Generally, would someone ending chemo

[Jenna1983]

a month prior to a cruise be best advised not to take the trip? Or has anyone known anyone from here that went on a cruise fairly near the end of their chemo treatments?

 

One of my family members traveling with us was recently diagnosed with cancer. They did not buy travel insurance so canceling at the last minute won't be possible if they decided to not cancel before final payment in October.

 

I know it is a long time away but I don't want the person to get sick/have issues at sea or lose all of their money. The individual starts chemo in a month so I don't think they've even discussed this situation with the doctor but are trying to decide now.

[coconutball4u]

This would seem to be a question more suited to a doctor then an internet message board IMO.

[bonnys]

When we were preparing for our wedding on the Glory my mother found out one month before that she had breast cancer. She had to have surgery, followed by chemo and radiation. She talked to her oncologist about travelling after surgery but before the rest and was told ok. The doctor even said it was a good thing the trip was so soon because he wouldn't give her the ok to go either during or right after chemo. The intense sun in the Caribbean is multiplied many time over and her body could not have handled it. For the next 1.5 to 2 years she was still more sensitive to the sun than she was before.

[MimiKiwi]

have the patient discuss this with the oncologist. Many factors will contribute to the decision to go or not, such as the patient's fatigue level and recovering immune system. God bless him/her and best wishes for a speedy recovery.:)

[JENNIEROEBUCK]

I work in a Cancer Center, we come across this type of question a lot. In most cases we encourage people to travel if they feel up to it. If nothing else, it boosts their spirits! It really depends upon the type of cancer a person has and what type of chemo they've taken. It would be best if this person asked their oncologist for an opinion, most of the time the Doctor will say it's ok.

[Jenna1983]

They do plan to ask the oncologist but chemo doesn't start until the beginning-middle of July (has to recover from the surgery). I know the oncologist did tell them that most people work through the type of chemo the individual is receiving (3x a week, every other week for six months). And I think they kind of want to have a game plan in mind so they can find alternative plans for the first week of vacation since they were spending a second week in FL.

 

I hesitated posting this here but figured it was worth a shot. I know the issue of sun would not be a problem since the individual is not planning on going to the beach (Maybe some sightseeing/a lot of time on the ship).

 

It's quite possible none of us could be going on this cruise because as well as one of the people traveling with us being diagnosed, one of the other individual's parent was diagnosed with a metastasis of their cancer. It just breaks my heart.

[Grits53]

I'm so sorry to hear the sad news. I agree that this should be discussed with the Dr. However, my 2 cents worth is that I wouldn't do it. I know that chemo suppresses the immune system. Even though I am quite healthy, I almost always seem to come down with a bug of some sort shortly after a cruise. With so many people and their germs concentrated in one relatively small area for several days, it is inevitable that everyone will be exposed to several "bugs" during a cruise. When a person's immune system is suppressed, not only are they much more likely to contract a virus or disease, but once in the system, that "bug" can be far more serious than in a person with a healthy immunity. For this reason, I would not want to cruise that soon after chemo. I would want to wait until my immune system had time to recover, which will probably take several months.

[texgen]

We traveled with friends in May on the Conquest---one of our friends was on chemo at the time-- he was on 3 times one week and 1 time the alternating week. His doctor took him off the week before we cruised and the week of the cruise and he started back on Monday when we returned and has no problems. In Cozumel we went to Passion Island and he had no problems with it.. Just ask the onocologist about it. He had a great time. Good luck and enjoy the cruise.

Ginnie

[firefly333]

I went to Midland TX to meet a friend who was still on weekly chemo who has since passed away, sad to say, but she skipped that threatment to go see her brother and flew in from Calif and stayed 4 or 5 days.

 

If she can BBQ and fly from CA to TX both way and run around in the heat with us, I dont see why someone couldnt cruise.

 

I should add she planned on doing Chemo the Monday after she got in on Sunday, but her vitals werent right so she cancelled, but she said she would have been extremely tired after a chemo session.

