Should My Daughter Be Traveling So Soon After Being Hospitilized?

She's going to be in the hospital for 8 to 14 days?!?
This is not a trivial cold she has.
She's not going to bounce back from this for quite awhile.
She'll need to stay home for Thanksgiving and no Disney trip.

Well I don't know what her doctors say, but I wouldn't even be considering it. She needs to be at home and rest. Whooping cough is so serious I don't think you're even understanding it. People don't stay in the hospital for that many days unless they are seriously, seriously ill. She cannot get out of the hospital and 3 days later hop in a car for a trip to visit family. That is insane. So NO, don't go to Connecticut. That's my vote. As far as Disney, well I personally wouldn't do that either, but you can discuss that with her doctors.

No no no and again no. You said they were taking kids end of November to early December. She will be so weak there is no way she could or should do Disney. She will end up back in the hospital in Florida. Let her stay home with you and get the rest she needs. Even if doc told me ok I just would not chance it. I have been the route of very I'll with 106 temp and bacterial infection. Trust me, you just do not bounce back.

A. - with all due respect - how many ways and how many times are you going to ask this question? I'm really starting to wonder!

Is somebody pressuring you to take this trip?

A., bless your heart, I don't know if you are the most optimistic person I have ever known or just clueless. This is going to last a long time. Read up on whooping cough. It's not only that she will be weak but could be contagious for a while. Ask the doctor. Leave a note of questions on the chart.
But don't be surprised if people look at you like you have 2 heads. They are just mystified by your concerns over traveling instead of being concerned with your very sick girl and the consequences of her sickness.
Have you even asked yet about the likelihood of others in your family getting sick or their need for updated vaccinations?
Try again to focus on a few more complicated and immediate issues tomorrow after a good night's rest.

<sigh>
It's very obvious that you want these trips to happen,
and we have ALL been giving you our opinions already:
stay home, take care of yourself and your kids (including the two unborn) and don't plan on traveling anytime soon.
I don't know what else you're looking for?
Reassurance that your plans won't need to be altered?
Just focus on getting your girl home and healthy again, which will take TIME. Do you really think your family expects you to be traveling next week with everything you're going through? They would have to be completely selfish and (sorry) stupid to expect that.
Everything needs to be put on hold for now.
How can you not get this?
The doctor will undoubtedly say the same thing.

Seriously? I don't know how many other ways u can ask the same question! No! She shouldn't. Also u seem to be focusing on the wrong things!! She is very sick and u have twins on the way! How about keeping ur eye on the ball!?

A.-I would love to know how YOU are up for this trip?? SEriously, with all of those kids, pregnant with twins and an extremely sick kid the last thing I would be is excited to go out of town next week. And aren't you moving soon too? I would just resign yourself to having a family Thanksgiving at your house. Channel your optimismin to making it a really nice time for just you guys.

No, don't make the drive to CT unless you want to spend the weekend in our Children's Hospital in Hartford with your daughter because she relapsed.

No, don't plan on having her go to Disney this year.

Your daughter's doctor said it's likely she'll be in the hospital 8-14 more days. Hospital stays are not restful, but stressful. Your daughter, when she comes home, will only want her own home and her own bed and her Mom. She'll want food from home, if her stomach can handle it, and won't feel up to traveling. Don't even put the question to her. Make the decision NOW that you won't be traveling to CT this year.

Instead, have a nice and low key Thanksgiving at home with your own little family. Bond with your children and husband before the twins come home. If anyone wants to see you on Thanksgiving then they can come visit you and stay in a hotel down the road. It would be safer for you too being "that" pregnant with twins if you're due so soon.

Please understand that the first concern should be your daughter's health here... not the holiday. I can put my money where my mouth is. I've sent my husband with my other children off to visit relatives on holidays when I've had to stay home with one child due to illness. It's a relief for the child that's sick or has been sick.

A big NO, to the Thanksgiving trip. If she is out of the hospital, that does not mean she is well. I can't imagine any doctor would like the idea of that. I would ask your doctor about the Disney World trip, as well. It all depends on when she gets better. You have to remember being released from the hospital does not equal recovered. She will be encountering an awful lot of germs. Airplanes are like a giant petri dish. I would talk seriously with your doctor about that, and follow his instructions.

Are you for real? Why are you asking this question again?

Your daughter is VERY sick with a VERY contagious illness. Are your family members and everyone she came in contact with on z-packs? I don't get why you are so hyper-focused on these trips and not on the health of your family. Sorry to be so harsh, but this is getting silly.

