upcoming surgery and upcoming trip What would you do?

[Vicksterp33]

Hey everyone,

I lurk on here everyday and only occasionally post. So, I have a question and hoping some of you may be able to offer some advice.

My sister and I are going to Disneyworld Sept 14-22. We have a 30% off room only reservation paid in full for the Wilderness Lodge sep 14-20 and then the Poly Sept 20-22. I got tickets from Undercover tourist for 5 days for Disney and 1 day Universal that I have in hand. We also purchased MNSSHP for Sept 20 that are at will call. For airfare, I had a companion certificate from Delta that made my sister's flight $99. round trip but she had to travel same flights as me. She lives in a different city, so we had her coming to my house here in NYC the night before, we fly together to Disney. Then we fly here to NYC together and at JFK, she transfers to a flight to her city. Very simple.

This trip was to celebrate me beating cancer this year and to also celebrate me losing 85 pounds. Well, I've had quite a few health issues hit in the last few months in addition to the cancer. (I'll let you know as of June 11th I'm cancer free!). But on March 28th I was diagnosed with a major blood clot in my left leg causing me to go on anticoagulants for 6 months and working from home. This was 3 weeks after the cancer diagnosis. My surgeon was awesome and arranged for a vascular surgeon and a hematologist to work with him so that I could safely undergo surgery since I had a BRAF mutation in my cancer cells meaning they couldn't put off the surgery too much since it could spread or come back.

The surgery went well, I got the pathology report back that I was cancer free and things were going well. (that was June 3) I returned to work on June 24th and started to feel stronger each day. Things were looking up.

Cut to the evening of July 2nd when I woke up in severe abdominal pain. To make a long story short. I was admitted to the hospital July 6th with an infected and inflamed gallbladder. I got worse and worse and almost didn't make it. They did an emergency procedure to insert a drain and I started to get better. I was released on July 11th and have to wear this drain for 4 to 6 weeks.

Saw the surgeon for a follow up apt last week. I let him know about my Disney trip and he decided to do the surgery when I get back home. At first I was okay with that but now a week later, I can't imagine waiting another 2 months for surgery and going to Disney with this drain bag attached. I won't enjoy the trip.

So, I'm going back to the surgeon next week for another follow up to see if we can do late August for surgery.

now finally to my question. Should I reserve a room at the Wilderness Lodge for Sept 22-29 at the 30% off rate now since that rate expires next week. that way I can then do my trip Sept 20-22 at Poly then WL Sept 22-29. I can just redo flights with JetBlue since I'll lose the companion fare with Delta and my sister and I can fly from separate cities and meet at the airport. Or do I leave the trip the way it is Sept 14-22 and then after my appt next wed with the surgeon, try to secure a room at the discounted rate on the last day it's available?

Help! Let me know opinions.

thanks!

 

[germ539]

Did you buy any kind of insurance for your trip? Can you get most of your money back?

The reason I ask is last year my son had to have surgery in June and we were scheduled to go to Disney in May (he has Chron's and was going to have some intestine removed), the surgeon said we could go to Disney, but we opted to cancel get our money back (we had purchased the any reason insurance through AAA) and go this year. Luckilly we could go this year with no problems.

I guess it all depends on if you could get your money back and reschedule for a time that would be better after your surgery when everything is better and you don't worry about it. I would hate to get to Disney and something else happen to ruin the whole trip. (that's another reason we rescheduled for this year)

 

[Missytara]

Personally I would discuss it with my doctor......only they can help you determine a path forward as to when to plan your trip.

 

[Vicksterp33]

thanks for the reply. I didn't purchase trip insurance yet, was going to do that next month but then this gallbladder business happened.

But I have room only reservation that can be cancelled with a full refund up to 5 days before the trip, so I'm not worried about that. And the tickets I have here and can just bring anytime we go.

I'm just thinking of putting the trip off by 6 days and then that would give me 3 to 4 weeks of recuperating before I go. Or I can always move it to later in the Fall if necessary.

Just wanted to know if I should secure a room at the 30% off discount today and put down a deposit so I know I have it for the potential new trip dates, or if I should wait until my appt next week to find out definite surgery date and then try to secure a discounted room on the last day of the promotion.

Let me know thoughts!!

thanks

 

[Vicksterp33]

Oh I will definitely be talking with my surgeon next Wednesday for sure and will cancel and reschedule if needed. That's not the issue.

I'm just wondering if I should make a potential reservation now while there is still a discounted rate in case I CAN go Sept 20-29 instead of Sept 14-22. Just so I know I have a discounted room.

Or if I should wait until next Wednesday (the last day of the promotion for room only discount) and risk not being able to secure a room since they may be sold out.

