Travelling abroad for cancer treatment can feel like a daunting prospect. Alongside the treatment itself, there are journeys to organise, equipment to manage, places to stay and the practical question of how to conserve your energy while you’re away.

In this short video, HINO community member Chris Rigg gives us a glimpse into what travelling from the UK to Cologne for treatment at IOZK can actually look like.

From taking Optune on the Eurostar to planning his day around treatment, Chris shares some of the small practical things he has learnt along the way.

This video shares Chris’s personal experience of travelling to IOZK for treatment. HINO does not endorse any individual treatment or treatment provider, and Chris’s experience should not be taken as evidence of the effectiveness of treatment at IOZK.

Travelling to Cologne with Optune

Chris’s journey begins on the Eurostar to Brussels, travelling with his Optune device.

One of the things he highlights is the amount of space available when travelling as a wheelchair user, as well as the ability to plug in his Optune power supply during the journey rather than relying entirely on batteries.

For anyone travelling with medical equipment, details like access to power can make a significant difference to how manageable a long journey feels.

Chris also points out some of the practicalities of changing trains in Brussels. Rather than spending his waiting time inside the busy station, he heads just outside, where there are places to use the toilet, get a drink or have something to eat.

As someone who has made the journey several times, his assessment of the station itself is fairly straightforward: it can be “noisy, busy, expensive”.

Pacing yourself around treatment

The video then moves to Cologne, where Chris describes “an afternoon in the life of an IOZK patient”.

Having arrived the previous evening and with treatment not scheduled until later in the day, he talks about pacing himself and planning ahead.

It is a useful reminder that travelling abroad for treatment isn’t necessarily just a journey between a hotel and a clinic. Depending on how someone feels and their individual treatment schedule, there may still be opportunities to enjoy some normality around it.

For Chris, that means hoping to go to a gig across the river later that evening.

The practical things that help

Some of the really useful parts of Chris’s video are also the simplest: the bits of kit he has discovered make travelling and treatment easier.

He shows some of what he considers his essential gear, including a blister pack for medication, a small fan and a multi-plug with an adapter, alongside his Optune equipment.

They might sound like small details, but when you’re managing treatment away from home, thinking through things such as medication, charging equipment, electrical adapters and coping with hot weather can make the experience considerably easier.

Life alongside treatment

At the end of the video, Chris has finished his treatment at IOZK and is rehydrating before heading back out into Cologne on a very hot afternoon, with Germany due to play a World Cup match that evening.

And perhaps that’s what this short film captures particularly well.

Travelling overseas for treatment involves medical appointments and practical planning, but those appointments also exist alongside ordinary life. Chris’s experience shows some of the preparation involved, while also showing that treatment doesn’t necessarily have to occupy every moment of the time spent away.

Thinking about treatment abroad?

Deciding whether to pursue treatment outside the UK is a significant decision and everyone’s circumstances will be different.

If you are considering travelling overseas for treatment, it is important to understand the evidence behind the treatment being offered, what it involves, the potential risks and benefits, the costs involved and how any overseas treatment will fit alongside your existing care.

You should discuss any treatment you are considering with your clinical team and make sure you have appropriate advice about travelling with your medications and medical equipment.

Chris’s video isn’t intended to tell anyone whether travelling abroad for treatment is the right decision. Instead, it offers something that can be difficult to find when researching treatment overseas: a glimpse of what the experience can actually look like for a patient doing it.

Exploring your treatment options?

Finding reliable information about treatment options can be overwhelming. Explore HINO’s resources to help you understand the options available and the questions you may want to discuss with your clinical team.