Breathing and walking issues

[boop629]

This is my first post. After a recent and stressful escorted northern Italy tour in April, we discovered my husband has COPD. He came home with bronchitis and other issues and after several medical consults we realize his walking and breathing is not the way it was. We've been frequent travelers and did a lot of walking, but. It looks like those days are over. My husband is 75 and using inhalers. He is able to walk but slowly and needs to stop and catch his breath. I don't want our travel days to be over, but feel concerned about what level of travel is suitable. We've done both independent and escorted travel. Cruising hasn't been our favorite thing, but under the circumstances I think that may be the way to go. Has anyone taken a particular trip, whether independently or with a specific cruise line that you can recommend? Thanks.

[paul929207]

I think you will find that with most (all?) cruises, you will have choices as to the level of physical activity. Princess indicates for every shore excursion whether it is mild, medium or strenuous. Probably other lines do that as well.

 

You can also do things on your own. There are some great guide books available. We were in the Eastern Med about 2 years ago and used Rick Steves book Med Cruise Ports. It has detailed instructions for doing them on your own. You can then set the pace to match your husbands abilities. You can pause for a rest anytime you want.

 

Many cities have a Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) bus. Some places, you may want to just get on and ride around the city.

[fabnfortysomething]

check out the disabled cruising forum-lots of info re travelling when compromised by medical conditions

[CowPrincess]

This is my first post. After a recent and stressful escorted northern Italy tour in April, we discovered my husband has COPD. He came home with bronchitis and other issues and after several medical consults we realize his walking and breathing is not the way it was. We've been frequent travelers and did a lot of walking, but. It looks like those days are over. My husband is 75 and using inhalers. He is able to walk but slowly and needs to stop and catch his breath. I don't want our travel days to be over, but feel concerned about what level of travel is suitable. We've done both independent and escorted travel. Cruising hasn't been our favorite thing, but under the circumstances I think that may be the way to go. Has anyone taken a particular trip, whether independently or with a specific cruise line that you can recommend? Thanks.

 

A friend who had always travelled independently became quite incapacitated with arthritis in her feet and hands. She and I did a cruise to Alaska. By carefully investigating the excursions offered through the ship, she was able to do a flightseeing, and a small-boat wildlife trip. Neither of them required much walking/physical activity. She enjoyed them both, but found the cruise itself quite restricting. (Of course, the cruise was all that she could really physically manage, but she was not able to come to terms with that .... if you and your husband recognize the current state of affairs and the limitations, hopefully you will be able to see the glass as "half full" )

[sapper1]

Getting around on cruise ships requires a great deal of walking. While a cruise vacation would probably be just the thing for your husband, you might consider renting a scooter from the special needs at sea people to help him get around more comfortably.

My father suffered from COPD so I know just how debilitating it can be. It is good that you want to continue travelling while making adjustments to suit the new reality.

[Treven]

As someone diagnosed with COPD (emphysema), I've had to come to the realization that I can no longer do the more strenuous excursions that I used to do. Fortunately there are plenty of excursions still available.

The glass is half full.

[jmf123]

boop629, your husband may benefit from the purchase or rental of a rollator. My mother started using one this year and it has made a world of difference. Having the seat whenever needed has been great. If you consider renting one, there are two companies that work with most cruise lines and will have it waiting in your stateroom. (You can request wheelchair assistance at the pier, for boarding and disembarking the ship):

specialneedsatsea.com

carevacations.com

 

Here is the link for the Disabled Cruise Travel forum mentioned previously: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190. And if you google 'disabled travel' there is much in the way of information. An example, Rick Steves on traveling in Europe: http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0607/rick_steves_disability_travel_in_europe.shtml.

 

I wish you both many more years of travel! You may want to discuss your situation with a knowledgeable cruise travel agent. Someone who can assist you with the details- such as booking independent tours in the ports, a convenient midship location for your stateroom on the ship, just making things comfortable overall for you. :)

[Dayenu]

My husband and I are going through similar issues. Escorted tours in Europe and US are different, US tours are much easier, and the tour guides are more accommodating. Have you looked at Road Scholar programs? They have detailed descriptions, some of them are only classes to learn a new skill.

[Keith1010]

Hopefully there will be selected cruises that you and your husband can go on.

 

Always wise to talk them over with your physician.

 

Keith

[MommaBear55]

And ask the pulmonologist about pulmonary rehab programs. They can make a significant improvement in exercise capacity.

