althom1122

Hi everyone, I haven't been on the Asia board for awhile. Life has been so busy (with a new man in my life).

My daughter Julie and I are supposed to leave Friday for a trip to China. I haven't posted questions because we're (boo, hiss) doing a tour with G Adventures. Some of you may recall Julie and I went to Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia on our own several years ago, with much help from this board. Then I ventured back to Asia with Intrepid to India two years ago. Now it's China, with what I think is a terrific itinerary: Beijing, Xian, Yangshuo, Longsheng, and Shanghai.

The problem? I hurt my back (small tear in a disc) and am teetering on the brink of whether to go postpone the trip. The pain has been significant at times since July and I've taken one Prednisone pack (steroid), which helped tremendously for a week or so, and I had a cortisone shot in my back two weeks ago. I felt great for awhile, but now I seem to be declining somewhat. I have Prednisone to take along and I may try to get another cortisone shot this week if possible.

I'd like to go but don't want to be in China and be in a lot of pain and unable to do things. I can walk without much difficulty on level ground but hills/stairs are somewhat difficult. I can't do any heavy lifting - and bending over to pick up something off the ground is extremely difficult. I'm thinking the Prednisone will get me through if I get worse.

I do have trip insurance on the tour, but not on the airfare. I've called United (am waitlisted for business class) and I could rebook the flight up to six months out with a $250 fee for each ticket.

At this point I'm leaning toward going if I can get the cortisone shot this week. The doctor said I could go - just need to be careful. He did say he'd had patients in my situation who went on trips and they did well at first but weren't feeling so well toward the end of the trip.

So, given my itinerary and what I've told you about my physical condition, I'd welcome your thoughts. If I postpone, I'll probably reschedule for March or April. Not keen on losing the money and I am eager to go. Just feeling a little uncertain.

Thanks, everyone.
Karen

kmkrnn

How long is the trip and do you have flight evacuation insurance for medical reasons? If you are on a tour you don't have to be handling suitcases, which is a good thing. However I would imagine China has a lot of uneven ground, and many steps to climb. I do know that there are suppose to be golf carts at the warriors in Xian you can use. Save your energy when you can. I guess the bottom line is ...only you know how you feel and what your limitations are.

althom1122

Thanks, the trip is 12 days. And yes, I do have flight evacuation insurance. I think it's very unlikely I'd get that bad, though. Walking is pretty easy - i'm just a tad slower than my normal pace but definitely can walk at an average pace (usually I'm a very fast walker).
The pain is more in my legs than in my back. They're sore as if I've over-exercised.

marya_

While you are puzzling this through, my attention is drawn to Julie who is a strong resource as you make this decision. She knows you well and how you function while traveling (tastes, preferences, customary activity level, ability to handle stress and setbacks, etc.) You and she also know what kind of partnership you have on these trips. Are the two of you likely to do well or poorly together if you need to curtail your activities while abroad? I can imagine different outcomes depending upon the kind of person she is and the sort of relationship you two have.

On a more practical level, as Karen said above, you would fortunately have the resources of the tour personnel to help you with moving luggage,making modifications for less strenuous activity at times, selecting stationary vantage points from which to enjoy an area when rest is needed, and so forth.

I imagine that a candid conversation with Julie will help to move this decision making process along. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

MmePerdu

Generally speaking, having traveled extensively in Asia independently and having left China yesterday, I find it the most difficult country. I could not have done the trip feeling in the least unwell. However, you will have the support of the tour company which may or may not be useful, and your daughter. But travel can be difficult at the best of times. Given you can reschedule I'd take advantage of that fact and not waste a trip on which you may feel less than your best.

althom1122

My daughter (30) is very caring and supportive. She's taken good care of me twice before (hysterectomy and shoulder surgery to repair torn rotator cuff). She'll certainly help with things as needed. We get along extremely well for the most part (with occasional normal mother-daughter bickering). I'm 55 and, except for this back/leg issue, in good physical condition - no other problems. (If you click my screen name you'll see a pic of me jumping at the Taj Mahal.)

