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| London's Big Ben and Houses of Parliament |
In an earlier post I talked about the psychological and
physical benefits of travel. Whether it’s a short excursion or a major trip, I
find travel to be a way of changing my perspective regarding myself and my
illness as well as of the world around me.
Last year when I was diagnosed with a return of my kidney
cancer some seventeen years after the original episode, one of the first questions
I asked my oncologist was: Will I be able to travel? His answer was that if the
treatment was stable, then yes. In May I took him at his word in a way more
vigorous that I’d previously ventured. A few short excursions and a February week
at a San Juan resort had proved successful, and so in May we spent most of the
month traveling abroad.
The first leg was leisurely: a thirteen-day transatlantic
cruise to England. The first seven days of the cruise were simply at sea, which
was very relaxing. Thereafter we began stopping at various ports. In the Azores
and Lisbon, Portugal, we got off the ship and wandered around the port towns.
In Spain and France, we took bus tours to sights we wanted to see. Once we
landed in Southampton, England, however, our travel became more energetic. Over
the next ten days, we spent several days in London, sightseeing and enjoying West
End theater most evenings, then we took the Eurostar train to Paris for a few
days of sightseeing. After that, we returned to London for a few more days
before flying home.
The combination of cancer, treatment, and side effects tends
to limit my energy; and so there were some concessions, such as a daily nap. We
would have breakfast, do a museum visit or some other activity, have lunch, and
return to our hotel so that I could have a nap. Then we’d be able to enjoy late
afternoon, dinner, and evening activities. We did quite a bit of walking, and I
occasionally used my walking stick to take some pressure off my perpetually
sore, swollen feet (a side effect of the cancer treatment). Often we zipped
around London or Paris on the subways, which invariably got us close to our
destinations.
A couple of other concessions: We left our largest suitcase
in a railway left-luggage facility in London rather than schlep it to Paris.
And I reserved a chauffeured car to Heathrow airport on our last day, rather
than deal with luggage on the airport train.
London and Paris have been favorite destinations over many
years, and being able to visit them again was psychologically energizing even
though it was physically exhausting. My attitude has been that cancer is
unpredictable, and who knows if I’ll get another chance to travel in this
manner. The maxim, “Seize the day,” seems all the more reasonable, given the
circumstances.
And the trip was
exhausting. As I write this nearly a month after our return, I’m still
struggling to regain some energy. Prior to the trip my oncologist noted that my
anemia was worsening. Upon our return, he switched me from the daily iron
tablet, which didn’t seem to be effective, to iron infusions. I’ve had two
infusions now, a week apart, and hope they’ll eventually help decrease the
anemia and return some energy. Anemia is energy-zapping. In addition to
fatigue, it makes my fingernails like tissue paper, shortens my breath (because
fewer red blood cells are available to carry oxygen), and diminishes my
appetite. I often feel too tired to eat. I lost about ten pounds, mostly during
the last two weeks of the trip, and have lost a few more here at home. While I
can stand to lose a bit of weight, I’m trying to slow that down. I don’t
recommend anemia as a weight-loss program.
But, bottom line, would I do it again? Absolutely! I have a
passion for traveling. Other people have other passions. I tend to believe that
in pursuing one’s passions the benefits outweigh the negative consequences.