Obviously if I can't go on this trip in September, I can't go and will cancel and reschedule. But if I can go in the same time frame, I want to get a discounted room as opposed to a full price room.

So, let me know thoughts.

thanks!

 

[mommy2mygirls]

I just had my gallbladder out on July 1st. I have felt 100% back to normal since about 2 weeks post op. Granted, mine wasn't really bad, just annoying and I convinced my doctor to take it out because I knew given my family history it would just get worse. So it was a fairly simple procedure for me and they did it laproscopically (or however you spell that!). The first week was uncomfortable and sore, but once I turned the corner, I turned it fast. Right now at 3 weeks and 2 days out, I would be in perfect shape to go to Disney. Talk to your doctor about your situation of course, but from my experience the recovery was fast. If for some reason you have to have open surgery though, the recovery would be a lot more difficult.

And as a side note, I haven't had one instance of the knife-in-the-shoulder-blade pain I had almost daily before having it out. I'm so glad I did it!

 

[Vicksterp33]

Thank you so much for your reply! I will also be having it done lariscopically. I just wanted to build in a buffer of time in case I needed a few extra days to recuperate. More than just the disney trip I just want this gallbladder out sooner rather than later so that I can get back to normal life! I've never been sick with anything major in my life and the last 6 months have been insane! Even my doctor told me I should write a book about it. Crazy! The only wonderful thing that's come of all of this is that I now have and amazing team of doctors on my side!

My primary care doctor told me I needed to go on this trip so that I can mentally and emotionally take a break from all of the medical crap I've been dealing with. And I'm more than happy to postpone if needed.

Im so glad your recovery went well and that you're feeling back to yourself that's awesome! I wish you even better days ahead and pain free living now that your gallbladder is gone!

Thank you!

 

[DebbieB]

It's probably too late for insurance, pre-existing conditions are excluded in most cases. There are sometimes waivers if you buy it within so many days of making the reservation.

 

[minnie mum]

...But on March 28th I was diagnosed with a major blood clot in my left leg causing me to go on anticoagulants for 6 months and working from home.

... They did an emergency procedure to insert a drain and I started to get better. I was released on July 11th and have to wear this drain for 4 to 6 weeks.

Saw the surgeon for a follow up apt last week. I let him know about my Disney trip and he decided to do the surgery when I get back home. At first I was okay with that but now a week later, I can't imagine waiting another 2 months for surgery and going to Disney with this drain bag attached. I won't enjoy the trip.

So, I'm going back to the surgeon next week for another follow up to see if we can do late August for surgery.

Only you and your surgeon can decide what to do about your surgical dates, but here are a few thoughts.

1. It looks like you are supposed to remain on anticoagulants until around the end of September. Could this be one of the main reasons that your surgeon would prefer to wait on your gall bladder surgery? Surgery can be done if it is urgent or emergent, but for elective procedures most surgeons would prefer to avoid the potential complications of having to reverse the anticoagulants for the surgery and then re-start the anticoagulants and re-establish your preoperative levels.

2. If they remove the drain when they say they will, you should have it out by late August- so this wouldn't be an issue for you even if you go during your currently booked dates.

Talk it over with your doctor before you change anything. He probably had a very good reason, besides your current vacation, for proposing that you wait for the surgery.

 

[mommy2mygirls]

Thank you so much for your reply! I will also be having it done lariscopically. I just wanted to build in a buffer of time in case I needed a few extra days to recuperate. More than just the disney trip I just want this gallbladder out sooner rather than later so that I can get back to normal life! I've never been sick with anything major in my life and the last 6 months have been insane! Even my doctor told me I should write a book about it. Crazy! The only wonderful thing that's come of all of this is that I now have and amazing team of doctors on my side!

My primary care doctor told me I needed to go on this trip so that I can mentally and emotionally take a break from all of the medical crap I've been dealing with. And I'm more than happy to postpone if needed.

Im so glad your recovery went well and that you're feeling back to yourself that's awesome! I wish you even better days ahead and pain free living now that your gallbladder is gone!

Thank you!

Thanks! I do feel a lot better and so far, knock on wood, haven't had any of the side effects that can happen when you don't have a gallbladder.

I can totally understand not wanting to wait until after the trip to get it out. My mom let her gallbladder go to long (we're talking years too long) and she almost died. It got so bad she was jaundice and ended up with a 5 hour surgery and 10 days in the hospital. That's a big reason why I didn't want to take the wait and see approach with mine. Just get it out.