Added:My family will be spending Wed, Thurs, and Fri of Thanksgiving weekend in a hospital for the sake of a loved one and I wouldn't have it any other way.

You are wanting to leave on the 21st. The doctor said 8-14 more days. Simple mathematics will tell you that the SOONEST she will be released is the day of the 21st. She will have NO time to rest at home before traveling. You really need to just let these travel plans go and plan on a simple, low key Thanksgiving at home - or very possibly even in the hospital. ;( Please try to just focus on your little family and helping your daughter rest and heal. I would cancel Disney - for everyone. Your daughter should definitely not be going and I know if it were my kids the other ones wouldn't want to go knowing their sister won't be going. It would be too sad for everyone. Do something as a whole family at home. Look online and you'll find lots of simple, low key suggestions for family fun and memories that can be done right there at home. Besides, would your kids really want to chance missing the birth of their new siblings? No way. Postpone Disney for the Spring and go as a whole family.

8-14 days of hospitalization? She may be in the hospital for Thanksgiving. She is not going to be up to traveling or being around other people. After an exhausting week of traveling to and from the hospital, caring for a baby and being very pregnant with twins, you are not going to feel up to the trip either. I realize you guys have big exciting plans for the kids to go to Disney. It sounds like these plans may need to be rescheduled. You don't want to send your kiddo out of state in a plane with a compromised immune system. I doubt any doctor would encourage that. Please stop worrying about travel plans and upsetting relatives. Everyone will understand. Cancel the plans for Thanksgiving. If I remember correctly, your Disney trip is scheduled for right after Thanksgiving. Time to start rescheduling that trip. It would be a great trip to take after the babies are born too. It would give everyone a break. I know it's disappointing, but you know if your heart, that your daughter won't be up for it and it's not a good time to go on these trips. Your posts sound like you are trying to convince everyone, including yourself that these plans are a good idea. They are not. I hope she is better quickly and out of the hospital soon. Take care of yourself too!

Yeah sure, she'll be fine. Your conn. peeps won't mind when she coughs and gasps all over everything, will they? Because the pertussis cough hangs around for about 6-8 weeks.

And I'm sure your kiddo won't mind feeling like she's going to cough up a lung every 5 minutes or so while at Disney .... and I'm sure the other vacationers will be delighted by it, too.

Sounds like a *great* plan.

The Thanksgiving trip? An unequivocal no. There are just too many stresses on the body as sick as she has been....... she needs to recover at home.

The Disney trip? Most likely she will be ok... that is still a month away. Talk to the doctor for sure, though.... the point about being exposed to bunches of germs is a good one..her immune system has been stressed, and needs to recover. Also, you frequently find "different" bacteria in new locations that may weaken her even more.

her fever went to 107 last night if i remember correctly. she has a lot of things going on, strep and whooping cough being the worse. i wouldn't even bother asking doctors because you may sound like a little out there, because whooping cough will be persistent for weeks and she is still contagious. even after release from hospital she should be kept away from other kids. you will see for yourself that she will not have the energy to travel at all. so i say while you have the time postpone the disney trip. as for thanksgiving the only compromise i see have your husband go with the other kids and you and your daughter stay put. if it were me, i would just decline to go anywhere with her for a while.

Whooping cough lasts for weeks I would wait until she is totally healthy before traveling. JMO

No.
To all your questions.

The priority here is your daughter and her health.
Not the trip.
And the priority is not pleasing the relatives either.
And I would hope your Husband, also puts your daughter's health first.
Your daughter's health, is first.
Holidays comes around every year.

Then, I HOPE everyone in your family, got a Booster shot for Pertussis.
You will be having twins soon.
In my city, there was a 6 month old baby, that died... from Pertussis. He got it while on a trip over the holidays to visit relatives in the mainland.
They thought, he just had a regular "cold." But it was Pertussis. By the time they knew and he was in the hospital, it was too late. Their baby died. They are now, advocates of the vaccine, and about getting BOOSTER shots.

YOU REALLY NEED TO, before your twins are born... make sure that people/kids in your family, has their immunizations up to date and get Booster shots, too, if it is time.

She will still be weak. I bet she will feel better staying home and sleeping in her own bed.

If she had to be hospitalized...she has to have a good amount of time for recovery.

Order a thanksgiving meal. Have your husband pick it up and all he has has to do is heat it up.

Get some good videos and all cuddle up..and all get a rest.
That will give her a better chance of recovery for the Christmas trip.

Hi A.,
Me again..I answered this question yesterday, sort of, on the other question.

