jaminkw Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I'm not real good at this but I want to try again to start a thread that gives us a little something more to help get to know one another in our virtual world here. I am the wife of a man who traveled extensively most of our marriage. I had two kids and most of the time was working, going to school and doing it all. Needless to say, I developed into an independent cuss. When I was diagnosed with cancer, my husband's caretaker self emerged big time. He has taken great care of me, but I've worried that I'll become that little old lady whose husband drives her everywhere. I talked him into going to work and letting me drive (with my daughter) to Orlando and back once for a doctor's visit, no chemo. She let me drive cause she's not crazy about city driving, and as a single mom she does it all and was happy to sit back and let mom do it. Now my point, I've talked my husband into letting me make the trip to Orlando, get an infusion and back so he can go out on a job. I'm exited. I miss my independence but it does sound exhausting. It's 7-8 hrs each way so I've broken it up into overnight at daughter's then overnight with son and family, then to hospital and the same pattern back. I'm interested in how far you travel and how you typically do your treatments. Judy on the way to Port St Lucie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandraL Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Hi Judy. 10 minute drive to the cancer clinic for me. Very lucky. I only have to take the ferry over to Vancouver for a periodic PET scan. And Vancouver is such a big nutty city that I do not do the driving as I would never arrive at my destination! Sandra, another independent "stubborn" woman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasey Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I have a little over a 2 hour drive. But since I start with the tests/scans at 7:00 in the morning, I must be there the night before ( Bethesda, MD). No way one can drive 95 in the DC area and get anywhere on time. Then I meet with the doctor the next day. All in all, we leave dinner time on a Monday, scan, etc. Tuesday, meet the doc Wednesday, and get underway for a 2+ hour drive home my noon. It makes for a LONG 3 days, but WELL worht the effort. Kasey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muriel Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 The first time I had chemo, the doctor's office, etc. was about 15 minutes from our home and on the way to my husband's office. So, he'd drop me off for chemo and then pick me up when it was time to go home. He went with me to the doctor appointments. This was heavy duty chemo and there was no way that I could drive after all the junk that was infused. We did the same thing the second time (in Florida) and it was a lot less convenient for Con. His office is about 10 minutes from our home and the Dr.s office, etc were about 30 - 40 minutes. Again, I was there long enough for Con to go to work for about 4 hours. The doctor appts. were also a problem as we both wanted him to be there, but the wait in the doctor's office was lengthy - an hour or more. This just cost him a lot more time. Things are much better now that I'm going to MD Anderson - just as far, but the waits aren't very long. I haven't had chemo there, but know that wouldn't be any more convenient than the last time. I was able to drive where ever I wanted to go after I recovered from chemo each time - took about a week or so - the first time (in Virginia). The poisons they gave me here had a much stronger affect on me and for the most part, after a month or so of treatments I didn't want to go anyplace and certainly wouldn't have driven. Muriel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caren Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 The Oncology unit that my dad uses is a 10 minute drive from home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaminkw Posted September 26, 2008 Author Share Posted September 26, 2008 Thanks for the input so far folks. I'm with you Muriel on not driving after the big chemos. But I'm just doing the Avastin now and figured I'd be o.k. to drive to my son's, probably about 30 minutes. The 408 in Orlando is pretty crazy though and even though I have done it, I had my daughter as co-pilot watching signs. Forgot to mention, my eyesight has been going bad most particularly in my right eye. Of course, I was supposed to get it fixed last Nov but dx in Oct and chemo since then....My big thing eyesight good or bad is I don't like having to make quick lane changes. My daughter came up with a great idea. I'm going online, to Orlando public transport or even the hospital to find out how I could get from Oviedo to MDACC and back without driving! She's so smart. Oh, that's right, she's my daughter. Anybody else with experience about driving to and from chemo treatments? Judy in Port St Lucie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyW Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 Chemo was about a 25 minute ride for us I use to throw my bike in back and trek about 2 miles from chemo center to work. If I got done first would ride over and pick up deb and go home. If she got done and was ready she would come by ruths chris and stop in to say hi and see if My boss would let me go little early and home we went with bike in truck!!!!! P.S. My boss Mark is a Leukemia survivor and almost always said See ya !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patti B Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 Although Cleveland Clinic is only about a 30 minute drive for me, if I have an early morning appointment or anything after 3 pm - that can turn into anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half coming out of downtown on the freeway. There is no way I could work there and do that drive everyday. And then of course if theres an Indians game - traffic can be backed up for miles!!! Joe rarely takes me to chemo as he is a long distance driver so my g/f usually takes me because in the beginning the Benadryl made me too sleepy to drive and then later she just didn't want me to have to go by myself. Now that I am on Tarceva, I went for the last doc appt by myself and am going to be a big girl and go next time to get my scan results by myself. I am like you, Judy - an independent cuss who just since being diagnosed is learning how to accept help and just say thanks and let people do things for me if they are kind enough to offer. Hugs - Patti B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaminkw Posted September 26, 2008 Author Share Posted September 26, 2008 Randy, bet you even miss those trips which were not the highlight of you and Deb's life. You were a good guy and saw she got there and back. I've just been pushing my man to get back to work because these every three week sixteen hour treks have to be getting old. I know they are playing hell with his work schedule. Patti, we do have that absentee husband thing in common. My h usband, as my children were growing up, would be gone anywhere from a week to months depending on where the job was and if it was in the States. Now I've had him home all the time and we were just kidding that if he had to be full time at a two-week job coming up, he'd have to take me with him. I have a rule of thumb now, a week to ten days is o.k. Any longer than that, I'll go along for the ride. Fortunately, he loves it. Judy in Port St Lucie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce u Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 My chemo and regular 3 month visits with the Oncologist are only a 10 minute drive. My PET scan, operation, and visits with Thoracic surgeon were in Edmonton, 900 miles away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shellit74 Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Dads appointments were only about a 10 minute drive away.. In the beginng, we would go with him and stay for the duration, but once it became routine, he would just go him self.. I would try to go with him to the Dr part of the visit, but would usually leave once he was set up with the chemo.. he usually fell asleep anyways. Towards the end, I would pick him up and take him and my Mom would be done with work by the time he was done with chemo and she would pick him up. Sometimes he would have to travel up to Appleton which was about 20 miles away,as the MD also had a clinic there and if he was on vacation Dad would have to see one of the other Dr.s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daughter1974 Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 My Dad's treatments are only about a ten-minute drive for him too (they'd be even less from my place). When we found the doctor at the Univ. of Minnesota, we reflected on how fortunate we were to be SO close to such great care. Meanwhile my uncle was in another major hospital (5 minutes from my house) for another cancer. Now, a second uncle is in ANOTHER major hospital also 5 minutes from my house for yet another reason. That's a heck of a lot of hospital use in one month, and yet I've been thinking about how fortunate we are to have this much medical care in one area. What percentage of the world's population is so fortunate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaminkw Posted September 30, 2008 Author Share Posted September 30, 2008 Shelli and daughter, how lucky you are to have great care so close by. Having to deal with this crap is enough bad luck so we need to focus on the good. I may travel a great distance but the care is excellent. Bruce you have a mixed bag of luck. Here's hoping you dton't have too many PETS and no more surgeries. 900 miles has me beat--mine's seven hundred something round trip. Judy in Key Wes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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