Flying

[mkoven]

hi everyone,

I've done a search on air travel and see that some of you have had more issues than others. we're trying to figure out how to get me from Illinois to Baltimore.

I haven't flown in four years-- before I was symptomatic. I never used to have a problem, but then I seem to inhabit a different body these days. I had a terrible time over xmas traveling by van. the acceleration and relatively small changes in elevation made me feel really faint and short of breath. We had to pull over a lot, because I seriously could barely breathe, had chest pain, felt like I was close to passing out. Creepy.

I'm somewhat more stable generally now, but if I learned anything, it's the unpredictability of my symptoms. Yesterday I was fine on the highway, today, chest pain/short of breath-- also premenstrual.

It would be great if I could fly, in terms of time saved (two hours vs. two days), but my spouse is concerned that I'll be much worse than in the van, as the changes in pressure and speed are MUCH greater than on the road.

I really don't know. I can chew gum, take my midodrine, compress, salt, hydrate, but I have no idea if that will be sufficient. It may be a leap of faith.

his concern is that if I get really sick in the air and really pass out/can't breathe, that there'd be some sort of emergency landing. And that we'd get sued for not disclosing my condition. I have no idea if either scenario is likely.

Any tips? Would having portable oxygen help? Could the airlines sue? Anyone else actually pass out in the air? What happened?

My docs' can't really explain my strange responses to acceleration and pressure-- some strange combo of vestibular migraines that make me extremely motion sensitive and autonomic weirdness???

Thanks!!

Michele

[Ernie]

Hi,

I passed out landing many times and nobody sued me.

[mkoven]

Wow. Did you come to quickly? Would anything help to avoid fainting? Did you feel sick the whole flight, of just during take off and landing?

sorry so many questions!!

[juliegee]

Hi Michelle,

Boy, can I relate to your dilemma! When my son was at his sickest, he was absolutely unable to drive in a car. He'd barf and faint constantly. When we'd get to our destination, he'd have to lean on the car for 30 minutes, barfing and re-stabilizing. I remember the first time we had to fly to Baltimore (from Atlanta) for a Johns Hopkins visit. It took us several days getting there even though we flew. We drove to the airport (two hours away) and had to get a hotel room so that Mack could rest. Then, we flew out the next AM. The van ride into the airport was harrowing. He spent nearly an hour recovering from that. Luckily, the flight itself was surprisingly calm because he was able to bring a laptop with his biofeedback software on it. By focusing on breathing, etc., he was able to pass the flight uneventfully. The program he used had a finger sensor that monitored HR, etc and by focusing on this, he avoided the horrible nausea and lightheadednesd.

My hubby happens to be an airline pilot and they have to deal with sick passengers all of the time. There is oxygen on board. Have you ever tried it and has it helped before? Your doc may want to write a Rx for it. If the worse happens, diverting is no big deal. It happens all of the time. You will not be sued.

Expect the best and prepare for the worst. Consider the biofeedback. It is ideal for situations like this.

Julie

[Ernie]

Hi,

I was presyncopal the whole trip. What would have helped is travel supine but I did not have the money to pay for 5 seats. Also what would have would be to have constant cabin pressure. I am not sure that this is possible.

I do all the tricks that we are suppose to do and also take my meds but I still have problems. I have to have my legs up the whole trip to remain conscious.

[mkoven]

Thanks, you guys. It's really helpful to hear about others' experiences.

Michele

[yogini]

Funny, I was just on a flight and overheard the flight attendants saying that if they gave oxygen to everyone who asked, they'd have to carry around 100 tanks of oxygen. They were probably thinking about the diabetic woman who recently died on board a plane bc there was no oxygen. Just what we need our flight attendants to think!

I do think. from reading a lot of posts about flying, that most people seem to survive better than expected. As long as your dr is OK with it, it's at least worth a try so you know one way or the other. It sure isn't fun, but I personally couldn't imagine taking a car trip for more than a couple of hrs. And just think of all the places you can't get to with a car...I am writing from Mexico!