“Which countries/regions would you still like to be able to travel to in the future?”

My infectious disease specialist asked me this question during an appointment in 2022.

To explain this, I need to go back a few steps.
Please keep in mind that I am not a “medical professional“. What I am writing here is simply what I experienced as a patient, the explanations I was given, and what I remember from them.

After I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and said “yes” to a disease-modifying therapy (DMT), the first thing that happened was that I was sent to an infectious disease specialist.
The DMT medication suppresses parts of my immune system.
That means my body has more difficulty dealing with viruses, bacteria, and fungi than a healthy body does.

To help prevent complications and serious infections during DMT treatment, I was able to discuss with an infectious disease specialist how I could protect myself and which vaccinations I should receive as preventive measures.

During that appointment, I was asked: “Which countries would you still like to be able to travel to in the future?”

I didn’t think much of the question and answered, “Europe and North America”.
Up until 2022, that was where we saw ourselves traveling. All our vacation plans until then had involved only those two regions. I couldn’t imagine traveling to Asia or Africa for a two- or three-week trip, any more than I could imagine ever traveling to South America.

Of course, I discussed it with Kurt. After all, this would determine how we traveled for the duration of my treatment. At the time, he felt the same way.

So the infectious disease specialist and I chose only the vaccinations I needed for Europe and North America. None of the others.

You might say, “But you can always get the missing vaccinations later.”

No, unfortunately not.

Some vaccines are not an option during DMT treatment because the weakened immune system could develop the disease from the vaccine.
With others, the immune response may be too weak.

So: Europe and North America … here we come!