Hello all I am 58 yrs young and we were about to start our travels only to be diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma (follicular lymphoma ) now has come the time for Chemo treatment , are any of you travellers dealing with this illness ?? and if so how do you manage with travelling and having to have treatments in various locations,or is this even possible??
have a smiley day
-- Edited by tezza n tomoko on Friday 29th of March 2013 03:38:39 PM
GaryKelly said
12:19 AM Mar 30, 2013
G'day T&T. I had a serious operation in Jan last year at the RPA hospital in Sydney for cancer of the floor of the mouth, which was followed by several months of radiation therapy at Port Macquarie hospital. I'm now an outpatient of both hospitals and have checkups by both the surgeon and the oncologist every 3 months. That means I have to be within driving distance of each doctor 4 times a year. I haven't started the big lap yet but plan to shortly. It'll mean gravitating back to Sydney and Port Macquarie every few months but I don't see that as a barrier to my travel dreams. I can cover quite a few miles even interstate over each 3 month period. At the end of this year, I'll have 3 more years before the checkups are finished, and I'm given the all clear (5 years in total). After that I'll be free to roam wherever I please. But I fully intend to make the most of my "free" time in the meantime.
brickies said
12:35 AM Mar 30, 2013
Hi when staying at Scarborough village van park which is on the north side of Brisbane I have en-counted many people who were staying there for all sort of treatment including Kemo, Has there is very good public transport to brisbane has well has a local hospital nearby at Redcliffe . So I would think it would depend where you are in Australia to what you would look for for the time it would take for Kemo and I am sure you doctor would be able to recommend someone in another area when you were able to move onto another area
jetj said
12:41 AM Mar 30, 2013
I'm not sure if you can use different centres for chemo. A regime would be decided by your Oncologist and given at a designated centre normally for most cancers. Best of luck with your treatments, I hope they work well.
buffy61 said
07:33 AM Mar 30, 2013
I agree with jet... Think each cancer therapy is decided by your oncologist. My partner has just been treated for bowel cancer. His chemo regime was every 2 weeks to oncology outpatients for a few hours for 2 days. Home those nights with a pump on. Disconnect on 3rd day. We could not have travelled with that regime. Chemo is finished...yay! Surgery to reverse illeostomy next week. Recovery time and hit the road in August... All being well! We have spoken to oncologist about follow up... He is happy for him to have blood tests done as we travel with results back to him. He is happy to Skype us and if we need to head to Brisbane again, we will. I suggest you speak to your oncologist and discuss your plans and see what he suggests. May have to sit tight for a while til treatment is sorted. Good luck!
Golddetectornomad said
04:01 PM Mar 30, 2013
I wish you all well in every sense of the word...I wonder how many of us in our 50's/60's/70's take reasonably good health for granted....until it is no longer there to enjoy...every time I think I have a problem in life I think of my close mates who have already departed at various ages and many far too young.. and see them all saying...."we'll swap you!..if you reckon you have a problem"...usually bucks me right out of my maudlin' mood....."......all the best...Hoo Roo
glassies said
10:36 PM Mar 30, 2013
I to have to stick around every three months after a huge bout of melanoma operation second time around i am no longer having radiation, but i do have to be here every three months, i would say that when you get to the chemo stage you wont want to go anywhere, my friend has just recovered from hodgkins lymphoma and she started chemo and was so sick she was lucky to be able to walk some days, so i doubt you may not be able to go anywhere, its not for long though so keep a strong mind and a positive attitude and you will be fine.
Good luck though, but if it were me i would stay close to the one encologist its important to have everything at need close by.
On another note Gary Kelly do you live in Port mcq nsw ? i lived there ten years before i moved up here got a very dear friend who i left behind shirley in hill st ,shes getting older and older and i miss her so much and worry about her.
I left ten years ago now, but i have been back and what a change, the place has grown so much since i left.
gecko said
12:41 AM Mar 31, 2013
Husband has same as you, was stage 4 in bone marrow, after 6 mths chop chemo, now in remmission, top up every 3 months for two years. to stay in remmission as long as possible. we chose not to travell during chop chemo , Just wanted to wish you all the best for a good out come
GaryKelly said
01:42 AM Mar 31, 2013
G'day Glassies, nope, I live about an hour south of Port, at Taree.
buffy61 said
01:42 AM Mar 31, 2013
What glassies said.... you wont want to go far when having chemo. My partner has been unable to work since chemo started in August. He thought he would go stir crazy... he was weak as a kitten and slept a lot so in the end he didnt have the energy to worry about going to work. He is still very tired and we both do wonder if he will ever be back to the fit gym going man he was before this!! He has til August to get his mojo back!! lol Good luck with your chemo and whatever else they throw at you!!!
glassies said
02:50 AM Apr 2, 2013
oh ok gary , i know taree very well, lived in forster and tuncurry several times in my younger years nice spot that forster and tuncurry quite a busy place now though, like everywhere i guess.
gecko said
02:29 PM Apr 25, 2013
Hi terry hope chemo,s doing the job ,and your all doing ok
the rocket said
05:50 PM Oct 19, 2015
Hi glasses, how,s things?
just read you had a melanoma. That would have been tough.
strop has been diagnosed with bowel cancer And is awaiting surgery.
any tips. We are living in our caravan full time and was wondering if you are also.
Hello all I am 58 yrs young and we were about to start our travels only to be diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma (follicular lymphoma ) now has come the time for Chemo treatment , are any of you travellers dealing with this illness ?? and if so how do you manage with travelling and having to have treatments in various locations,or is this even possible??
have a smiley day
-- Edited by tezza n tomoko on Friday 29th of March 2013 03:38:39 PM
I'm not sure if you can use different centres for chemo. A regime would be decided by your Oncologist and given at a designated centre normally for most cancers. Best of luck with your treatments, I hope they work well.
We have spoken to oncologist about follow up... He is happy for him to have blood tests done as we travel with results back to him. He is happy to Skype us and if we need to head to Brisbane again, we will.
I suggest you speak to your oncologist and discuss your plans and see what he suggests. May have to sit tight for a while til treatment is sorted. Good luck!
having radiation, but i do have to be here every three months, i would say that when you get to the chemo stage you wont want
to go anywhere, my friend has just recovered from hodgkins lymphoma and she started chemo and was so sick she was lucky
to be able to walk some days, so i doubt you may not be able to go anywhere, its not for long though so keep a strong mind
and a positive attitude and you will be fine.
Good luck though, but if it were me i would stay close to the one encologist its important to have everything at need close by.
On another note Gary Kelly do you live in Port mcq nsw ? i lived there ten years before i moved up here got a very dear friend
who i left behind shirley in hill st ,shes getting older and older and i miss her so much and worry about her.
I left ten years ago now, but i have been back and what a change, the place has grown so much since i left.
Husband has same as you, was stage 4 in bone marrow, after 6 mths chop chemo, now in remmission, top up every 3 months for two years. to stay in remmission as long as possible. we chose not to travell during chop chemo , Just wanted to wish you all the best for a good out come
He is still very tired and we both do wonder if he will ever be back to the fit gym going man he was before this!! He has til August to get his mojo back!! lol
Good luck with your chemo and whatever else they throw at you!!!
nice spot that forster and tuncurry quite a busy place now though, like everywhere i guess.
Hi terry hope chemo,s doing the job ,and your all doing ok
Hi glasses, how,s things?
just read you had a melanoma. That would have been tough.
strop has been diagnosed with bowel cancer And is awaiting surgery.
any tips. We are living in our caravan full time and was wondering if you are also.
kind regards. Rocket n strop