess though that each case is different and eachh onc will have his/her own view. Hope you get it sorted.

3

Hi Lola
I finished chemo end Aug & had a holiday pre booked in Turkey for last week in Sept 1st week Oct. I had my planning session the day before I went away & started rads when I got back. Onc was happy to delay for 8 weeks & I felt much better after the break. I’m sure they will e able to work with you to sort something out.

S x

4

Thanks ladies for your replies and help.

The full payment on the holiday is due next week, and we have decided to go ahead. Rads can wait a few more weeks!

xxx

5

Good call. I benefited so much from my holiday & went into rads much stronger. Onc was happy to delay. Only word of caution, I felt ‘normal’ on holiday & found being a patient again for rads every day quite hard. I was also working an hours commute away so that may have impacted.

enjoy your holiday.
S x

6

Thanks Southpool,

I am lucky that my commute for Rads is only 14 miles each way along pleasant country roads and I am retired, so no obligation to resume work. It must be so hard for people that have to work especially if they have young children. I am certain this does not help with the fatigue.

We actually had a week away last week during week 3 of my chemo cycle. We booked it last minute because I was feeling well and we had all that lovely Mediterranean weather, so we felt like we were abroad even though we were only an hour’s drive from home! I felt normal, we both had a relaxing cancer-free week, and I came home fully refreshed to face my 4th cycle.

Thanks again, xxx

7

Belatedly, I strongly recommend going away for a break before rads.
I had my last dose of chemo on April 4th, and had a trip booked - before the cancer diagnosis - to the Aegean for 7th-20th May. My oncologist said it was ok to delay rads as long as I staeted immediately after I got back, which I did , on 21st May - like the other poster, I had planning meeting just before I went away, as they want it as near to the date you are going to start the rads as possible.

I was feeling pretty shattered, both physically and emotionally, after chemo, and the break did me an enormous amount of good. also, our bodies take such a battering from all the cancer treatments, and to me it seems a really good idea to give your body some time to recover from one lot of side effects before you start with another lot…

Have a great holiday!

8

Thanks Cybele.

I hope the Rads went as well as possible for you and you are well on the road to recovery. xx

9

Hi Lola,
Same as the others, I had a four weeks break between chemo and rads.Onc was happy with it. It allowed me to be back on my feet by the time I started rads.
At the end of chemo I could not walk 100m by the end of my hols I was trekking two hours every day in the Alps. It made rads so much easier.
Good luck