Hi all tomorrow I have to start a 3month course of chemotherapy(all intravenous with a pump attached to a pic line), last year I tried a course with tablets and a drip and it knocked me for 6 no 12 actually, reason for the post has anyone done chemo whilst living in a van and if so how well did you cope? We still live in a house but are due to move into our van in April which has a full ensuite which I figure will come in handy, just looking for any one with first hand experience and yes I know chemo affects us all differently btw im positive ill get through as last year id just undergone major surgery before chemo and had a bag attached which is no longer there(Hooray)
Bruce and Bev said
08:40 PM Feb 22, 2016
Hi Deb or Gary. Luckily I am not faced with what you are about to endure and hopefully you will come out the other end in remission.
Has your Oncologist and support team advised you and have you asked them the worst case scenario of living in a caravan?
I wish you the very best of luck and that the effects are minimal so you can travel/live in your 'van.
trouto said
08:47 PM Feb 22, 2016
I looked at your profile and saw that you were born the day before my wife
she two is going through chemo . Did it in the chair thing for 6 months ( every 2nd week ) 3 months of radiation
a few scans afterwards and found that it had spread to her lungs
started the chemo pills for 3 months found the it had started to spread to her liver
all of her vains have gone Can't get any more chemo in them so they put a pit line in and this just made it so much easier to recive BUT this only lasted one treatment and got infected and caused blood clots so now they had to removed the pit line she now has to take blood thinning needles 2 times a day for the next 4 months Chemo had to stop
they said that once the clots clear they will put in a port and restart the chemo then
so now she feels fine ( no chemo ) and we plane a few weeks away until it starts again.
sorry that was off the topic a little . I watch her go through "HELL" for 4 or 5 days a week and then feel better just to start again
we go through all of this crap in our own home I really wish you all the very best doing this in a box (caravan)
you need time alone while you feel crap , sorry I just really hope it all goes well for you , weather you are in a house or a caravan it's just so hard on both of you
Iv got my fingers crossed
my wife has just said if ever you need or want to talk just get back to us
all the very best and good luck
navynurse said
10:11 AM Feb 23, 2016
Commiserations mate I've seen lots of chemo given and as you said everyone reacts differently. As to living in a van you will have a comfortable bed the toot is close and you can move about on good days (short getaways). If the stairs become a problem there was a post about how to make a ramp on the site a while ago. Get a comfortable chair and a footstool for sitting outside it's important to see the outside world every now and then.
Hope this is of some help and good luck.
Allan
Woody n Sue said
01:15 PM Feb 23, 2016
I too can not help with your question however you have my heartfelt best wishes that you get through this and out into the wild blue yonder of Australia our son went through A.L.L from 3 to 10 when he had a bone marrow transplant and is now as healthy as anyone else so trust that you will get through this as he did with great results
Best of luck and stay positive the mind is a powerful ally in tough times
Woody
erad said
04:54 PM Feb 23, 2016
My wife is going through Chemo at present. This has been going on for over 2 years now. Typically, the Chemo knocks her flat for about a week, she mopes around for a week and then she starts to pick up again, only to be knocked flat again after 3 weeks. Now, to your question...
This is like "how long is a piece of string?". It all depends on how your wife reacts to the Chemo. We put our van away because of her health (and mine) for a few years, but only recently we have got it out and started going places, Initially only for a few days, but in a few months (when she has hopefully finished the Chemo for a while), we are aiming at going away for at least 2 months, maybe 3. The trial runs we have done recently have been beneficial for her. She adores our van, and sleeps really well in it - moreso than at home. %The more we do at present, the better things become for us. We don't have an ensuite in our van, so where possible we stay at parks with ensuites. Thusfar, no problems. Obviously ensuite sites in the Kimberley are going to be a but harder to find, but we will meet that as we come to it. We are gradually exending our time in the van and will keep pushing the limits until we can go no further.
