Aruba as respite/recovery/regrouping

[Andrea J.]

i got an email from a friend tonight.
she is going thru an aggressive round of chemo and radiation or is it chemo or radiation.
regardless.....in between treatments she is wondering if Aruba would be a good respite for her to sit back, breathe and regroup and recover.

have any of you or anyone you know gone to aruba after fighting a serious health crisis for some r and r?

what were your experiences?

do any of you know the name of an oncologist on aruba where she could also make an inquiry?

my first thought was terrific, go to aruba and regroup.
but my 2nd thought is, get well first and then go.

looking for all comments, suggestions and experiences.

thanks!!!

[Terry Joz]

i TO HAVE A FRIEND WHO IS GOING THROUGH CHEMO AND WILL BE GOING TO ARUBA IN OCTOBER, I WOULD BE CURIOUS ALSO TO HEAR IF ANYONE HAS HAD THE EXPERIENCES.
THANKS

[charles]

Andrea, Terry
I read this and called a Doctor friend of mine. He responded as follows, however preferred to not be named.

If you have Skin Cancer then it a no, depending on the stage of the cancer. Other cancers (Unless in a stage of severe pain) would be OK. Here again he said that it depends on what stage it is. Chemo-therapy could be timed as to allow a gap for a R&R trip.

In any event, the fist thing for these folks to do is to consult with their doctors. If the y say it is OK, then they need to get copies, preferably typed, describing the details of the situation and any medication being taken.

That is what I was able to find out

be well
charles

[Andrea J.]

you're a good man charles
thanks

[Edronenburg]

I second the "you are a good man, Charles." You are extremely resourceful; and willing to help when situations come up that you can find remedies for.

Thanks

Ed

[Arubalisa]

One down side I can think of which may be a consideration, would be flying to Aruba. We all know the air on planes is recirculated and if the person has an immune system which is already compromised, this could lead to complications.

[Andrea J.]

yes indeed
how many of us come home from aruba sick?or arrive in aruba sick?

substitute any destination where you arrive by plane.

i wonder how flight attendants stay healthy?

chadd???

Originally Posted by Arubalisa

One down side I can think of which may be a consideration, would be flying to Aruba. We all know the air on planes is recirculated and if the person has an immune system which is already compromised, this could lead to complications.

[Cosmo]

During my last trip I had my mother come down for a week. She has diabeties, a pacemaker and is a breast cancer servivor. After a few days of relaxing on the beach alittle walking and swimming with the great fresh clean air she said she never felt better in her life.

[777ER]

Originally Posted by Arubalisa

One down side I can think of which may be a consideration, would be flying to Aruba. We all know the air on planes is recirculated and if the person has an immune system which is already compromised, this could lead to complications.

Not all of the air is recirculated on planes...

Depending on the aircraft you took, 737, 757, A320...etc, the air is 50% recycled and the other 50% is fresh air mixed in.

There are filters under the floorboard of the plane by the pack bays (air conditioning packs) and it's replaced during HMV (Heavy Maintenance Visit) and the air that gets recycled is put thru these filters.
The rest of the air is exhausted out of the plane thru the outflow valve in the back of the aircraft in the tail section, it's to maintain and control cabin pressure.

Most of you who don't work on planes (maintenance and pilots), don't know that the source of air from the cabin is coming from the engines and it's called 'Bleed Air'. It's extracted from either the Fan air section or the 14th stage of the compressor section of the engines, this is all before the combustion chamber where jet fuel is introduced and burned.

[jerseygirl]

Here's my experience. We arrived on the island on 9/12/10 for yet another house hunting trip. My mom, who was back home and not well took a turn for the worse. My brother texted me earlier on the 13th to let me know I should come home. We were on the island for less than 24 hours. I was in a panic to get home. It was the longest travel day of my life....

ANYHOW....we rebooked the trip for 11/19/10. I was NOT looking forward to the trip at all. I was devasted, sad, anxiety ridden in losing my mother. I was very close to cancelling the trip. It was a real effort for me to prepare for this rebooked trip. My husband told me that my mom would want me to go...so I forced myself to get on the plane. Although I thought about my mom the whole trip and was still very sad at times... the island really helped me relax and sort my thoughts. By the end of this two week trip, I felt so much relief from the pain of losing my mom. My head was clearer, and upon arriving home I was in a much better way.

So, that's my experience with the healing effects of ARUBA.