Flying dvt weight...

[ThreeBeanChilli]

Hello.

I'm very heavy and not super active and I'm flying to Australia in a couple of months.

Just wondering about dvt risk and what I can do. I've got really anxious about it now 😬

Get a good pair of flight socks from Amazon or Boots.
Get up and walk around regularly on the flight and at your stop over.
Start doing more walking now in preparation.
Make sure you travel in non-restrictive clothing.
Have fun!

Thanks can def get flight socks.

Is it something I should ask a dr/nurse about before I go?

Also if I got dvt would I know straight after the flight or would it be later... and can I/should I test somehow?

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/deep-vein-thrombosis-dvt/

You need an ultrasound scan to assess for DVT and you will only be given one should a clinician think it’s needed.

the main thing will be to keep mobile on the flight, when sitting wiggle your toes/rotate ankles etc. flight socks can be bought from boots or other chemist.

Thanks I guess the Dr probably won't give me an ultrasound just because I'm cautiously worried.

I will walk around lots though and get flight socks.

Is it worse in the air than say laying in bed? Or is it because its for so long?

Make sure you get an aisle seat so you can get out. There's a little area of space near the toilets in the back for a bit of a stretch.

It's worse than a bed because in a bed you can stretch out. In a plane seat your body is stuck in one position.

It's worth asking. DM was advised to take low dose aspirin but I'd def get medical advice first

I tend to take an aspirin early on in the flight and one about 6 hours later if a long flight.
Flight socks are a good idea.
An aisle seat will mean you can walk around more.
Walk around or stand up every hour unless you're asleep.
Stay hydrated which will mean you get up for the loo more 🤣

You'll be fine.

Thanks. I've booked aisle seats (due to being large.... and sat next to my smallest child.)

They thought I had a blood clot a year ago (turned out the positive ddimmer was due to a lingering chest infection) which I didn't but its really made me nervous now.

I've never taken asprin before! But happy to.

Our doctors are so inaccessible now. 3 week wait IF the receptionist doesn't fob you off with a phone call...

Bamboo- that makes sense. I'm getting a bit anxious about my "crash" days (me/cfs) where I am in bed a lot but yes I toss and turn its not the same as a cramped position. I will need to sleep at some point though.

If you are with your dc that will make it better as you can use their seat for a bit of a wiggle about when they are at the toilet. And stretch your arms into their 'airspace'.

I always just resign myself to thinking that you can't get off so you just have to put up^ with it!^

I am not a medical professional but I have had flight related DVTs which caused PEs. Without medical involvement I would take aspirin, possibly more than once, I would wear flight stockings, I would drink lots of water but no alcohol and I would move regularly and do some mini exercises..... I will try and find a link.

www.stoptheclot.org/in-flight-fitness/

And, sorry, to answer your "would I know" question - I had no idea what a dvt/pe was but I knew I was ill - I knew I was really ill.

Oh gosh whostole how frightening. I'm really sorry to hear that and thanks for the weblink. I'm worried I'm higher risk.

We're you breathless? What were your symptoms? Did you get seen quickly? Was it straight after the flight. Sorry if that's all intrusive. Please don't answer if you don't want to.

Wow that website Is really helpful and it's good there's seated exercises too.

I'm still wary that when they were convinced I had a PE it turned out tk be a lingering chest infection and my brain. Is going- what if it was elsewhere AND I had a chest infection...

So afterwards monitor your legs for calf pain, redness, swelling….especially if one sided. A PE will present as chest pain, often but not always shortness of breath. Dd just had chest pain with her PE, really severe chest pain….it woke her up and she was sobbing. Hers wasn’t anything to do with flying but she’s about to go on her first long haul flight since the clot and I’m worried.

No, not intrusive at all - please ask away! Like @CormorantStrikesBack (great name btw), I had chest pain, very, very severe chest pain, a terrible pain in my left leg and my ecg was off the wall.
Please do stay calm - I think modern medicine would have picked up a PE - there are many markers now. I would say to try and relax and stay vigilant. I had raised d-dimmers last year - turns out it was totally unrelated.

Your dd should have thromboprophylaxis for long haul flights, having had a PE. She needs to sort that out well in advance and make sure her travel insurance is up to date. GPs can prescribe now, so it should be easy to arrange as long as she gets onto it now.

She’s on blood thinners for life so takes them every day.

Oh. Ok, that is good.

Which way are you flying? Last time we did Heathrow to Perth , then Perth to Adelaide (where my son lives)
In 3 weeks we are off again but doing Heathrow to Doha and Doha to Adelaide which breaks the flights into slightly shorter for the long one. I wore flight socks and walked to the loo and back on the plane a lot! Then walked briskly for an hour in between flights.
I also take an aspirin!
It's a loooong way whichever part you are flying to, but it's worth it :)

Please don’t rely on a pulmonary embolism presenting with chest pain. I have had several of the bloody things and not once have I ever had chest pain. Seven immediate and close family members have also had them (horrific family history) and only one of us had chest pain.

@Nagado thats scary, how was yours picked up? Any symptoms at all? I know PEs are known as the silent killer but I always assumed there must have been some level of symptoms even if low level and not acted on.

@Nagado gosh what symptoms did you all have?? How did it get picked up.

I'm aware I'm going to be considered "worried well" but the silent but deadly nature is exactly what I'm worried about.

The first time was feeling like I had a pulled muscle in my leg which was gradually getting worse. I was obviously aware of my family history so went to A&E, where the triage nurse pretty much told me I had nothing to worry about because my leg wasn’t red or swollen or hot to the touch. After a very long wait, I got to see a doctor who was also comparing my legs and just as he was telling me I was fine, I collapsed. I didn’t even have breathing difficulties right up until I was unconscious. A later scan confirmed the clot in my lung and the consultant told me I was lucky to have collapsed where I did because I wouldn’t have made it to the morning if I’d been at home. I was only in my early twenties and it frightened the life out of me at the time.

The second and third time I had no leg pain at all, just a bit of breathlessness. The most recent one, I walked up a hill I’d walked up a million times before and just couldn’t get a breath in. It wasn’t like being out of breath. It was more like trying to breathe through a plastic bag. Nothing was going into my lungs. I saw my gp because I thought I’d developed asthma. He said my airwaves sounded fine but sent me to A&E just to be on the safe side. The doctor spent ages asking me questions about sleep apnea, making me feel like a complete hypochondriac who clearly didn’t have an PE and who was wasting their time, and then did a DDimer test which showed elevated levels. They sent me home with injections for my stomach and then a day or so later I had a ct scan which showed my lungs were full of the bloody things. No pain anywhere. I did have an ultrasound a few weeks afterwards on one of my calves as it began aching and they said they could see trauma to the vein but no clots, so it wasn’t clear whether these clots originated in my leg or whether the damage was from a previous clot.

I’m on Apixaban for life now. I have Post Thrombotic Syndrome and ongoing issues with my lungs. I think the biggest obstacle for me and my other affected family members was dealing with medical professionals who were adamant that it couldn’t possibly be clots because we didn’t match their idea of what symptoms we should be displaying, even with the family history indicating genetic factors.