Chemo clinics around Australia
Once allowed, I want to travel right round Australia but need to have chemo every 3 weeks. Can anyone send me a list or a link to all the clinics throughout all states so that I may be able to plan things around
Forum Discussion
- Whereabouts do you live @Cazlin ? You can add it to your profile. Great advice given above xx
Maybe try short trips around your state when safe to do so .... and when warmer ....
All the best with your ongoing treatment. Xx - thanks everyone for your information and insight. I wasnt sure what the flexibility between States might have been so thanks for that info. It sounds like short trips are on the cards for the future. stay well all
- It sounds too risky given a chemo compromised immune system and Planet Covid, apart from the practical logistics. Are you aware of the OTIS Foundation Retreats https://www.otisfoundation.org.au/? It might be worth a try once we are allowed to travel more. I was hoping to take advantage of it but work and Covid stymied me.
"The OTIS Foundation is a charity dedicated to providing a national network of retreat accommodation properties at no cost to anyone who has faced the challenges of breast cancer." - One of the problems with that might be the need for your oncologist to have admitting rights to any hospital/clinic that administers chemo treatment. You are treated as an inpatient, so your doctor has to be able to admit you and order your drugs. That can be done remotely, but it has to be organised well in advance, and the hospitals are pretty 'thing' about who they let manage patients under their care.
The only way I could imagine it working would be for you to change oncologists every three weeks so they could admit you to their local clinic. They aren't usually the most flexible or accommodating business (hospitals or oncologists) so I'd be surprised if you could get them onboard.
Let us know if you figure out a way. Mxx - Hello @Cazlin
is this because you’re on indefinite treatment for stage 4?
That trip sounds great but I’m not sure it’s very practical. With my knowledge of the healthcare system (nurse and patient) because each state is funded separately there is issue with who pays for what when you don’t live in catchment.There is a similar agreement for this when people need long term dialysis for kidney failure but I believe it’s not a continuous thing; for example there is a wedding in Canberra and you live in Brisbane. Your team can arrange a one off week in Canberra to receive dialysis and you get to attend the wedding/holiday/whatever it is.But I’ve never heard of such a lengthy, multi-clinic agreement and these one-off trips generally take quite a long time to coordinate, as a space for treatment needs to be negotiated and a doctor agreeable to “look after you” for the time you are in their area.
I’m sorry that’s probably not what you want to hear. I think you would be best to do short trips and return home for chemo each three weeks.There’s also the issue if you get sick between rounds of chemo and potentially needing admission to hospital - our interstate health systems don’t talk directly to one another and it can be a lengthy process getting important information in a hurry. As are interstate transfers from hospital to hospital (this is one of my jobs actually for paediatric patients and it’s complicated).
