Hysterectomy and florida

[jo williams]

Hi ladies or gents, we are going to Florida with a group of friend on the 10th October, my friend who is going with us went in for a hysterectomy on the 15th July she has now developed sepsis which was due to the surgery. she is quite poorly and has only been out of hospital one day before going back in where she still remains. My main concern is she will be unable to cope with the parks due to the amount of walking needed. Has anyone got any tips on what we can do, I don’t know whether it will effect holiday insurance which they haven’t got yet. I actually don’t know whether she will cope at all. The only saving grace is that she is in no pain from he hysterectomy. I feel so sorry for them all as it was a holiday of a lifetime and there little boy is autistic and so looking forward to going. Has anyone got any advice at all.

[Goosey-Lucy]

Recovery from a hysterectomy depends whether they went in abdominally or laparoscopic, I cover the physio advice for post-op hysterectomy women and normally advise not returning to high impact exercise or a heavy manual job for at least 3 months if it was through their stomach.
If she does go with you after all this, I imagine you’d just have to take it really easy and slowly, you could still do the parks but possibly taking advantage of benches, low walls etc for her to rest on and just have a few more rest days

[WileyCoyote]

Firstly get well wishes to your friend. Sepsis is dreadful . I hope she makes a full and speedy recovery.

To some extent it depends on the type of surgery she had. It’s taken me a good six months to fully recover from the abdominal op. You are encouraged to walk a little more each day to build up your strength but lifting and stretching are limited for some time so how she would manage travel days and general other things with her son would need thinking about. It’s also common to get incredibly tired even months after abdominal surgery so that will take its toll combined with the heat and activity. It may be that having a wheelchair or scooter would be helpful and that she will be limited in some of the rides she could do .

Definitely she will need to speak to her insurance. I was told I needed an extra premium to cover the surgery if I chose to fly within 6 months of the op.

Based on my experience, I wouldn’t have been fit to take on such a big trip two months after my op. I barely managed to travel to the Isle of Wight after 7 weeks for a funeral , the car journey was enough to set me back. But I did have a large scar so probably not a typical case.

I wish her well on her recovery

[lizzie145]

Hope she feels better soon.

I wish people would get travel insurance as soon as the trip is booked just in case anything happens especially as some book a year ahead.

Everyone is different and often depends on how fit she is usually but consider hiring a wheelchair

[gismo1554]

I was thinking a mobility scooter might be a good option. A wheelchair is likely to mean lots of pushing from you to get around which can cause things to be much less fun. A mobility scooter would give her the freedom to get around but also help keep up the pace when she is lagging. My sister has hip issues and although she can walk short distances the parks are just too intense for her to manage. She rents a mobility scooter over there and it really helps.

[THE WIZARD]

100% what wileycoyote said! There us no way on earth I could have done WDW within 6 months of my full hysterectomy physically & was told not to do a long haul flight within 3 months anyway! With her added problems of Sepsis, her son & her mental state (hysterectomy can cause severe mental trauma in some) she would be a total fool to even contemplate such a trip.
Sadly once again a warning for people to get their insurance cover in place before booking a holiday.
Hopefully the full holiday cost has not yet been paid so she will be able to get away with just the loss of the deposit.
I hope she makes a full recovery soon & can start to plan for her WDW Trip next year.

[Merryweather17]

As you are going in October the heat shouldn't be too bad and therefore less of an issue. I would say the main issue here is how quickly she recovers and would be considered 'fit to fly' by her consultant as travelling without this (explicit) approval would nullify any travel insurance. Sepsis can be a long one to come back from on top of a huge op, we talk about these so casually but the amount of cutting and removal from the body takes a long time to heal and settle. If you are staying onsite and she is fit to travel then it may be easier to manage and yes hire a mobility scooter, this way she can join you for part of the day and her little boy and other parent can leave her behind to rest and relax if she is not up to a full park day. She would be as well to check if they have any insurance through a bank account/credit card or the like as cancelling may be inevitable and she would not be eligible for insuring right now. I know from experience that holidays of a lifetime can be cancelled/postponed with some good will from the travel company and minor costs. It all depends what you have booked and with whom! hope your friend recovers soon!

[jo williams]

Thankyou for all your advise, I’m not going to even tackle this with her yet, she’s just too poorly. We had already discussed a wheelchair before she even got hit with the sepsis. Feel so sorry for them all at the moment.

[THE WIZARD]

So very sad. Could you find out from the holiday company what the situation would be should she not be able to go? Explain about no insurance coverage. Forewarned is forearmed & should she or her DH start talking about cancellation & loosing money you would at least be in a position to advise & help them. As before, has the full price already been paid or just the deposit? Better to loose just the deposit than pay the full cost in the hopes she is well enough to go, which is sounding doubtful, have to cancel & loose the lot!

[big nelly]

I had a unexpected hysterectomy in April 2017 and our Florida holiday was already booked for the August of 2017. When I booked the holiday I was well but we already had an annual insurance policy. As soon as I knew I needed surgery I rang the insurance company to update them. They were brilliant. As I didn't know at the time I booked the holiday that I needed surgery I would be covered should I needed to cancel. Sorry but this may be where your friend has an issue.
Anyhow I had complications post op including a massive blood clot in my abdomen which delayed my recovery considerably. I was totally distraught as the reason for the trip was to celebrate our twin daughters 18th Birthdays. My family were supportive and said my health was the priority but we continued to plan our holiday as normal - at my insistance. As soon as I was able to I started walking short distances and gradually increasing the distance to prepare me for the holiday and build my stamina. As I was immobile for a while post op due to bed rest my muscles became quite weak plus I was not allowed to drive or lift. I decided that I would hire a wheelchair or ECV if needed just as long as I could go away.
Anyhow to cut to the chase due to the clot I only had the go ahead to fly just 2 days before departure.
I had an amazing holiday. We did the same things but at a much slower pace. I did sit down quite a bit as I tired easily but it didn't stop me. I didn't use a wheelchair or ECV but I would have if needed. I had a little trouble lifting my legs to get out of some of the rides due to loss of muscle strength but as long as someone gave me a helping hand I was fine. I had a funny experience in Universal on the High in the Sky trolley train. I couldn't get out and my daughter forgot about me. I nearly wet myself laughing - luckily my family realised eventually that I wasn't with them and dashed back to pull me out. Embarrassing! Even the staff were laughing at me.
There are plenty of benches to sit and people watch if you need a break and we did some of the indoor attractions such as American Adventure . Just be sensible and I'm sure that your friend will be fine.
To help with the flushes I wore cotton clothing. Used a small hand held fan and avoided drinking excessive alcohol.
Sending best wishes for her speedy recovery . X ❤