One thing I worry about is getting in a large crowd with people pressing around me. It would be very painful if someone pushed me from behind - and could possibly make the injury worse. I'm definitely doing better than I was a few weeks ago, but I'm not fully healed. Still, I can do most daily activities without a problem - grocery shopping, short walks, etc.

rhkkmk

go for sure and deal with things day to day as they may arrive.

althom1122

The tour company, by the way, is no frills. This is one of their "comfort tours" - but it's not upscale by any means. I do think there will be help with luggage and so on, so I shouldn't have to worry about that. My daughter is pretty low-key - she enjoys sleeping in and taking it easy. I'm usually the one who is the hard-charger, so she won't mind at all if we take things a little slower.

dgunbug

Althom - i remember your prior reports and the wonderful time you had in india. I am sorry to hear that you are considering canceling this trip, but I'm not sure I'd want to be in a country where I could not get the best medical treatment if things deteriorated, even knowing I had trip evacuation insurance. You'll also be restricted and unable to see many of the sites such as the Great Wall, as you say you are unable to climb steps. As disappointing as it would be to postpone the trip, perhaps you would be better off letting your body heal and traveling when you can fully enjoy yourself. Whatever you decide though, I wish you a speedy recovery. We will be leaving for china on oct 8. Which your are you planning to go on?

dgunbug

Oops - see you mentioned the tour company. Congrats on the new man in your life!

MmePerdu

China is not a place to be if being bumped into is a problem. It can be a free-for-all. But you seem to have made up your mind. Good luck.

shelleyk

How much walking can you comfortably do, and how much time can you be on your feet? There is a lot of walking around, even on a bus tour. Some sites in Beijing had me on my feet for 2-3 hours at a time. You will not be able to use the subway for sightseeing in your free time. They are very easy to use, but are very crowded. You will not be able to climb the Great Wall as the steps are uneven. You probably could see the Terra Cotta Warriors in about one hour on your feet. The decision is yours and I do not know what I would do if I were in your place. Just know that if you go now, you will probably miss out on some significant sightseeing. Hope you feel better soon.

thursdaysd

Is this something which will heal? If so, I would be inclined to postpone rather than risk making it worse. I haven't traveled with G Adventures, but I believe they are similar to Intrepid, and as best I remember on a comfort level Intrepid tour I had to handle my own luggage. Also, how are you getting around? Are you flying, or taking trains and buses?

Some sights won't require you to deal with stairs, but shelleyk is right about the Great Wall.

I have traveled when less than 100% fit, but only because I got injured while traveling. Given the option I wouldn't do it!

althom1122

I'm about 50-50 on my decision right now. I"ll see how the next few days go and decide by Tuesday (supposed to fly out on Friday).

The tour is a combination of flying, buses, and trains, I believe. The Great Wall trip is to Mutianyu, so I was thinking I could take the gondola to the top. I can spend a good part of the day on my feet and do a fair amount of walking as long as I don't have to walk too briskly or do significant hill climbing.

Thanks for all the viewpoints. I'll let you all know what I decide.

dgunbug

It's my understanding that even with the gondola, one has to do quite a bit of climbing to get to the top of the wall.

thursdaysd

Is it the Best of China comfort tour? If so, it says soft sleeper for the night train, which should be OK. However, I imagine you'd need to skip the bike ride, and just getting to the top of the Great Wall won't help unless you just want to stand there - it's not flat on top.

Kathie

Karen, so sorry to hear of your injury. I know this is a tough decision, and I wish the best for you whatever you decide.

MmePerdu

If by Longsheng you mean the rice terraces, no one has mentioned that's all steep hills and long flights of stairs, things you say are difficult.

This thread reminds me of the infamous wedding dress discussion where the answer was clearly in the negative but the OP had made up her mind already and was just hoping for confirmation which she did not get. It's always difficult postponing something you've looked forward to but if you can imagine traveling to these places and not feeling you can fully participate, or worse, then you must also see the advantage of waiting until you're 100%. And of all the many places where I've spent time China is one that requires 100%. And lastly, I think it's asking too much of your daughter and tour company to pick up the slack that you already know is a real possibility.

rhkkmk

don't wake julie early

thursdaysd

We had a similar discussion on the Europe board recently. The OP eventually decided to postpone the trip.