"Leaving on a Jet Plane" John Deutschendorf, but I first heard it by Peter, Paul and Mary
Well, maybe.
Here's a latter I wrote to the CLL and Bone marrow transplant ACOR lists. I am asking you to also weigh in. My wife has never been to Italy. I've been twice, but never to Venice.
Dear Friends,
My mini-allo matched unrelated donor transplant for CLL took place on July 1 and I have had an extremely easy time. No graft versus host, but still a complete remission MRD neg. I am on tacrolimus and sirolimus. The only problem is that I am only 28% donor in my blood and 56% donor in T cells. Been home for 2 months. I am thinking of visiting my son in Florence and also seeing Rome and maybe Venice in November. I hear Venice is not very clean. I will be day about day 140+
I would appreciate any warnings or advice about the sanity and safety of the trip. I am holding precious and rare tickets bought with frequent flyer miles until Oct 2 only.
Thanks
posted by Brian Koffman at
8:08 PM
5 Comments:
Hi Brian: I think you should be wary of travel, thinking of infection control, etc., but you would know that!
I see the mention of PP&M - did you know that Mary Travers had a bone marrow transplant for AML, about 3 years ago? It worked for her; I do wish you all the best -
Alison.
I would wait another 6 months to visit Europe. I would be cautious of any lengthy plane ride and possible infectious issues across the pond. Stay close to home and enjoy your great response and lack there of.
I would err on the side of caution. Think of the crowded airplane and sharing close quarters for hours; also the crowds at the airports. It doesn't seem worth the gamble; it's not as if it's now or never. If you were to decide not to go, could you give away the tickets to a worthy recipient?
Hello!
I think the riskiest part is the plane travel portion of the trip, because of the approx 13 hours of re-circulated air each way. Heck this is something I worry about every time I get on a plane, whether feeling healthy or with the slightest scratchy throat coming on.
However, I also believe that a fantastic opportunity such as this should be experienced, and no doubt you would have an amazing time in Italy. So ponder this: what % of time would be spent on worry/safety/prevention vs. carefree/joyous. If the latter part is higher in % than the former, go for it.
Marly
It can be a scary thing traveling for the first time after transplants. I flew to Baltimore after a year and still ended up with a slight cold.
I did not travel on the plane with a mask and it was in the dead of winter.
Lesson learned: Wear a mask.
Once you get off the plane you just need to be aware of your surroundings. Listen for coughs and sneezes.
I think the biggest issue could be if you end up with a problem, you are away from U.S. hospitals. How comfortable do you feel in a foreign country ER Room if you catch a bug.
If you want my 2 cents, take the trip. It's Italy, not a 3rd world country. Be careful, know who is around you, distance yourself from people you don't know. Above all, bring me back a t-shirt. :-)
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