Positive thinking to the extreme?

[Ands]

OK, so J has had a great week :dance: we have worked so hard to lift him from his low mental state and he has even managed the whole week at school. Yes he's tired and has cramps in his tummy but he has a whole different mental attitude which is fantastic.

Anyway, he comes out of school today asking if he can go to India on a school trip in Sept 2014!!!! He seems so excited but what are we meant to say, can we plan that far ahead, last week he could hardly get off the sofa. Has any one else had experience of this and how to handle things. We can just imagine saying no because of the illness will set him back again. It all seems so unfair.

Any views appreciated.

Thanks as always. Xxxxx

 

[Maree.]

I don't imagine that you'll have to pay/commit for quite a while but I also can't see any harm in telling him that it's a good target to aim for & giving him an idea what your criteria for letting him go would be.

I would also suggest that if things are tracking well next year and your still aiming for this, pick times when he's feeling really good to get any additional vaccinations/boosters he might need done. That way you can stagger those out, rather than have them all at once and give him plenty of time to recover from any glitches they might cause before he goes away on the school trip.

 

[Amy2]

My son goes to summer camp every year in a different state. As soon as he was diagnosed he mentioned that he still wanted to go, so we made special arrangements, knowing that it might not work out at all and told him simply, yes if you are feeling well, you can go. All one can do is plan.

 

[Mehita]

Do you need certain vaccines to visit India like some other countries require? If live vaccines are required and our kids cannot have live vaccines, it might become a non-issue.

It's so hard to plan and make decisions. I say go ahead and plan, but caution him that it might not work out, depending on his health. I believe Kimberly27 has a son who has done quite a bit of traveling and maybe she can offer some advice?

Good luck!

 

[Maree.]

Having been to India at Easter, I know you don't need vaccination certificates (unlike parts of Africa.)

I think the recommendation is routine boosters, for the standard childhood vaccines (MMR, DPT). If they are out of date. Hep A/B, Typhoid & Polio.

Polio is a live vaccine and the the last Polio case in India was Jan 2011 and World Health Organisation considers Polio to have been eradicated in India, so the Polio recommendation is looking a bit date.

There are a couple of others if your involved in particularly high risk activities which weren't recommended for us our Tiger Safari Trip.

 

[ChampsMom]

My son was set to go to Boy Scout Camp the year he was diagnosed. They Troop Leaders were great and notified the camp that he may not make it (which he didn't) and they worked out returning the money.

The second year the same thing happened - and again they worked with us.

The third year he was healthy enough to go but I was stressed about what would he eat?! They allowed me to send bins (and I mean big bins!) of food that he could eat. They stocked the icebox with foods he could eat and it worked out great.

This year he's off to High Adventure (older Scouts) and this time they are biking for 4 days - I'm worried, but he's not and the Troop Leaders are taking a truck that can hold his cooler (and big bins, laughs) and him if he tuckers out! Yeah!!

My big worry is he wants to serve a Mission for our Church. That's a 2 year commitment and we have NO idea where he'll get sent (I can hear my Mum now, "Shelly, stop borrowing trouble!")... We'll cross that bridge when we get there in 3 years! (by then I should stop hyperventilating!)

Good luck!

 

[CarolinAlaska]

That is a long way away, and goal is to have him in remission long before that. I'd say, if all goes well, you can go. We've got to get you healthy first and be able to do all the preventative treatment first (ie vaccines, etc).

 

[Ands]

Thanks everyone. I think, luckily, he has come to his own conclusion that this trip might be a step too far at the moment. We have to commit by the end of the month and it is all too soon. There will be other opportunities though.

We are just so pleased that he is beginning to engage back in school life, this week has been a huge improvement. He even did a speech on blood tests in English on Friday, now that he is an expert!!!!!!!

Thanks. X

 

[crohnsinct]

Hey there...great to hear he is feeling so well emotionally. Sorry I am late and it seems you made up your mind but I am at one with the travel disappointments around here. O was set to go on a mission trip to Ecuador that got nixed due to the need for live vaccines (Yellow Fever) at dx because she was on Remicade and no live vaccines. The next year it was Africa that got nixed (forget the country) but more nixed because of the incidence of TB and that is a huge no no when on Remicade. We have a travel doc (ID and travel specialist) we consult when considering such trips. She has also nixed India because of potential TB exposure. She also knows the healthcare systems in many countries and knows where if O had a problem she could get good care and what countries/areas she should stay away from. Unfortunately, all the countries on the no list right now are exactly where she wants to go for mission work. So we are waiting until they come out with a different med or cure so she can go save the world. For now she will have to settle for nicely developed nations with 5 star hotels and spa service sans disease :lol2:

 

[Maree.]

Wow -- not sure how they think anyone is in a position to commit to a trip 18 months out even if there kids are healthy but then I guess we live in a much more transitory place, where no one knows where they'll be let alone what they'll be doing that far into the future.

 

[DustyKat]

Good to hear it all sorted Ands.

I can't add to the wonderful advice you have already been given except to say that when these type of things arose I would give my consent, with the kids knowing that should their circumstances change in the meantime then their health must come first.

The other condition I placed on it was that when significant amounts of money were concerned we must have a get out clause. As it was the excursions that were expensive involved limited numbers so there was always a waiting list. Given the kids have Crohn's the organisers were always happy to accept our intention to attend and refund money when needed.

Dusty. xxx

 

[Maree.]

What Dusty said about refunding if needed makes a lot of sense. Trips at our school have waiting lists too. I've never considered what the withdrawal policy is but I'm sure it must be possible as school the right to remove a child and replace with one from waiting list, if grades fall below a required threshhold. I know they refund money if that occurs.

 

[Kimberly27]

Sorry I've been off-line and didn't catch that my name had been mentioned earlier.

I think it's great that your son wants to travel. I guess your decision about India has already been made. Can you research a travel program that is in a country you feel he could safely visit?

I feel my son got an emotional boast by proving to himself that he could be active in life.

Yes, you'll worry. That's part of our job description. LOL

Kimberly