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No more cruises for me.

dezertcruzer

By dezertcruzer,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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dezertcruzer

dezertcruzer

Posted
Posted

🙁🤕

 

Right after our Breeze cruise April 27, 2109 - May 4, 2019, while we were spending the following week in a condo in Cape Canaveral, I became extremely ill.  I was diagnosed with acute renal failure, which has since been changed to end stage kidney disease, and now, in order to stay alive, I have to have hemodialysis 3 times a week.  So no more cruises for me, at least not on Carnival.  Dialysis at Sea has several cruises a year Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, but they're quite expensive and my insurance doesn't pay for the dialysis onboard the ship, so our vacation dollars will be better spent on land vacations where I can schedule my dialysis treatments in conjunction with our travels.

 

It has been 9 months now learning to accept and live with this new reality, and for a while I didn't want to look at webcams which showed my beloved cruise ships, or to come here and read about all the fun and planning you all were doing, but now I have gotten to a point where I can appreciate and enjoy reading about all your cruising adventures.  I am very appreciative of the many cruises I was able to enjoy before this health setback occurred, and I want to thank all of you for letting me join you vicariously on your cruising adventures and making me feel like I am part of it again.

 

Thanks,

Jennifer

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joepeka

joepeka

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So sorry to hear this, my fellow Valley of the Sun dweller. While I cannot empathize I can certainly sympathize and hope you do find other vacation options which fit your needs but hope you continue to visit these boards. I fear someday soon that I may be in that same position and I know I won't like it at all. Best wishes Jennifer.  😢

Edited by joepeka
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CarolSW

CarolSW

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Good for you Jennifer, for coming back to the boards!  What a blow to get that diagnosis, and I am proud of you for facing it as you are.  No doubt you have  many loved ones who are pulling for you, and now all of us here are rooting for you too!

 

Many years ago, when my husband I were newlyweds, we never imagined cruising would be possible for us.  We would watch The Love Boat every Saturday night (giving away my age here) and dreamed about what a cruise might be like.  We took a quick 3-day vacation to a resort right before my first child was born,  and we pretended that it was a cruise ship.  Everything we needed was there....pools, restaurants, night club, etc.....so we acted like we were on a ship.  It was really fun, and I bet you will find your land vacations will be fun too.  We have been blessed to be able to cruise many times now,  but it always seems forever between them  All of us here live vicariously through each other’s trips, so you are not alone in that.  I am glad you are here with us!   Best wishes to you as you navigate this health challenge.  May there be many sunny days and exciting adventures ahead! 

Edited by CarolSW
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BeachChik

BeachChik

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My dad passed away on November. He was on dialysis as well. But he did Peritoneal dialysis and my mom was able to do the set up for him at home. Is that an option for you? They you could take all the supplies and go on a regular cruise. 

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Rawswife

Rawswife

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3 hours ago, BeachChik said:

My dad passed away on November. He was on dialysis as well. But he did Peritoneal dialysis and my mom was able to do the set up for him at home. Is that an option for you? They you could take all the supplies and go on a regular cruise. 

 I work in dialysis and this was going to be my suggestion, as well. 

 

PD is not for everyone, but it is a good alternative for some people. Please look into it. 

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sparks1093 Great Review Rare

sparks1093

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I am also sorry to hear of your diagnosis and the impact it has had on you. If I can't be on the ocean I want to be near the ocean (says the guy in the one landlocked New England state) and there are many places where you can do that. Wishing you good travels wherever they take you.

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Retired_to_Cruise

Retired_to_Cruise

Posted
Posted
15 hours ago, dezertcruzer said:

🙁🤕

 

Right after our Breeze cruise April 27, 2109 - May 4, 2019, while we were spending the following week in a condo in Cape Canaveral, I became extremely ill.  I was diagnosed with acute renal failure, which has since been changed to end stage kidney disease, and now, in order to stay alive, I have to have hemodialysis 3 times a week.  So no more cruises for me, at least not on Carnival.  Dialysis at Sea has several cruises a year Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, but they're quite expensive and my insurance doesn't pay for the dialysis onboard the ship, so our vacation dollars will be better spent on land vacations where I can schedule my dialysis treatments in conjunction with our travels.

 

It has been 9 months now learning to accept and live with this new reality, and for a while I didn't want to look at webcams which showed my beloved cruise ships, or to come here and read about all the fun and planning you all were doing, but now I have gotten to a point where I can appreciate and enjoy reading about all your cruising adventures.  I am very appreciative of the many cruises I was able to enjoy before this health setback occurred, and I want to thank all of you for letting me join you vicariously on your cruising adventures and making me feel like I am part of it again.