I am hoping and praying that you will start to shift your focus to just your family and very soon. It's common when we are young to want to do it all and be all to everyone and I see you in that phase. There comes a time when it's time to refocus and make our immediate families our top priority. Not sisters, aunts, uncle, grandparents.

It's time for you A. to keep you bundles at home for this season. Honestly, believe me, those of us who have had to make that jump from focusing on others plans, to focusing on just ours, it has been a fabulous blessing.

Enjoy playing games and singing and dancing and napping and reading and watching movies, all together. Teach your kids to cook. And with 2 new babies, you can teach your kids to change diapers, etc. They'll be way better off in the long run. There will be many more Thanksgivings and Christmases to celebrate in your lives.

Her doctors should be answering this question for you. Have you been interviewed by a nurse from the public health department yet?

When my daughter had whooping cough two years ago, we had to account for where she had been for several weeks BEFORE her actual diagnosis, so that the public health department could make others aware that they had been exposed and track any cases that might have been caused by that exposure. The nurse also checked back with us 6 weeks later to see if any of us had also come down with it.

At the very least, you and the rest of your family have been exposed, and it is possible that someone else will come down with it - most likely you or your husband, because adults tend to forget to keep immunizations up to date. I certainly hope not, but if so, you could be exposing your relatives to this!

As disappointing as it may be, you need to accept that your plans will need to be postponed. Your daughter's health, and that of your family, needs to come first, and you need to be considerate of other people by not exposing them to this very serious illness!

I will reiterate what most of the other moms have told you:

NO! An emphatic no to the Thanksgiving trip. Even if she's out of the hospital, she needs to be at HOME resting. If you take her on this trip, you are risking her relapsing.

As for Disney, I would say MAYBE. You'll have to play it by ear. It would probably be best if the in-laws postponed until later. Maybe it would work out well to have them take most of the older kids after the twins are born. You will need some quiet time to bond with the new babies and still give lots of time to your 5 month old.

What are your priorities, A.? Why are you even considering risking your daughter's health, your health, and the health of your unborn babies?

Is it disappointing to miss seeing family on a holiday? Yes, but we do what we must for our children. You can have a nice, low-key holiday at home with your own (not so little family). Order a meal from Honeybaked Ham, or pick one up from the grocery store. Lounge around in your pajamas all day, play board games, watch the parade.

It's the right thing to do.

A. If she has at least 8 days in hospital why would you even think that taking a road trip on thanksgiving would be feasible? So if she is released on wed the day before thanksgiving your thinking of packing her in a car of siblings and driving 2 hours to visit family along with what she has had? Please ask the dr but I would never do that. Now disney world is in dec. kids do bounce back quickly so that may be an option but again that is up to the dr to decide knowing what is going on with your dr. Back to thanksgiving.... Stay home you have 5 kids ,have your own family thanksgiving this year.

8-14 days of hopsitilization is a severe illness. Your daughter is sick. She is contagious, your entire family could be carrying the illness that you could give to a child that could very well possilbly die from this. Please listen to what everyone has been saying in regards to your previous posts and let her stay home and get well. I would be livid if I knew that someone intentionally went to a family place like disney land where young kids go knowing that they were around a confirmed case of whooping cough. You need to take care of yourself too and ask for antibiotics so when you give birth to those babies that you will be free from the illness too. Its really really bad for babies.

She's not going to be well enough for travel. I would talk to his parents about the Disney Trip as well. IF they can postpone it, I'd see if they could. Let them know why, and let them know that it's for the health of EVERYONE, including them. When my Nephew had Rubella as a 2 year old, they grilled my friend trying to figure out how he came into contact with it, and warning folks of an outbreak, keeping him at home for an extended period, etc.

Here's a personal experience bit. I had Shingles when I was 17. It took me four weeks to get well. Four weeks after that I went on a crosscountry ski party with a friend. Two days later, I was in the Hospital with Pneumonia.

I was a very healthy teenager back then, recovered quickly, but my body wasn't quite well enough to handle it from being weak two months prior.

Talk to your doctor. I believe he'd tell you to keep her home though.

Take care Mama!

I don't think you should go.

She needs to be home, in her bed or on the couch, recovering. It's going to be several weeks, possibly even a month or so before she's well enough to be travelling. Unfortunately, recovering is nearly as exhausting as being sick.

Travelling and visiting is exhausting when you're WELL...she doesn't need to be fawned over and petted by her entire extended family too.

Please stay home. Ask the doc about Disney, but don't expect a definitive answer until a follow-up appointment that is closer to the trip.

