Posted , 12 users are following.
i will be having my first hip replacement next week. This will be my fourth hip surgery; previous were Labral tear repairs. Im going to fly to another state to have it done, and will be flying home 7 days after. The flight will be just under 4 hours. Any helpful tips on what to use to comfortably (lol) sit for that long or any other tips with flying? It will be a posterior approach. Much appreciated!
0 likes, 27 replies
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AnnieK gina1111
Posted
Sorry to be a downer about this, but I speak the truth from my point of view. I cannot even imagine such a thing. I can only hope that you will feel much better than I did in that first week. I truly wish you could have your surgery close to home to eliminate the risks of such a long flight.
AnnieK gina1111
Posted
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/flying-and-hip-precautions-515846
Here is a recent thread about this issue, fyi!
All the best to you with your THR, Gina.
Tutuye gina1111
Posted
My condition was bit difficult i had to use whwel chair to get in the plane I had to have 3g pain kiler bc the pain was unbearable when u get flight permition ask your doctor detail and u can requir wheel chair .
Your doc will prescribe blood thiner medication and u have to use thoses socks while youre flying
May God be with u my dear
renee01952 gina1111
Posted
hi gina,
warm welcome to this wonderful hippies forum ...
7 days post-op from posterior THR surgery and air travel for 4 hours will be very challenging and I am not even sure if your surgeon will clear you ..
those airline seats are narrow, no leg room, getting in and out, the lavatory, and this is when we have no hip or any other physical issues -
everything screams NO to me ...
would you have another option? perhaps stay longer in a rehab facility ?
please come back here and let us know okay?
big warm hug
renee
auntiebeanie gina1111
Posted
I was told no short flights for 3 months. No long haul for 6 months. Had posterior approach.
The implant can pop out with cabin pressure.
I would think carefully about going to another state unless you can stay there during recovery.
I did long haul 10 months post op and had to keep getting up so I didnt get stiff. Even had air hostesses laughing when doing my swinging leg exercise.
Good luck.
madla39168 gina1111
Posted
Dear Gina ,7 days after operation is to early i reckon. I was told 3 to 6 months not to fly. I live in Australia. Talk to your surgeon
and see what he say. You will be very tired after operation and 90 degree rules. Good luck
Hug Madla 💗
beth2509 gina1111
Posted
I have been told, quite emphatically... No flying more a month before surgery or it will increase the risks of surgery. No shorthand flights for three months after. No long haul for six months after. I think you are really taking huge risks with your health, and possibly with your life, doing this. I was told that even long car journeys were not advised for several weeks, and that if you must, you need to stop frequently and walk.
This is major surgery. And there are already significant risks involved. Which doesn't mean that there is any reason to think something will go wrong. It's still rare for things to go wrong. But you are increasing those risks enormously. Does your suggestion know your intentions, because I'd be surprised if he hasn't warned you not to do this.
beth2509
Posted
madla39168 beth2509
Posted
Well written Beth. I was told same.Madla💗
rose0000 gina1111
Posted
Gina - I am in agreement with everyone else. There is no way I could fly anywhere at 7 days, I could only just about get to the loo and back at that stage, even that was a hugely difficult. I would have struggled at 7 weeks to fly and I am reasonably young and fit at 40 and did not expect my recovery to take the time it did, I took a flight at 3 months and even that was quite daunting, exhausting and I would say a little too early to be truly confident. Although I wasn't 'in pain' the journey took every ounce of my limited energy resources.
You need to consider the risk of clots - of the position of the seat on the flight (which is going to be really painful) the height of the seat, how would you go to the loo. It is a nightmare, it will be a complete nightmare. You definitely need to rethink your plans. Sorry to tell you this, I am sure this is the last thing you need to hear. I am amazed your surgeon would even entetain the idea of any of his/her patients doing this.
t3chiman gina1111
Posted
Hi Gina-
I think it is doable, provided:
1. You fly first class
2. You have a traveling companion.
It will be an uncomfortable 4 hours. You may need medication. And accessing the plane's bathrooms may be impossible without breaking the 90 degree restriction. Notify the airline that you will need boarding and exiting assistance.
