I do love to travel, though for most of my life a lack of financial resources has made it challenging to undertake any extravagant trips. Most of my travel has been done in a car, which obviously has imposed some limits as well. Hence my dismay when my cancer diagnosis threatened to put a cramp in my travel plans, short and long term. Since then, there have been days when I couldn’t even walk four houses to the corner, let alone get in my car (even as a passenger) to embark on an adventure.
Fortunately for me, those days are not common, nor have I experienced one for a while. Thus I figured I could make the trip to California for NN13 and add some days to the end of the convention without risking too much of my health and stamina. (It’s too far and too costly just to go out and back; besides, I had friends to stay with post-NN as well.)
As it turned out, my stamina held up pretty well—despite the really foolish move I made of not sleeping, at all, the night before our departure. So much for my plan to prep early. I slept pretty well on the road and didn’t have too much trouble adjusting to the west-bound time shift. But now I am seriously jet-lagged, having arrived home yesterday morning on a red-eye, and so a little too bleary to notice a little while ago that I had set my alarm for AM, not PM, when I took my second nap of the day. Ah, well; at least I’m here tonight.
My questions for you in this diary concern any adaptation you’ve had to make about travel post-diagnosis (including becoming an armchair voyager exclusively). One example: I asked my oncologist if she had any suggestions; she advised me to wear support hose on the plane. On the way back, I couldn’t make use of her other piece of advice, namely to walk every hour or so, since it was a jam-packed plane and I was not on the aisle. But I seem to have survived the ordeal all right.
I also asked my Ayurvedist, who suggested a suite of yoga exercises that for the most part I did not do while on the road. However, they’re also of general relevance, so now that I’m back I’ll start.
I took along a lot of medications and first-aid supplies, most of which I did not need. But I didn’t think of packing something that I did take the time to buy and use: foot soak/herbal bath. My, but that was helpful for my aching feet and legs. I did do far more walking than I am accustomed to doing (note to self: it’s worth trying to maintain that habit now that I’m home again) and my lower extremities were not pleased. After the soaks, however, they coped much better. I should also note that we stayed for two nights in a hotel that had an outdoor pool and hot tub. I used the hot tub once, for a half-hour. Bliss!
While on the road, I didn’t allocate much time for naps, though I probably could have used a few here and there. I took water and snacks with me wherever I went, but I didn’t consume much. Too many interesting restaurants to try instead.
Overall, we had a great trip, and I was very pleased that my stamina held up as well as it did. The friend we visited had seen me last summer at my house, and she reaffirmed that I am more energetic now than I was then. I appreciate that encouragement. It’s also now exactly a year ago last week that I learned I was NED, so perhaps that’s partly why I’m stronger now—a whole year devoted to restoring my resilience, and not to pushing back malignancies.
I’m hoping to have another trip or two this summer, and more into the fall as well, so I’d be very interested in learning about your travel survival strategies. And also about your own plans to get out of town, if you have them.
Monday Night Cancer Club is a Daily Kos group focused on dealing with cancer, primarily for cancer survivors and caregivers, though clinicians, researchers, and others with a special interest are also welcome. Volunteer diarists post Monday evenings between 7-8 PM ET on topics related to living with cancer, which is very broadly defined to include physical, spiritual, emotional and cognitive aspects. Mindful of the controversies endemic to cancer prevention and treatment, we ask that both diarists and commenters keep an open mind regarding strategies for surviving cancer, whether based in traditional, Eastern, Western, allopathic or other medical practices. This is a club no one wants to join, in truth, and compassion will help us make it through the challenge together.