As I said, it all depends on how your wife reacts to the Chemo. I suggest that you try it out for a short break and see how you go. My wife cannot lift the roof of our poptop any more, and I have to do other things in setup/breakup of camp which previously were her domain, but they are only small issues. Overall, I feel that the benefits of getting away from home far outweigh the downers, and we are now going to take every opportunity that we can. We both know it won't last forever, but we are making the most of what we have been given. I suggest that you try to do the same, but keep a sharp eye out for your partner's discomforts etc.
Bruce and Bev said
11:05 PM Feb 23, 2016
Hi Erad. Great to hear the two of you are getting out and doing as much as your wife can handle - life is to be lived and when it is under threat, it is even more important to do as many things as you both enjoy and just compromise on your ladies limitations.
Your post was a really nice and heart warming account of how you both account with the physical and mental limitations of cancer
Hi all tomorrow I have to start a 3month course of chemotherapy(all intravenous with a pump attached to a pic line), last year I tried a course with tablets and a drip and it knocked me for 6 no 12 actually, reason for the post has anyone done chemo whilst living in a van and if so how well did you cope? We still live in a house but are due to move into our van in April which has a full ensuite which I figure will come in handy, just looking for any one with first hand experience and yes I know chemo affects us all differently btw im positive ill get through as last year id just undergone major surgery before chemo and had a bag attached which is no longer there(Hooray)
Has your Oncologist and support team advised you and have you asked them the worst case scenario of living in a caravan?
I wish you the very best of luck and that the effects are minimal so you can travel/live in your 'van.
I looked at your profile and saw that you were born the day before my wife
she two is going through chemo . Did it in the chair thing for 6 months ( every 2nd week ) 3 months of radiation
a few scans afterwards and found that it had spread to her lungs
started the chemo pills for 3 months found the it had started to spread to her liver
all of her vains have gone Can't get any more chemo in them so they put a pit line in and this just made it so much easier to recive BUT this only lasted one treatment and got infected and caused blood clots so now they had to removed the pit line she now has to take blood thinning needles 2 times a day for the next 4 months Chemo had to stop
they said that once the clots clear they will put in a port and restart the chemo then
so now she feels fine ( no chemo ) and we plane a few weeks away until it starts again.
sorry that was off the topic a little . I watch her go through "HELL" for 4 or 5 days a week and then feel better just to start again
we go through all of this crap in our own home I really wish you all the very best doing this in a box (caravan)
you need time alone while you feel crap , sorry I just really hope it all goes well for you , weather you are in a house or a caravan it's just so hard on both of you
Iv got my fingers crossed
my wife has just said if ever you need or want to talk just get back to us
all the very best and good luck
Hope this is of some help and good luck.
Allan
Best of luck and stay positive the mind is a powerful ally in tough times
Woody
This is like "how long is a piece of string?". It all depends on how your wife reacts to the Chemo. We put our van away because of her health (and mine) for a few years, but only recently we have got it out and started going places, Initially only for a few days, but in a few months (when she has hopefully finished the Chemo for a while), we are aiming at going away for at least 2 months, maybe 3. The trial runs we have done recently have been beneficial for her. She adores our van, and sleeps really well in it - moreso than at home. %The more we do at present, the better things become for us. We don't have an ensuite in our van, so where possible we stay at parks with ensuites. Thusfar, no problems. Obviously ensuite sites in the Kimberley are going to be a but harder to find, but we will meet that as we come to it. We are gradually exending our time in the van and will keep pushing the limits until we can go no further.
As I said, it all depends on how your wife reacts to the Chemo. I suggest that you try it out for a short break and see how you go. My wife cannot lift the roof of our poptop any more, and I have to do other things in setup/breakup of camp which previously were her domain, but they are only small issues. Overall, I feel that the benefits of getting away from home far outweigh the downers, and we are now going to take every opportunity that we can. We both know it won't last forever, but we are making the most of what we have been given. I suggest that you try to do the same, but keep a sharp eye out for your partner's discomforts etc.
Your post was a really nice and heart warming account of how you both account with the physical and mental limitations of cancer