Alaska cruise

Hey there everyone I would like to say that Jeff is doing really good and we are leaving tomorrow morning to go the beach. But What im really needed to know is as anyone been on a Alaska cruise since they have had GMB. Why im asking is that we both want to go for our 20 year Ann. and I didn't know if this is a good ideal and I wanted to know if anyone ever done this. I know this will be really far from our Dr. since we live in AL.But this is a dream we both had that we wanted to go for our Ann. and people tells me to live it up because we don't know what tomorrow will bring us. We are 8 month out from being DX and we have had RAD. and chem and now we are on 23/5 of Temedor  we have had 4 treatments and he is doing really well with this. He still  have tunnell vision but we are dealing with this and we can live like this.  Im praying for you all and hope you all have a safe and memerable 4 of July. 

 Missy(jeffswife) 

Hi Missy:

 I would GO ! What a great trip to celebrate your anniv. I would make sure you bring all the meds you need. My Dad is a doctor and once get a free trip to Alaska by being the ships Dr.

You can contact them ahead of time and alert the cruise line of your husbands condition. You can also buy really cheaply, medical evacuation insurance which will provide air evacuation back to a hospital if needed.

 Every day is precious and take the opportunity while you can !!!!!!!!

Chuck

Missy,

Absolutely go for it!  Just make precautions ahead of time like having an emergency paper for each of you to carry with dr. info, meds, dosages, times taken, family contact, etc...Also, take the meds in your carry-on luggage and make sure you take extra in case you have an unexpected layover somewhere.  You can also talk to the airline people and the cruise ship people to see if there are any special accomodations they can help you with such as a wheelchair waiting at the gate and a cabin on the ship that is easy to get in and out of, railings in the bathroom, or whatever Jeff needs.  When I traveled with my husband, he agreed to use a wheelchair even though he could walk in order to conserve energy.

I hope you have a fabulous time!

Jackiekay

On 7/3/2009 Jeffs wife wrote:

Hey there everyone I would like to say that Jeff is doing really good and we are leaving tomorrow morning to go the beach. But What im really needed to know is as anyone been on a Alaska cruise since they have had GMB. Why im asking is that we both want to go for our 20 year Ann. and I didn't know if this is a good ideal and I wanted to know if anyone ever done this. I know this will be really far from our Dr. since we live in AL.But this is a dream we both had that we wanted to go for our Ann. and people tells me to live it up because we don't know what tomorrow will bring us. We are 8 month out from being DX and we have had RAD. and chem and now we are on 23/5 of Temedor  we have had 4 treatments and he is doing really well with this. He still  have tunnell vision but we are dealing with this and we can live like this.  Im praying for you all and hope you all have a safe and memerable 4 of July. 

 Missy(jeffswife) 

MIssy:

 My husband was dx 4/2006 amd we went took the Alaskan Cruise last year in Sept. (08) and I am so glad that we did because he is not able to go now.  We did notify the cruise ship of his condition and they worked really well with us.  We rented a wheelchair just in case he got tired and went to the formal diners, did excursions that he was able to do and do not regret one minute of our trip.  MAKE MEMORIES, ENJOY, CELEBRATE your anniversary.  IF you two want to go then Go and don't look back, Book it today!!!!   We had a choice of either going in Sept. or waiting until this May and if we had waited we would not have gotten to go.  ENJOY and let us hear what a wonderful time you two had!!!

 Dianne

I am 34 months since diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer. I have had chemo, Whipple surgery, radiation and more chemo. I am only on an oral Chemo (Tarceva) at this time. I just came back from an Alaskan cruise 2 weeks ago. I took all the medication I thought I might need and didn't need any.

I went on a helicopter to the top of a glacier and even got out and walked. I walked a lot for the excursions and also rested when needed. Go now while you can. If anyone had told me a year ago I would be going to Alaska I wouldn't believe them.

Take the cruise insurance in case he gets sick before you go. Have him wear a mask on the plane and keep one handy in case he is anywhere crowded.

Have fun.

Jenifer

Trip to Alaska sounds great, but I feel like I know so little of your husband's situation that I don't know how to respond.  How old is your husband?  Did he have GBM, I assume so but I didn't see where the post actually said.  Did he have surgery?  Did he have temodar and radation?  Avastin and CPT-11?  No recurrence?  Anything else? 

Did your ask your doctor if it was a good idea to go?

 As I understand it, standard treatment is surgery followed by radiation + temodar then temodar for 5 days every 4 weeks.  The GBM recurrs on average 6 months aftet the start of treatment.  Is this going to put your trip close the the average recurrence time?  Of course there hospitals in Alaska, but state is big and so thinly populated, I don't know how quick you could get to medical care if necessary.  Or how advanced the treatment for GBM is in Alaska.

Wishing you the best of luck and I sure hope you get to go and have a great time!  But think it over carefully.  When I was in the midst of my radiation and chemo, my MD said I could go to NYC, but that a little different.

Missey;

   Go while all is well.  I am so glad to hear Jeff is doing so well.  I believe that our situations are similar, Rob being dx 12/08 and just finishing his 5th round.  I hope that his next MRI is stable so we can do some things this summer too.  Have fun on your cruise!!!

Donna wife of Rob dx 12/08 GBM4

I'd go while things are stable, and have a plan of what to do in case something comes up, worst case scenario planning.  Hopefully you can go and enjoy yourselves and have a great experience and bring home many wonderful memories...

You can check your current medical coverage to see if it covers an air ambulance.  I think most do.  Look at the policy language to see exactly what it says.  I work in an HR/Benefits office, and I know our plans cover air ambulances when ground transportation can't be used, and "to the nearest hospital." I've assisted a couple of our plan members who had air ambulances while on cruises in Mexico. (These were separate cases. I helped them get the claims submitted to the plan. They had to get itemized statements from the mexican air ambulance company. The air ambulance company made both retirees pay upfront.) In both cases, the ship went to the nearest port, and they had the air ambulance there waiting. (Ship Captain calls Port Authority who arranges for air ambulance.)  They were not taken to closest hospital and the plans still covered it.  They were both brought to the US and to the hospital of their choice. You might just want to look into the hospitals in Alaska to see which might be best to go to if anything comes up. Then you can have that info on hand in case you need to use it. You might also ask your husband's current providers for a copy of his records, including MRI images, on CD, and take it with you.  Having his medical records on hand, and knowing the best and closest place to go in case of emergency, might reduce any anxiety associated with being away from his medical providers. 

I hope you can go on the cruise and have a wonderful time!