If I were you, I would be constantly worried about another attack while on the trip and wouldn't really be able to relax and celebrate like you should. I don't know anything about the anticoagulants and what effect that has on your surgery, so I'm not sure if it's even possible to have it out sooner, but I would want it out as soon as possible. That's another reason why I told my doctor I wanted it out now so I could enjoy my trip to WDW in Sept and not have to worry about what I eat and if another attack is going to happen.

Good luck with everything! The gallbladder surgery wasn't that big of a deal. The worst part was they pump you full of CO2 so they can see what they are doing and then you get horrible gas pains for a few days until it works it's way out. The actual incisions felt more like bruises. They stayed tender for a while, but as long as you don't get bumped in the stomach, it's no big deal. I hope everything gets better for you from now on!

 

[lovesdumbo]

Could you book those later dates at WL and keep the WL dates you have now too? Then after you talk to your Dr you can keep the reservation you think will work best for you.

 

[Vicksterp33]

Thanks for the help everybody!
As far as having surgery while on anticoagulants goes that is already planned with my hemotologist. It's a simple schedule that I follow to go off the oral medication for a few days while injecting myself with an alternate medication a couple of days ahead of time. It's called bridging the medication. We did this when I had surgery in June and it worked great my surgeon this time and I have already talked about this and will be doing the same thing.

And wearing the drain for 4 to 6 weeks is August for surgery. The only reason he said September at my last appt was because of my trip. But I would like to get it done for exactly the reasons you all said. No worrying about a potential attack while in fl, having to have possible problems while on vacation, being away from home if there was an emergency, etc. I would rather have it out and taken care of and then go on vacation.

And that was my thought exactly, dumbo'smom, keep my existing reservation but then make another reservation for later dates just in case and then cancel one of them when I know the exact date I'd be having surgery and how long recovery would take. I'm also more than happy to postpone until October if needed but if I can save 30% I would love to do that before this promo ends.

Thanks for the discussion and advice. I will talk with my surgeon and let you all know when this celebration will take place!

 

[Vicksterp33]

Saw my surgeon today. And he isn't even going to attempt surgery until late in September. I wanted him to do it in August but he said no. Wants to make sure that the inflammation and infection are totally gone and then will operate.

He said to go to Disney on my original dates, enjoy the trip and have a wonderful time, and then when I'm back we would do the surgery. I explained that I didn't want to travel if I might have another attack or have something happen but he said if I follow the diet and instructions for care, then I would be fine.

So, I'm going Sept 14-22 my original dates and locations and looking forward to it. We will probably change some of our dining plans since there are so many things I can't eat and just have a relaxed and fun time. I can't wait!

It's giving me something to really look forward to and focus on since this year has been full of medical stuff that's been hard to deal with so now I can't wait to see Mickey!!

Never stayed at Poly and can't wait for that! Love the Wilderness Lodge and can't wait to walk through those doors again!

thanks for the help folks! Enjoy your vacations!!

 

[jperrot1]

I've read your post and I want to say that I wish you a wonderful trip, and hope your future surgery goes exactly as planned.

 

[Vicksterp33]

thanks so much! I appreciate it. I definitely hope it goes as planned too!

I got some other good news that I don't have to do radiation now, so that's awesome!

And today I hit 90 pounds lost! So that's also good news.

I'm trying to look at the positives in all of this. My surgeon today was great. I told him I wanted to get my normal life back and start to do normal activities again. He was very cool and sympathetic and said he understood but we had to be patient. Had to give it time to heal so that surgery would be safe. So, I'm working on patience.

And dreaming of Disney! We are going to the MNSSHP party and I can't wait!! Also looking forward to just relaxing in the lobby and taking it all in. Maybe we can be flag family too. I can dream. lol.

Planning this trip has been such a great diversion. And now it's less than 2 months away so I'm so excited! I'm ready to ride the boat to the MK, ride the monorail to Epcot, take pictures with the characters, and just enjoy being outside on Main Street USA. Sure, I'll ride some rides but I'm more excited just to soak up the Disney magic and take it slow.

 

[Ofinn]

Discounts for Oct through Dec are coming out next week. Could you possible push the trip back a month. Rumor on the discount boards is that there will be 35% off deluxes. If you have a Disney Visa I believe you can book on Monday. Just throwing that option out there.

 

[karriealex]

When I had my gallbladder surgery I was up, walking around and pain free almost immediately upon waking from the surgery. I needed to walk around a bit so I went down to the lobby of the hospital with DH. Bad idea. I had security, nurses, and doctors all after me to get back up to my room. LOL Your recovery may not be a bad one.

 

[nkereina]

I don't have anything to add, just wanted to say congratulations to you on being cancer free and losing 85 lbs! Best wishes to you on all accounts

 

[Vicksterp33]

Thank you so much!! I just keep looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel, it's close, I know it!