I agree with the other responders: flying coach class seven days post-op is high-risk behavior. Spend the extra seven thousand dollars / pounds / euros and don't worry about the expense.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
beth2509 t3chiman
Posted
Flying first class does nothing to eliminate the risk of DVT during or after the surgery; or during or after the return flight. Nor will it address insurances - I cannot see any responsible insurance company agreeing to cover such a clear risk. And it is entirely possible that the airline will not agree to this either. Every single piece of post operative advice says don't fly for at least three months, and airlines are obliged to refuse travel to people who they know are traveling at a risk.
If you don't care about the increased risk factors - DVT is actually already a surgical risk (it's in the small print that you sign) - which multiply by the number of factors involved, then before you do it, please read up on the consequences of DVT. I had a member of staff develop it some years ago from a flight. He was young, fit, and healthy. He did all the stretching and exercising recommended on the plane. He wore the socks ( and current medical evidence suggests the socks have no benefit anyway - that's why lots of surgeons have stopped using them). It was only a four hour flight too.
He nearly died. He was unable to work for seven months. And he was grounded for life and can never fly again. It is not something that I would wish on my worst enemy.
We were not saying that flying coach class is high risk behaviour. We were saying that flying is high risk behaviour. Even cross country ground travel is risky, but if you absolutely cannot have any other choice, then a road trip, ppreferably over a few days, carrying equipment like raised toilet seats; taking plenty of breaks; and obviously with a driver, is the better option.
Surgery closer to home is the best option, but perhaps it is too late for that. Although I'd be tempted to cancel and get a surgery nearer to home.
Like someone else here, I had perfect recovery. No pain from the surgery even. No infections. No problem with the wound. My surgeon discharged me at only two weeks as "better than textbook". And at seven days, with all that, getting the the next street was a challenge.
Please Gina, think carefully about doing this. It is a very bad idea.
t3chiman beth2509
Posted
"Flying first class does nothing to eliminate the risk of DVT ..... during or after the return flight"
Beth-
Sorry about your colleague. A terrible outcome of course. But I take issue with your assessment of the risks of post-op travel. I suggested a first-class upgrade because it gains the passenger extra hip room, and, depending on the airline and aircraft, a nice extendable foot rest. In combination, these amenities reduce the risk of bad outcomes to almost nothing, as opposed to just sitting around at home--which is what the patient would be doing in any event. Other alternatives, such as bus or car travel, strike me as far worse--bouncing around in a bus, even a celebrity-level motorcoach, for 5 days? Don't even want to think about it.
Patients on this board are not wealthy, so any suggestion of private air ambulance is out of the question (unless you consider a charge of $3500 USD per hour for a Lear 35A air ambulance a reasonable amount). But fact is, rich people routinely fly in to major medical centers on private jets, have their surgeries, and fly home. They don't die.
It seems the original poster is set upon air travel one week post-op. I think she is in for a tough ride. But I think the risks are manageable.
beth2509 t3chiman
Posted
I disagree entirely. And so does the vast majority of the medical profession. Rich people may do stupid things. Money alone often makes people do stupid things. That doesn't make them right and the vast majority of trained medical professionals wrong. Rich people may also do a lot of drugs, but that doesn't make that right either. And you have no idea whether they die or not.
?I'm sorry but it is highly irresponsible to tell someone that bad outcomes are reduced to almost nothing. The cabin air pressure alone can cause DVT in a weak vein or artery caused by the surgery - or vice versa. You have no idea about the alcohlic habits of the OP, whether they smoke or not, or any of the other multiplying risk factors for DVT.
?Being comfortable is not what it is about. It is about safety. And no doctor has ever said that you can't fly unless you are rich, or you can't fly unless you go first class. There is a reason for that. It isn't safe practice.
?I recognise that being in a car is not really a good idea either, and said so. But there are no pressure differences in a car, which is a significant factor. What I pointed out is that in terms of safety, cancelling surgery in a state four hours away and getting something more local is the most advisable course of action. And if the OP doesn't do that, they should at least be aware of the significant levels of risk they are taking. Telling them it is safe as long as they are comfy isn't anywhere near an accurate description of the risks!
judith12644 gina1111
Posted
Hi Gina, I'm agreeing with the others I'm afraid. My posterior hip op was really straight forward, and I was lucky to have a pain free recovery, much better that I thought it would be. However, I clearly remember day 7, because I went out to lunch with friends, walking with my crutches. I had to find a higher stool to sit on, because the chairs were too low, and I wouldn't have been able to use a normal toilet at that stage. I also remember being quite tired still. I think the aeroplane seats are going to be v difficult, and the toilet impossible. Good luck.