Robin: I think that asking for a medical opinion could be the best approach. Is your father currently under chemo or did he finished it? Maybe if still in chemo, waiting till he ends it could be better.
I made a trip from El Salvador, Central America, where I live, to Spain, 6 months after ending my chemo treatment and 11 month after achieving remission. I had extensive tests there, that are not available in my country. But I also party a lot, since my family lives there. I had a complete normal life there, late to bed, having tons of wine, eating that delicous food, visiting my grandad town, OMG... so great. It was a little hard for my body but my spirit needed it. And nothing happened. But my onco had given his permission.
Hope it will help. Enjoy the trip as much as possible if it becomes a reality.
S

Robin -- I am in remission from chemo only and have flown several times. As long as his blood numbers are OK and he is not neutrapenic there should be not problem. If he is neutrapenic then I would avoid all crowded places and it does not get more crowded than an air plane. In fact, until my blood numbers came up, I did not go out in any crowds at all. Its just not worth it. But once they get out of the neutrapenic range then there should be no problem -- in fact, he should be able to resume his normal life. He will just get tired faster than the good old days. Take care -- dave PS -- I am 3.5 years since my last chemo.

Robin, I went to Europe and the Olympics last year not quite a year after transplant and was still on immune suppressants. It is a long flight from Australia but my transplant Drs were happy for me to go. They said although being away from crowds is ideal the fact that I was visiting places where there is medical assistance if required they were ok with it. They wrote a letter for me to take outlining my history and current medications. As it turned out I had a bad virus the week I left and even though my blood counts had dropped as I was not Neutropenic and on the promise that I would have a blood test a few days after I arrived in London to check the bloods were recovering they gave me the ok. We went to London and then a two week tour of France, Italy, Switzerland. Austria and Netherlands then back to London. Travel insurance was a little tricky, basically they exclude any immune related illnesses but still covered if I had an accident or lost luggage etc the stressful thing was the fear of getting sick or relapsing before we went so the tour and flights we did not book until a couple of months out. It was a fantastic holiday despite being sick to start with, it really was a great thing to do if your dad is upto it.

So my advice is check any health warnings in the places you intend to go, then ask the Drs for their blessing. Be mindful of the plane and crowded places - I was given advice to regularly smell menthol based product (like a vapour rub on a Kleenex) to kill off airborne germs (good for the plane). Take and use hand sanitizer, take a mask just in case. Keep the throat moistened by sipping water regularly. Take extra of any medications and pack separately in case luggage goes missing you still have a supply. I hope he gets his wish, good luck!

Nicole

Hi Robin
I finished chemo treatment in November 2011 and on the last day of my chemo treatment my husband booked a holiday to hawaii for February 2012. The trip was only for 2 weeks and my doctor was happy for me to go. I had a blood test a few days before we were due to leave just to make sure my counts were still good. Since that time we have made a trip to Phuket Thailand and on 28 June I am travelling to Greece with my sister and father.

I agree with Nicole about health insurance. When I found out I could not get insurance for any leukaemia related illness I did panic. The insurance company told me this would apply for 5 years. well you have to live your life and I was not going to stay home for 5 years!
My doctor said that in all likelihood, if I did relapse,the decline would not be that rapid that I could fly home.
Good luck

Lisa

Robin: This comment is not related to the trip, but to alternative treatments.

My son has told me there is a thread in this forum for people who dont want or cant have any BMT or SCT, about alternative treatments. I havent read, but my son tells me about a person who has been with great numbers with alternative medication, he has been OK for quite a while. Maybe this could be useful for your dad, too. Ive heard of another case with the same medication.

Hope it helps.

Blessings.

Robin:

Clearly the doctors will give either the thumbs up or down based on the clinical factors, primarily his immune system function. But you really need to consider some practical aspects as well like where can you get medical attention, will it be covered by your insurance, and the doctors' familiarity with dad's case.

I know your doctor will write up a case history but it's just not the same as being in "your" hospital. And while Germany and Austria are developed countries with fine medical systems, it's not like here where there is a world class hospital within an hour drive of virtually anywhere in the country. It's not like treating a kid with a runny nose so you'll want to be at a first rate facility.

I don't know if he's a EU citizen, but if he's not I'm sure there will be red tape involved in getting treated, where you need to go, that kind of thing. And insurance is sure to be a hassle as even in perfect circumstances things get messed up.

Of course, if he doesn't need any medical attention it's all a moot point. But being the worry-wart that I am, I routinely anticipate every possible problem that could occur.

Wishing you good luck and happy times whatever you decide.

Lou