 

Thanks,

Jennifer

You seriously need to look into moving to peritonial dialysis. It is done while you sleep each night and is much easier on your body than hemo.  Blood never leaves your body and there are no blood thinners used. We take the machine along on our cruises, and Baxter delivers the needed fluids directly to the ship on the day of departure. The machine fits into a carry on suitcase and is classified as a medical device that can be carried onto planes & is not looked at as extra luggage. We do at least 2 B2Bs (14 days) a year.  Please look into this as a serious life changing option.

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Cushing985

Cushing985

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1 hour ago, Retired_to_Cruise said:

You seriously need to look into moving to peritonial dialysis. It is done while you sleep each night and is much easier on your body than hemo.  Blood never leaves your body and there are no blood thinners used. We take the machine along on our cruises, and Baxter delivers the needed fluids directly to the ship on the day of departure. The machine fits into a carry on suitcase and is classified as a medical device that can be carried onto planes & is not looked at as extra luggage. We do at least 2 B2Bs (14 days) a year.  Please look into this as a serious life changing option.

 

WOW!  This board is something else.  I had never heard of peritonial dialysis before.  I'm going to tell my Sister-in-Law about this as she goes through dialysis three times a week and it drains her.  She is also "End Stage" and I have no idea what would make you a candidate for this method of dialysis.  If she is a candidate it would be life-changing for her so thank you all for that.

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Cruising_Addict

Cruising_Addict

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I'm so sorry to hear this.  I hope that you are able to find some comfort in the memories from the previous cruises you have done.  I sometimes wonder if maybe my husband and I cruise too much; we are in our 50's and 40's, respectively, and do 2-3 cruises per year.  Truthfully, we are not saving up as much for retirement as we could be.  But, I think about how life is short and who knows if we will even be physically able to cruise when we are retired.  Hearing this confirms my desire to live for today, and enjoy it while we are still able.  Anyway, best of luck to you and I hope you are able to go on some fantastic land vacations in the future.

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ajm

ajm

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Posted

Hey Jennifer, don't give up so quickly.

 

Two years ago I was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease.  My kidneys had also shut down and I was on dialysis three days a week for 4 hours each day (like yourself).  During one of my treatments, I had talked to a lady that did dialysis at sea and she said it went well.  Of course, that doesn't help with the cost.

 

That's not what I came to tell you though.  A little over a year ago I was given a liver transplant and, as a result, my kidneys recovered.  I went on a cruise about 6  months after my transplant and have another one booked the end of this year.  It has completely changed my life (for the better of course)

 

Have you looked into a kidney transplant?  It is a similar process to a liver transplant both pre and post operation.  I would be happy to discuss it with you if you have any questions.  It can really  give you a much better quality of life and get you back to cruising.  I know how dialysis is and wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

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dezertcruzer

dezertcruzer

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Thank you all for your positive responses, encouragement, and suggestions.  It took me a long time to get my strength back, and it has only been recently that my dialysis center has suggested that I attend a class about home dialysis, so yes, I will definitely be looking into that.  I do so appreciate being able to come here and continue to be part of the cruising community.  Thank you all.

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kimberann

kimberann

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20 hours ago, ajm said:

Hey Jennifer, don't give up so quickly.

 

Two years ago I was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease.  My kidneys had also shut down and I was on dialysis three days a week for 4 hours each day (like yourself).  During one of my treatments, I had talked to a lady that did dialysis at sea and she said it went well.  Of course, that doesn't help with the cost.

 

That's not what I came to tell you though.  A little over a year ago I was given a liver transplant and, as a result, my kidneys recovered.  I went on a cruise about 6  months after my transplant and have another one booked the end of this year.  It has completely changed my life (for the better of course)

 

Have you looked into a kidney transplant?  It is a similar process to a liver transplant both pre and post operation.  I would be happy to discuss it with you if you have any questions.  It can really  give you a much better quality of life and get you back to cruising.  I know how dialysis is and wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

My husband had a Kidney transplat almost 8 years ago.  we did wait to cruise until he was 18 months out of surgery.  We are still very careful and take some extra steps to make sure things like remotes and phones are cleaned (lysol wipes before we touch these things)  and I also carry on liquid soap from Bath and Body works for the bath rooms, I hate bar soap.  We have cruised 1 to 2 times a year since then and he has never got sick..

 

Hoping you illness doesnt end your cruiseing but just maybe a short delay.

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