Going on holiday during chemo

Hello - Has anyone been abroad during chemo?
My OH & I have a holiday booked in April. My onc said that if I felt ok I could go and he would organise chemo dates round holiday.
I am in 2 minds - obviously would love to go and OH really deserves a break - bless him.
However i’m scared of what would happen if I was unwell etc. Would be really grateful for any of your experiences
Thanks & love & hugs xx

Personally, I wouldn’t do so. Am happy to holiday in this country, but would be reluctant to travel too far. But I have secondaries, which may change my focus. Since your onc is happy to accomodate you with dates-then go ahead, if it’s important to you! His opinion is the most relevant that you’ll get to your situation.

I have to agree with Elaine and say dont go, instead plan a nice holiday for when its finished, it will give you something to hang on to when things get bad. I know your OH deserves a break, but who’s got the cancer here and going through the mill? its not him. Why not for now have a break in this country, somewhere you can relax and chill out, like Centre Parc or The Manor House Hotel at Okehampton, there is something for everyone here and at the MH they do loads of pamper treatments very cheaply.
We were due to go to Gran Canaria 2 weeks ago but cancelled because of chemo. My issues were, did I want to walk about in the sun with a bald head and did I want to go on holiday and not be able to drink or eat because my taste buds had gone to pot, my answer was no to all of these, and also chemo makes your skin sensitive to the sun. Another considerations to take into account is that chemo dates can get moved because of low white cell counts, and thats what happened to me. The holiday should have coincided with what I call my good week, but because of low cell count, it got moved and I would have been going away a few days after chemo and I would just hated to have been away from home feeling like I do after chemo.
Hope my experience helps you make your mind up, and have a lovely time where every you go.

Hi Lella,

I have to agree with the others. I cancelled a holiday to Philadelphia to have my chemo and lost a fortune in the process. The main worry for me was around infection. Aircraft are hotbeds of bacteria with the air being recycled around. All it takes is one passenger to have a cold and you would be very vulnerable. I did what the others suggested and had a few long weekends at country house hotels before during and after my treatment. You do both need something to look forward to but not something that you will worry about.

Best wishes for a good time whatever you decide.

Thanks for all your advice. Your worries are mine - particularly fear of infection from plane but thought would seek 1st hand experiences. The Manor House sounds lovely - will have a look at that. xx

Just to say that I did travel abroad during chemo, my Onc said that it was ok because we were going to Holland to see our son and therefore would be covered as in the EU. He did say no to Egypt tho - not surprising really!

I also flew a couple of times every month from Glasgow - London throughout treatment.

I was very lucky and kept well only having one cold and a wee blip at the end which was a viral infection.

Personally, I decided that nothing was going to stop me doing what I wanted - even had take aways throughout - which I read later is supposed to be a no no.

So I would say that it really depends on where you were going to - if its in Europe should be ok - and if its to the sun - what better tonic could there be? I’m sure your onc would not have said yes if he had any concerns.

Enjoy your holiday whatever you decide.

Sue x

I also went abroad - to stay with my son and family in Kenya- yes- in Africa!
It was a long-planned trip taking 2 old friends with us and my onc was great about it: he organised a longer then usual break between my 3 FEC and the start of Tax.

I was very determined to go and my husband and family were very supportive. BC is bad enough without it taking every little pleasure from your life! I know some people think you should put everything on hold for 9 months+ - but I guess we are all different. The 2 weeks trip did me as much good as any treatment I am sure & helped me to get through the subsequent Tax and the rads , It is, of course, up to you- but if you have to wait nearly a year for all your treatment to be over before you have a decent holiday—well life is uncertain enough- grab your chances while you can! ( I had insurance cover which I didn’t have to call on; the only infection I contracted was from the grossly overcrowded hospital chemotherapy dept later on )

I have just booked a holiday in Gran Canaria, I am taking it in my “good week” in a couple of weeks time. I have secondaries so I live for today and feel I can`t afford to put things off these days.

Last year whils`t on chemo I went to Tenerife, Euro Disney, Golfing in Portugal, Sicily and then Sardinia. I had a great time, and no one can take that away!

I am “lucky?” that I don`t feel ill and have few side effects from my present chemo. I only holiday within Europe.

Take care,
Janx

Actually, I had quite a few “decent” holidays in the UK while I was having treatment and now have some wonderful memories that have seen me through the bad days. Even if we are not guaranteed good weather here we have a fantastic country with huge variety to enjoy.

I’ve had to put my trip to Philly off again this year because I can’t get insurance (discussion on another thread) so I now have 3 more UK breaks planned. Islay in April, Isle of Arran in June and York in August. My friend from Philly is coming home again to spend some of the time with me. She will still be living in the US next year and I intend to be around long enough to get out there for a visit.

Good luck with your plams Lella.

Jan xx

Hi,

I went on holiday to Cyprus - stayed in a friends villa after first lot of chemo. We had already booked the holiday and I was given the choice to start chemo before or after the holiday. The holiday fell on the 3rd week luckily. My Onc said it was ok to go and assured me that if needed the hospitals over there were perfectly capable of dealing with any problem. Luckily I never needed to find this out!! I must admit I was slightly paranoid about catching any infection at the airport or on the plane…anti bac spray at all times including the kids!! As we stayed in a villa we mainly cooked for ourselves, again lowering any risks of dodgy tummies!! All in all it was lovely to get away and now I’ve finished chemo I am glad I was brave enough to go!! Not sure how I’d feel about going abroad later on in my treatment as i found my bloods didn’t recover too well- maybe increasing my chances of picking anything up!! Actually being in another country with some sun was great!!!
sarah x

Hi
I was advised not between the first 2 chemos, but so long as I had only the normal SEs, I could book them between others. In fact my onc (who wa a cheerful lady) said holidays were highly recommended! I went several times for short trips to France. Medical care is if anything better in Europe than here, so if I had needed to go into hospital they would have looked after me.

When booking bear in mind chemo can be delayed due to low blood cell count, so book for the week before chemo, not after.

Sarah

Thanks so much for all your advice. The holiday is booked for the 3rd week after my 3rd chemo and if SEs are similar for each one I’ve felt fine during that week this time round.
We booked this holiday to Lanzarote a year ago and are staying in an apartment so would cook our own meals - my ONC was concerned about eating out. Having bloods done tomorrow ready for round 2 on Tuesday so will be keen to know what results are, particularly of white cells. Thanks again.

I think that you should have chemo No 2 before you make any decisions. My Onc told me not to go anywhere more than 2 hours away from my hospital so that I could get back there if necessary. We all react differently to chemo but there is no way I could have coped with flying and all it entails. My first holiday abroad was 6 months after chemo and rads and I found it very tiring and had to pace myself during the day. I was quite upset when told not to go too far away but I must say that the 2 holidays my friend and I spent at Warner Hotels were excellent, lots going on all the time.

Hope all goes well whatever you decide.

E

Blimey, not go anywhere more than 2 hours away!!! I couldn’t live my life like that… we went on a trip to Edinburgh (I live on the Gloucestershire/Wales border) for the weekend a few weeks ago and my place of employment is an hour away from the hospital alone!!!

I would still go on holiday, especially if after treatments 1 & 2 you have had a good reaction. I was fine throughout FEC - low bloods once, so now I get neulasta and inject myself - but didn’t feel unwell or tired at all.

I’m not one who believes you should put your life on hold at all during chemo, but our bodies all cope differently so you should see how you feel.

How I agree with you Flora - though I suspect I am a lot older than you. I really cannot let my life be controlled by the Bl. BC. We pass this way but once…so unless you actually do feel ‘poorly’- just go for it!