[Disney Debbie]

I'm a cancer survivor and basically it's one of those wait and see things. Chemo really wasn't that bad on me - I'd have it on Tuesday, feel really, really tired on Thursday afternoon and Friday and be pretty much back to normal by Sunday. I had my chemo first and THEN surgery - so I really can't answer how I felt a month after chemo - but 2 months after (1 month after surgery) I felt fine. Radiation was worse on me! (had it last)

 

But I was really lucky - I have many church friends who've had chemo and felt really bad, had problems with blood counts etc. and had to miss treatments. I never had problems like that. It really does just depend on the person and the regimen they're on. I had a very positive, upbeat attitude and I truly believe that helps as much as anything.

 

They will have enough treatments under their belt by October to know if they can take it or not. I wish them the best and God bless.

[candigirl41]

I am currently undergoing chemo. I had radiation for 6 weeks, then surgery and I had my 5th chemo today. My chemo requires me to have pump at home for two days, so there is not way I could cruise. I am trying to go in September, my chemo should be over for a month by that point. I am asking my Dr. on Monday what he thinks. With my chemo I feel really bad most of the week following the treatment. I only go every other week, so the second week I feel okay, but I have pick line in my arm which limits what I can do as far as bathing and swimming. I am waiting until I am completely done. I would have them ask their Dr. All chemo is not created equally.

 

Candi

[Wennfred]

a month prior to a cruise be best advised not to take the trip? Or has anyone known anyone from here that went on a cruise fairly near the end of their chemo treatments?

 

One of my family members traveling with us was recently diagnosed with cancer. They did not buy travel insurance so canceling at the last minute won't be possible if they decided to not cancel before final payment in October.

 

I know it is a long time away but I don't want the person to get sick/have issues at sea or lose all of their money. The individual starts chemo in a month so I don't think they've even discussed this situation with the doctor but are trying to decide now.

 

From my observation dealing with Inmates with cancer and chemo treatment, that stuff is no joke...one of the problems that comes with it are lesions in the intestinal walls and that causes alot of pain, they have to be on liquid diets for a while until the lesions are gone... Im no expert in this field but I can tell you from what I have seen that chemo treatmeat will weaken the poor guy for a while.

 

You can always find someone to take his/her place, it cost $50.00 to do a name change. I wish your family member the best of luck and many prayers in this matter.

 

 

Fred

[barbevrn]

The biggest concern would be how immunocompomized they are. Some folks on chemo drop their white blood cell count to dangerous lows. Being in close proximity with a lot of people could be deadly. They need to talk to their oncologist. Even if they say go for it.......I'd suggest some blood work to make sure their immune system could handle it.

[CenTexGal]

A friend of mine had to cancel a cruise last fall after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Her Dr. told her she could absolutely NOT go on a cruise ship with 2500 people with her immune system like it was (she would have been in the middle of treatment). They rescheduled for two months after her treatments ended and she went and had a great time. Don't know how she would have done one month after chemo however, but she had reconstruction surgery immediately after her final treatment and was good to go in a couple months.

 

Good luck to all fighting this dreadful disease.

[queenanneitis]

I'm a cancer registered nurse and I agree with those saying that not only do you need to talk to their oncologist about it but there are alot of factors that will decide this. For instance, with some types of chemo the patient is taught that they can't be out in the sun without serious sun protection and I'm not talking about just a heavy sunscreen because serious side effects/reactions can occur. Other issues will be things like what their blood counts are at that time because if they are too low it would be very dangerous for them to travel. Fatigue, how they generally feel, how the treatments are going, what other medicines they are on and there are many other issues that will have to be decided by time and how they respond to the treatments. The treatments can create their own issues or problems as well that couldn't be decided until they happen.

 

I'm also a cancer survivor and although we did make simple trips within the states at times, my doctors were very firm about my making long trips such as a cruise.

 

We wish them luck on their decision!

