Disney After Cancer Treatment

[Bambi1989]

Hi All!

I’m excited to be planning my post cancer Disney trip! I have been in chemo since November and am finishing up in 3 weeks! After chemo I have 3 weeks of Radiation and a trip to Disney!

The current plan is to finish radiation on a Friday and head down to Disney on Monday. I want to know if anyone had made the trip so close to the end of treatment. I don’t know what exactly to expect. As much as chemo is not fun, it hasn’t been debilitating and I’m expecting something similar to radiation. My main symptoms have fatigue and some nausea. From what I read radiation comes with more fatigue and less nausea. Is it wise to get a scooter or something to help get around?

Anyone have any overall tips and tricks for a Disney trip after being sick like this?! I’m so excited to be near the end of treatment and actually have my Disney trip so close!

 

[siren0119]

Congratulations on completing your treatment and getting to celebrate in the best place on the planet!

In terms of managing fatigue - I would say better safe than sorry. Rent a wheelchair (or scooter if you're traveling alone) so that you have it when you feel tired or need a break. If you wait until you're actually tired, there may not be any chairs available for you to rent later in the day - and better to have it and NOT need it than not have it if you DO need it.

 

[Bambi1989]

Thank you!!!!! This has been a long journey and I’m so excited to be almost at the finish line!!!!! 1 more round of chemo to go and a little radiation; it’s almost done!

 

[tobikaye]

This is not specific to WDW, but more in general. My mom finished her last radiation treatment on a Thursday and we left for vacation on Saturday. She had done two types of chemo, each lasting over several months, and then about 12 weeks of radiation. She never really got sick from her treatments, but she got really tired and slept quite a bit. Even after it took a few months for her to even out on sleeping.

We were in Siesta Keys for about a week during end of September beginning of October. The doctors had told her that she needed to be very careful in the sun and heat during our trip. She found that the heat made her very tired. She preferred getting out during the evenings, but did okay with going on short outings during the day if she would be able to be in shade or have air conditioning.

If we had done any visit to WDW during that time, we would probably had to get her an ECV or wheelchair and then do early mornings and evenings with breaks inside during the day. I would suggest the EVC if you are tiring easily. My suggestion would also be to make sure you have something to drink with you as much as possible. Wearing a hat should help fro some shading and take breaks as necessary. I might suggest that you plan longer, indoor attractions/queues for high sun times.

Congratulations, and I hope the next 6 weeks go quickly and smoothly for you.

 

[Bambi1989]

This is not specific to WDW, but more in general. My mom finished her last radiation treatment on a Thursday and we left for vacation on Saturday. She had done two types of chemo, each lasting over several months, and then about 12 weeks of radiation. She never really got sick from her treatments, but she got really tired and slept quite a bit. Even after it took a few months for her to even out on sleeping.

We were in Siesta Keys for about a week during end of September beginning of October. The doctors had told her that she needed to be very careful in the sun and heat during our trip. She found that the heat made her very tired. She preferred getting out during the evenings, but did okay with going on short outings during the day if she would be able to be in shade or have air conditioning.

If we had done any visit to WDW during that time, we would probably had to get her an ECV or wheelchair and then do early mornings and evenings with breaks inside during the day. I would suggest the EVC if you are tiring easily. My suggestion would also be to make sure you have something to drink with you as much as possible. Wearing a hat should help fro some shading and take breaks as necessary. I might suggest that you plan longer, indoor attractions/queues for high sun times.

Congratulations, and I hope the next 6 weeks go quickly and smoothly for you.

Thank you; Great advice! I know the chemo should make me more sensitive to sun and was advised to wear sunscreen but the fatigue from outside makes sense too.

Looks like I’ll start looking for one of those ECV’s!

 

[distripplanner]

I believe beuna vista scooters (others may as well) have ecv with a canopy (for a couple dollars more) to provide shade while driving or just taking a break. We got it for my mom.

She didn’t want to get one but I forced the issue- I said I’d rather have it and you don’t need it than not have and you be miserable. An hour in, she was grateful to have it and the shade. It made touring so much easier for her.

Congrats and enjoy your trip!!!

 

[geek+nerd]

Driving an ECV or self propelling a manual wheelchair through the Disney crowd is mentally exhausting. If you have people in your party who are willing to push you, you might want to think about renting a manual wheelchair for the length of your stay. You don’t always have to ride in it. You can push it yourself like a walker or park it in an area of the park when you want to walk and then retrieve it when you need it.

 

[DisneyOma]

How strong will your immune system be at that point? What do your doctors advise?

 

[jendej]

Driving an ECV or self propelling a manual wheelchair through the Disney crowd is mentally exhausting. If you have people in your party who are willing to push you, you might want to think about renting a manual wheelchair for the length of your stay. You don’t always have to ride in it. You can push it yourself like a walker or park it in an area of the park when you want to walk and then retrieve it when you need it.

I took my sister to WDW when she was terminal and she loved her scooter. I had also gotten advice from people that it might be too mentally exhausting, but she’s too independent to wait on others to take her where she wants to go so it was a great choice for her.

May I ask with whom you’re going? We went with kids (well, first time WDW teens) and I found it extremely helpful to have an adult present to stay at the park and another to help my sister back to the room when she needed to rest.

For us the key was to stay flexible and focus on what was important for that trip and conserve energy for those things (i.e., if you have a special ADR that night, take some time to go back to the resort and rest even if you “feel fine”).

 

[Lilsia]

How strong will your immune system be at that point? What do your doctors advise?

This is what I was thinking too. Not to be a Debbie Downer, and your doctor knows best. But I would be very, very cautious with during chemo. Getting an infection during chemo is what killed my Mom. Her system was just too weak to handle it and the only place that she went was the grocery store. So it is a big concern. Talk to your doctor.