If she was my daughter I would stay home for Thanksgiving and just have her get lots of R&R so there is no chance of a relapse. No personal offense here, but common sense would be to do what is best for her health, even if that means rearranging the pre-planned trips. Besides the fact this is a illness that has a long recovery, why would you want her in a position of not feeling 100% and being around other people. When she is released from the hospital she should be at home where she would be comfortable. Not sure what part of December the trip is planned for, but I would definately make sure her health is at 100% before she takes any major trips. Good luck to you!

Ask your pedi....However, my gut feeling is NO...stay home for Thanksgiving...it's Whooping cough and strep...let her rest...THe December trip maybe OK...

And take care of yourself too...

Please do not travel with her anywhere. She needs to be at home resting. The worst thing you could do is go and have her get sicker and get a whole bunch of family sick. Keep her quiet at home so she can fully recover. Sorry.

This should be discussed with her doctors.

You should be asking your doctor about the Connecticut trip. It doesn't matter what a bunch of moms think. By December, she should be fine. It's the trip on the 21st that's an issue. Get medical clearance for that.

Hi A.! I understand how hard it is to cancel plans and upset everyone's apple cart due to illness. The last time my daughter was hospitalized we had to cancel her birthday party, decline a Christmas party and stay sequestered at home for awhile. Some members of my family were not happy at all!

Sometimes making the unpopular decision to stay home is the absolute best. Your daughter shouldn't be travelling at all, except for the car ride home from the hospital, and I would say that Disney is out too. I am sure that it will be disappointing for her, as well as grandparents and siblings, and, of course, logistics like plane travel and accomodations factor in too - assuming they have already been booked.

I just want you to know that I understand! You are not just thinking of yourself, you are thinking about EVERYONE, which is an enormous burden to bear. You will know what's best for your family. It may be disappointing for everyone, but it will be okay, I promise! In my situation, I sat down and bawled for a long time and then planned a small celebration for our family of four, all the while cuddling with my sick little one. It turned out to be a very precious time. I hope the same for you and your family! :)
Hugs!

A.:

Sorry - if my child was in the hospital for whooping cough? I would not be traveling for at least 30 days after her release from the hospital.

I would also keep contact with others to a minimum until her immune system is back up and operational.

I am not a doctor. I would talk to her pulmonologist AND pediatrician TOGETHER to see what they say about traveling and especially the December trip to Disneyworld...what are the risks involved??? If they say - NO - then I would follow their advice.

The answer is NO!!! Where is your common sense? The child needs to rest at home and not be on the road. Plan a quiet holiday at home with just you guys only. Time you started your own holidays anyway.

When you have children your priorities change and you sometimes have to cancel planned outings and events because of illness. I would not want to travel with a sick or recovering child to a family function just to be there knowing that child is not well. She is not going to enjoy being around family members and want to be in her own bed at night. You also do not know what other germs other family members have that she may pick up and cause another problem.

A relapse to an illness is worse than the illness as the body is trying to recover from the first when it is hit again and weakened further. It's a place you don't want to go especially being this close to delivery of twins.

As to the Disney trip, I would cancel that too.. I would not want to infect a an airplane just to go on a hoilday with a sick or recovering child. The in laws can plan it at another time.

Do what you want but the consensus of the responders is that you keep your family home.

The other S.

A.,

Sometimes life happens and you have to change your plans. That is what has happened in this case. Your daughter's health is MORE important than going to CT for Thanksgiving. 8-14 days from now IS Thanksgiving. Are you planning on picking her up from the hospital and cruising over to CT? You and your family need to come to the reality that Thanksgiving this year will be at HOME. Your daughter is going to be weak and tired when she is released. Just because you are released from the hospital doesn't mean you are healthy. Please understand that.

Also, if I were the family in CT, I wouldn't want you at my house with a kid who had Whooping Cough. Sorry. I have to look at the health of MY kids. As for disney in December? I would see what the doctor says. My thought is probably not.

When my son was released from the hospital when he had RSV, the doctor said no traveling for at least 30 days.

No, I wouldn't travel on either trip that soon after being hospitalized.

i think she will be fine. pack all her meds. my daughter got her adenoids and ear tubes done 4 days before we moved to another state! she was fine. i kept her meds on hand and gave as needed. she may need frequent stops but overall i think she will be fine.

