Travel Again

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.