Long haul Flight

[TJRCGG]

Husband will be 7 1/2 months post SAH IN May 2018 would you think he’d be okay to travel to Barbados still for his 60th birthday holiday or would you think it’s too soon.  We’d so been looking forward to it but now are unsure whether to cancel

[ClareM]

Hi, you need to check with your husbands consultant to ensure he is ok to fly. If they agree ok I can see no reason to cancel. It will be a nice rest for you and although he will most likely be suffering from fatigue, it's a holiday so relax!

 

As I have posted before, I flew 3 months after my bleed and then again a few months later. I have flown long haul since then and have had no problems except fatigue. I just bulld an extra rest day in now.

 

Clare xx

[frmertd]

7 months is a long time out. Should be no problem at all, but ask your primary care doc.

[Daffodil]

Agree with FRM , Casey and Clare, seek advice from your consultant and treating doctor that you are clear to travel and go long haul. I suspect it will be a yes as long as he feels up to it.

 

The holiday may be a good thing and break for you both  but it will take effort and so making allowance for how he is on holiday will be important too. 

 

I didnt fly for well over a year post my SAH but that was more down to getting used to life with my shunt and advice for me was to wait for a while.. My first flight was short 2 hrs and I have built up since but still not managed a long haul but have ambition for that! 

 

Allow for the effect of the constant flight hum, ( wear ear plugs) extra dehydration ( extra water) and feeling very cognitively fatigued post flight ( quiet and extra rests) . I would imagine the effects of jet lag with time zone change is not pretty either and exaggerated but sleep and rest will help you adjust but the sun and heat may indeed suit him although humidity can be tricky for me.

 

Lastly please get the right insurance and declare the SAH, if not and there was any medical challenge the you won't be covered. I used Insure and Go last time , expensive but worth it for my peace of mind. Others can recommend others I'm sure, 

 

 

[TJRCGG]

My husbands SAH happened whilst we were in Cyprus therefore we don’t actually have a consultant over here.  We did see a private neurologist when we returned and basically he did an MRI which was all clear and said just to carry on as per usual and with no follow up appointment with him.  We are now,just seeing our GP but mostly for the anxiety he is suffering as posted previously. I have read that others have follow ups with a consultant but not in our case.

 

We thought perhaps to fly short haul next year and leave Barbados for the year after due to what’s  happened.   I keep having flashbacks to how he was and also keep asking why us, what have we ever done that's so bad in our lives and believe you me we’ve had our fair share of rubbish in our life’s losing several family members far too soon ?

[frmertd]

tjrcgg, you know my heart goes out to you. That must have been a crazy experience having that happen in Cyprus! i cant even imagine how stressful that was. You must have been worried that the medical system was inadequate, yet you couldnt fly off the island. Jeez, you guys must be strong to get through that and land on your feet like you did.

[Swishy]

I would as others said check with your doctor of course.  I traveled to South America at 6 months out.  I was worried, still feeling pretty vulnerable.  My doctor said, have a good trip.  So I did it and it was a great trip, I am glad I went.  I am thinking of another trip to Mexico in the spring and I am finding I still have worry.  I guess it will take a while for me but I keep telling myself to enjoy my life.  

[Tinaw]

I had a six hour flight about five months after my SAH, after having checked with my doctor that I was good to go. I was extremely worried and anxious before I went, there is no and had to persuade myself that I was going to be fine. In the end, I am very happy that I went, the sun and rest turned out to be just what I needed to relax and regain some confidence after the bleed. It felt like I got a small part of my old life back, as I have always loved to travel. If your doctor says its safe and if your husband feels up to it, you should be fine flying.

[Macca]

After getting the go ahead from my doctors I flew long haul and it was ok.  I had a sleep on the plane so in some respects it is better than short haul.

 

Make sure you have the correct insurance though.  Outside the EU medical treatment can be difficult to get and be very expensive.

[TJRCGG]

My husbands SAH happened whilst we were in Cyprus therefore we don’t actually have a consultant over here.  We did see a private neurologist when we returned and basically he did an MRI which was all clear and said just to carry on as per usual and with no follow up appointment with him.  

 

We are now, just seeing our GP but mostly for the anxiety he is suffering as posted previously. I have read that others have follow ups with a consultant but not in our case.  We thought perhaps to fly short haul next year and leave Barbados for the year after due to what’s  happened.  

 

I keep having flashbacks to how he was and also keep asking why us, what have we ever done that's so bad in our lives and believe you me we’ve had our fair share of rubbish in our life’s losing several family members far too soon ?

 

We  decided to cancel our trip to Barbados this year and we will book something else in Europe 

[Super Mario]

"Why us/me" is a common feeling. I think all survivors go through a period when they think that and perhaps, relatives too. That does diminish in time when you accept what has happened and learn to get on with life.

 

I think most people have tragedies in their life, some of them worse than others. That's life, unfortunately.

I won't say what we have gone through in life, would take too long but we are still here, battling on.

[Kiwi Grunter]

Hi, I had a bleed April 2017 and turned 60 in August. I was given an OK to fly by a neurosurgeon from NZ to Ireland and back but warned that it may not be pleasant or enjoyable at times. I did 3 flights back to back , an hour to Auckland , a few hours later Auckland to LA (12hrs) then a short stop before LA to Munich. We were going to then carry on to Nice but flight was cancelled and we (wife and I) continued next day. This was in Dec 2017. We returned home from Dublin Frankfurt-Vancouver with a 3 night stop over mid January this year. 

 

I am still not well with a permanent hangover,headaches, noise sensitivity, ringing in ears and inability to do too strenuous activity. Neurosurgeons told me I had a significant amount of blood visible on the  2 CT and 1 MRI scan and it could easily take a year to resolve. 

 

My flying experience was good. I did as little as I could for 2 weeks before I left( the less I do the better I feel) and my trick to surviving up to 14 hour flights was noise cancelling headphones and listening to my favourite music and sleeping pills prescribed by my GP. 

 

Everyones experiences appear to be so different and I guess you have to follow what your brain tells you.

Good luck but don’t fear it.