A., you sound like me - don't know if that's a good thing or not ;-) What I would do is just keep things open-ended and flexible. Kids to bounce back from things, so if she is on the mend in a few days, she may be up for a very low-key trip to CT. If she can sleep in the car, and has a quiet place to rest while she's there, then maybe, just maybe, it could work. But listen to her doctor and follow her lead. I would have a back up plan in case you end up at home. Thanksgiving for 6-7 people 8.5 months pregnant with twins is no picnic, so if you're home, let this be the year that you scale down the menu and order your dinner from the store (Hannaford's does an awesome Thanksgiving dinner). I would also be concerned about exposing other people - I would imagine that your daughter will no longer be contagious, but if it's possible that one of you could be carrying the pertussis without symptoms, I would worry about getting an older relative ill. That's a question that the hospital should be able to answer. My mom got whooping cough right around the time of my wedding (she was dx'd a week after) and we were concerned that she might have passed it on to a guest but no one else got sick.

Disney? Again, I'm as optimistic as you and might keep that on the table if it's just a few days and she is feeling very, very well unless the doctor says no chance in hell. If that's the case, maybe you can cancel the trip for now and do something local - Coco Key can be a lot of fund in the winter, or maybe a weekend at one the family-friendly ski resorts (that has other activities like tubing and an indoor pool for those who don't ski). Not quite Disney, but the kids will adjust.

I just wanted to let you know that I don't think you're crazy, just very optimistic. I trust that you'll do what's right and sensible when it comes time to make decisions. Best of luck to your whole family, especially your daughter, your twins, and YOU!

The only person who can answer this question accurately is your daughter's doctor. He knows the state of her health and her body as well as whether or not she is still contagious. Ask him.

I would ask your daughter, at 11 she's old enough to know if she's feeling we'll enough...

Really? No! Forget the Thanksgiving trip. Have you asked your relatives how they feel about your potentially introducing a contagious child into their home? Get one of those pre-made Thanksgiving dinners from the grocery store and enjoy a nice relaxing holiday at home.

As for Disney, I thought you said you were going to postpone it. Or did you just move it from late Nov to mid Dec? I would seriously consider postponing it for Feb or March of next year, after you've moved and you and your family are more settled and your twins have been born. It just seems like it'd be much more relaxing for everyone involved. And your kids will enjoy Disney just as much in Feb as they will in Dec. December has a move, new siblings and Christmas. Why add one more huge thing to an already packed month? Spread it out! Talk about a let-down in January! In Feb or March your sick daughter should be able to go, too. It's one thing to disappoint the kids by having to put the trip off for a few months, but it's another to have to disappoint one kid by her not being able to go at all, while her siblings all get to go. Not very fair, if you ask me.

You've received some really good advice on here (repeatedly). I hope you heed it. And before you ask in another post, no, I don't think this sick daughter of yours should go to the ballet in NY either.

Well...

I took my son to NY a week after being discharged from a short/long hospital stay (5 weeks). We had his meds, an o2 tank, and the children's regional hospital on standby in case we needed them.

Thing is, though, my son's condition is pretty permanent. He can get super sick at any time... But he can also be stable for months. After a series of long talks with his pulmonologist... It was decided that if he was as stable as he was going to get, that we needed to just live life. With safety precautions (the o2, etc.).

If he'd still had a central line in, or was recovering/relapsing... We would NOT have gone. Period. As it was? He was totally stable. So we went and had a BLAST. With limitations built in, of course, since he was medically fragile... But a blast, nonetheless.

Even now, a year and a half later... He's astronomically better than he was... But we have limitations (like being near med facilities). And we have to plan ahead. If he's actually sick? Nope. If he's recovering from being sick? Nope. If he's well? Absolutely.

You daughter could be "wellest" in a week, or it could take her a few months to recover. Totally depends on her illness and how her body responds. "Pushing it" usually causes relapses (bad bad bad)... So you don't want to ever push it with recovery and recuperation. Or she could be 100%.

Speak with her doctors. They're the only ones who will have a good idea as to possible timelines.

I rather doubt they'll give the go ahead. But, then again, they may.

If they say absolutely not! or I wouldn't or are in any way hesitant...Don't.

ESPECIALLY if you want to hope for the Disney Trip.

My son's doctors were totally excited for him to go, as soon as they touched base with local hospitals that could care for him if he relapsed in NY... And they're used to getting clearance with airlines for medical equipment, so they did that for us, as well. If my son had back slid at ALL, though, the okay would have been ditched, and we'd have been in ghe hospital another few weeks. After 6mo in and out if the hospital... We had a great working relationship / they knew my son (and his patterns) and I really well. My son even texted his attending a pic of him on the Empire State Building. It was an AWESOME trip. But his doctors were totally on board.

Find out where yours stand.