[patattack]

I work as an RN in an Oncology office and deal directly with giving chemotheraphy. Although I feel it is very imporant for vacations, it really is too early to tell if it will be possible for her to go on the cruise. It depends on so much as has already been stated such as blood counts, type of chemo she is getting and also how her body responds to the chemo. Fatigue is a vey big issue also. If she had purchased the insurance my answer would be to complete her regime prior to going on a cruise. Her Dr. will be the best judge along with herself.

 

I am also a cancer survivor. I had colon cancer ll years ago. I would not have even thought of climbing on a cruise ship during that time. It was a few months before I felt more like myself.

 

Pat

[coolbasset]

a month prior to a cruise be best advised not to take the trip? Or has anyone known anyone from here that went on a cruise fairly near the end of their chemo treatments?

 

One of my family members traveling with us was recently diagnosed with cancer. They did not buy travel insurance so canceling at the last minute won't be possible if they decided to not cancel before final payment in October.

 

I know it is a long time away but I don't want the person to get sick/have issues at sea or lose all of their money. The individual starts chemo in a month so I don't think they've even discussed this situation with the doctor but are trying to decide now.

 

The bottom line is, there's no way to tell right now. My niece (3 years old) just completed 15 months of chemo 3 weeks ago. There are so many different types of chemo and all people react differently to them. While my niece had minimal side effects in the grand scheme of things, she has a port-o-cath in her chest and isn't allowed to swim in a "public" pool or the ocean. So the actually chemo isn't the only factor to consider. She also couldn't always tolerate heat....not just sun, heat. She has her port removed in a few weeks and then the whole family (18 of us) is taking a cruise to celebrate in September.

 

However, all hope is not lost. If her last MRI was not clear she would have had to endure another 15 months of chemo. We still planned on cruising but chemo would have been worked around it. Chemo actually went by cycles so any cycles she missed would have just been tacked on to the end. I should mention though, she does not have cancer. She has 2 non-cancerous brain tumors.

 

Regardless, it's really going to have to wait until you have more information.

[sanermae]

My husband has fronto-temporal dementia, yet we still travel if the time seems right. Some trips turn out better than others. It truly is just a judgment call at the time of the trip. You don't want anyone to miss out, however, you don't want to be out to sea when a loved one is sick. I have learned to always buy the insurance. Good luck during this trying time, and God Bless.

[flyingtocruise]

Hi. I took a cruise after my chemo and radiation treatment. Best thing I could have done for myself. Great for the spirit.Good luck

[redskin80]

Chemo is tough no matter when and what type. Each person takes it differently. If the Dr says good to go, I would go. Just watch the sun. I think a nice week in the Caribbean would be good medicine. Just sitting and watching the ocean go by can be a very relaxing thing.

 

Good luck and god bless.

[candigirl41]

Thanks to all the other posters. It's nice to see all the great imformation these people cna provide. I went 4 weeks without chemo due to low white blood count, and by the 4th week I felt almost normal. So, I am hoping I will get to go in September. I will not even book until I am completely done and the Dr. says Yes.

 

Candi

[Jenna1983]

I know it's ultimately up to the individual and the doctor. The doctor's comment when my uncle asked about his treatment was that many of the people on the chemo he'll be undergoing continue to work while under the chemo and do well. So I'm technically not sure if my uncle specifically asked about the cruise or not. I just don't want them to get locked into something and lose money, ya know? Plus, having them look forward to it and not being able to go then. They would likely have alternate plans (i.e. they're to spend a week in FL after this cruise while we go on another. So if they're unable to travel via cruise they could perhaps plan for another week in the vacation home in FL if possible).

[firefly333]

The good thing about a cruise is if you want to rest in your cabin, you can do it any time you want. My sister has days of petit mal when we spend the day in the cabin and I dont let her get over tired on the other days.

[Rockee4055]

Jenna - the only thing is this: Chemo brings your white blood count down which leave you suceptable to infection.

 

I would talk to the doctor about that, making the wrong decision may not be in the best interest.

 

My heart goes out to her. I wish her the best of luck and hope she has a full recovery.