[dorisis]

You have had good advise about tour. We find it much easier to navigate on small ships. We also avoid the chlorine around the pools. somet8imes disisnfectants also cause problems. Take all your meds and your nebulizer.

[SuiteTraveler]

Maybe you would enjoy a river cruise. They offer two types of tours: Regular and "gentle" tours that require a whole lot less walking and go at a slower pace. The advantage is that River boats are smaller. We went on the SS. Antoinette - a Uniworld cruise and it was absolutely FANTASTIC! I highly recommend river cruising - it is a great way to travel without nearly the amount of walking of an ocean cruise!

[chrispb]

You may also need to check if he will need oxygen on a flight as breathing problems can be exacerbated when 30,000+ ft up.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

You could rent a scooter ..

[marelind]

My response may or may not be helpful. DH has had COPD for 20 years; we have cruised for the last 7 years and he has been on oxygen for the last 5. We find cruising to be perfect for us. I can get off at the ports, and occasionally he will get off if there is something close to look at just off the ship. (He is very different than your husband I'm sure. DH is not a "traveler" who likes to see the sights. He is a "vacationer" who likes the ship as a destination.

 

We like cruising because the restaurants/dining rooms and anything else we want to do on the ship is close enough for a short walk. There is no packing up and schlepping luggage which takes a lot of breath for my husband. We take a POC (Portable Oxygen Concentrator) which he uses to sleep, exercise or for a flight.

 

When we take a flight we ask the airlines for a wheelchair for my husband which they provide with a "pusher" (we tip the pusher a $5 bill). The pusher always takes us to the front of the TSA line and directly to the gate. We also ask, and wait, for a wheelchair to get onto the ship. Somethime you have to walk a long way to get to the wheelchair station, but it is often easier than walking up the long ramp to the ship.

 

Pulmonary rehab is a great idea. My husband was convinced it wouldn't do any good in improving his health, until he went through the program and now finds that when he doesn't "work out" it is much more difficult to do his everyday routine, even taking a shower makes him more breathless.

 

DH breathes better with the humidity of the ocean air. Some with COPD do better with dryer air, so you might think about that. I would avoid colder weather as it makes breathing more difficult. We loved the full-transit Panama Canal trip on Norwegian Cruise Lines. It is 14 days with a great mix of days at sea and port days. It is slower and more relaxed than the shorter, port intensive cruises. YMMV.

 

We are VERY, VERY cautious about germs while on the ship. We use the hand sanitizers they have throughout the ship and wash hands frequently, he sits on the aisle in any auditorium to avoid sitting next to sick people, and we sail on NCL to avoid assigned dining seating with sick people.

 

(BTW, DH is 62; he has Alpha-1 Antitrypsin deficiency which caused the emphysema. Please be sure you have a full diagnosis which includes screening for Alpha-1, as there is a replacement therapy for Alpha-1 that slows the progression of the disease.)

[cruisingberger]

After my father was unable to walk he stopped cruising for a year or so but we all noticed that he had become depressed. We all talked him into getting a scooter and cruising again. He relented and is now ready for his next world cruise. He started small, a 3 day out of LA, then a 3 week cruise in the South Pacific. I just heard from him that they will be gone a couple of months in January and February. He said that he now prefers Balcony cabins so that if he isn't up to leaving the ship, he can still sit on the balcony and see "life" right in front of him. He has taken a cab in some cities,while in others he has gone on bus excursions, sometimes getting out to see things and other times waiting in the bus with the bus driver. He loves to talk and the driver has always been accommodating:). Loosing his ability to walk was so difficult for him emotionally, but once he recognized that his life was not over, he just needed to make some adjustments, he was back to his old self. ;) The cruise lines that he prefers, Princess and HAL do a great job with the scooter in the restaurants and going ashore. The only time he ever had an issue is in the theater. Sometimes there just isn't enough handicap seating. Good luck! I hope you are back to cruising soon.

[cruisemainiac]

I've been on a chemo that gives me breathing problems and muscle fatigue. This last trip I took a tripod folding chair. It weighs 4 pounds and is easy to use so whenever I needed a rest I had my seat with me, it was great.

[Treven]

... This last trip I took a tripod folding chair. It weighs 4 pounds and is easy to use so whenever I needed a rest I had my seat with me, it was great.

This is also one of the benefits of getting a rollator, if the OP's spouse can walk even short distances, and they choose not to get a scooter. Many times I've gotten tired while walking and needed to sit down, but there weren't any places to sit. I merely sat on the rollator's seat until I felt able to continue.

Edited November 17, 2014 by Treven