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Long Haul Flight - Travel with a Crutch

Posted , 8 users are following.

mary268
mary268

Some time ago I asked for advice from those who had done long haul flights following a hip replacement. I'm delighted to say I am just back from a trip to vist my son and daughter-in-law in Rio de Janeiro. Thanks for all your helpful advice. 

Here are my comments for what they are worth:

When booking your flight hesitate  to admit you need help . If like me you can walk reasonably but can't manage long waits in queues, ask for wheelchair assistance.

Take a crutch with you even if you no longer use it at home. 

The rest of  your group - in my case my daughter and my husband -  will  also get priority treatment in queues etc.

We saw a child asking "Mum why do I have to sit in a wheelchair? An honest response might be "So dad and me and your brothers and sisters can get better treatment at check-in," Some people cheat the system.

The staff pushing my wheelchair, particularly at the start and finish (Manchester and Rio) were friendly and helpful. It was only at Paris  Charles de Gaul airport that we were left unattended for some time and with no information about when or where we would b e taken.

razzcoolrazz

 

4 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • AnnieK
    AnnieK mary268

    Posted

    I'm so glad you had an enjoyable long haul flight after THR and enjoyed your visit with your family in Rio! I would hesitate to do that big of a trip if perfectly healthy and mobile. You are very brave! 
    • mary268
      mary268 AnnieK

      Posted

      If there had been another way to get to Brazil I would have taken it! But I couldn't miss my eldest son's wedding. Unfortunately "great steamers white and gold" no longer go "rolling down to Rio" as they did in Kipling's poem, or I'd have been on one! I'm retired so can afford the time for a long sea voyage.
    • AnnieK
      AnnieK mary268

      Posted

      Of course you had to go to your son's wedding! How great that you had such a positive experience. I dream of travelling again...someday!
  • lynn66084
    lynn66084 mary268

    Posted

    Hi Mary,

    A long way to go, but when it's for something really special, you couldn't miss that.  It seems like you did well with it too.

  • suzie56
    suzie56 mary268

    Posted

    Glad to hear you are living your life.  How long after your THR did you take the trip. Can't wait to start globe trotting again.
  • renee01952
    renee01952 mary268

    Posted

    Hi Mary, 

    Thank you for sharing - I requested assistence too when I traveled and that was prior THR surgery - I was in too much pain to walk from one terminal to the othe -

    I have to say that at first I felt like a fraude and was embaressed - but then, no wait upon check-in, customs, first to board ... goodness .... and they were all friendly - I was traveling by myself -

    How did you manage on board? did you fly business class? did you wear DVT stockings or that other type -

    Welcome home and congratulations with your son's wedding

    big warm hug

    renee

    • mary268
      mary268 renee01952

      Posted

      Thanks  Renee for your comments. I'd not be confident to do a long flight on my own. Our daughter booked the seats, not business class but by booking early we got special prices and seats near the door where there was no one in front of us and it was easy to walk up and down the aisles every so often as recommended. 

      I wore the white TED socks I was given for the operation but I needed help to get them on. 

       

  • rose0000
    rose0000 mary268

    Posted

    Well done Mary I hope you had a wonderful time! I hope to visit Rio one day - the assistance is a little hit and miss in some countries that is for sure smile

    I too have just come home and took a long haul flight from London to Abu Dhabi. 

    I requested wheelchair assistance, I was three months and a half months post op. I have to say for me the assistance was the worst thing ever! Everyone was staring at me, and I felt like a fraud to be honest as I can walk perfectly well, but worried about the huge long walks at Heathrow, and then the flight, and then a two and a half hour journey the other side, so opted for the safe bet. I had a great insight into 

    1) The incredible rudeness of some people towards those with disabilities and...

    2) What it must be like to be disabled all of the time - I have always been a considerate person but now more than ever...

    I opted to walk on the way home to avoid the staring, and was perfectly fine - which was great actually as it was a very very long way in the end.

    My two pennies for what it is worth when travelling a long way - definitely pack your strongest painkillers - they are not available everywhere and you may need them, however do not take them to the middle east it is is illegal (I had some codeine based just in case and threw them away, as I didn't fancy a thirty year stretch in the dessert prison)

    You will feel nervous about slippery surfaces, pool areas and general walking around places you do not know well, with this in mind be mindful when booking how far everything is, choose a smaller, more personal hotel for a more caring service and shorter distances to get to things. The very long walks will tire you out and compromise your enjoyment, especially if it is different surfaces or solid marble floors.

    Take some very good reliable shoes. Do not wait until you get there to find you can't walk in any of the shoes you packed. Some will be more difficult than others. 

    Tell the cabin crew about your replacement - they can supply extra pillows etc. Book an aisle seat so you can keep walking easily otherwise you will stiffen up.

    Think about where you are going, is there good healthcare just in case? An island retreat might sound great but where is the nearest major hospital if you do have a fall or something happens.

    One thing that did not happen which surprised me more than anything - I did NOT set off the airport security alarm, so either they were not working (which is not especially comforting) and very unlikely, or the metal is just deeply embedded, either way I was delighted!! Did you set the alarms off Mary?

    I wish I had waited just a little longer, as I was quite careful with everything I did were you? Everything needed thinking through, but overall the break and sunshine did me the world of good and I can not wait to go again. So if you are thinking of going somewhere soon hippies - go for it!

     

  • Soos2016
    Soos2016 mary268

    Posted

    I'm so glad I saw this, Mary. My son had LTHR on March 8 and is hoping to go to a conference in Hawaii in May. I'd also like to know how far into recovery you were when you traveled, please. 

    I advised him to request a wheelchair because the MSP terminal is so huge from curb to gate. He will need help through TSA as he is young and ALWAYS targeted for scrutiny. We have traveled together pre-op and Delta staff are terrific at getting you to the gate. 

    Of course he is worried about sitting for too long, layover (no non-stop flights) and coping alone.

    Great to know you had a good experience, Mary. I'm hoping for the same for my son.

    • mary268
      mary268 Soos2016

      Posted

      My op was on 30th April 2015 and my trip to Brazil March 2016, nearly a year later. I had the help and company of my husband and daughter. I wouldn't like to venture on a long trip on my own.

      It's harder for a young man to ask for assistance than for an old lady and even after the op he probably looks fit and healthy. I hope everything goes well for him and he has a good time in Hawaii.

    • Soos2016
      Soos2016 mary268

      Posted

      Hawaii is home. I don't know about a good time - he'll be at a conference. He just told me he fears there are too many obstacles - the terminal, TSA, layover. He is still in pain some days, discomfort other days, swelling. So he may not go at all, which will be a shame because this conference stipend is in his contract.

      But I do thank you, Mary, for letting me know you took a year before traveling. Yes on a flight he took pre-op, he was in first class, but they took his cane from him because he was on the aisle. I actually think that is how I found this forum - that the workaround was to use a folding cane. 

  • brenda92532
    brenda92532 mary268

    Posted

    Hi Mary

    How long is it since you had the hip op?  I just wondered how long after the op it is safe to fly.

    Brenda x

    • mary268
      mary268 brenda92532

      Posted

      Hi Brenda

      My op was at the end of April 2015, so it was almost a year later when I was travelling. I saw somewhere that travel by air is not recommended in the first 3 months after an operation - but this probably depends on all sorts of considerations - length of flight, own level of fitness before and after operation etc. 

      In my case the deciding factor was the date of my son's wedding.

       

    • brenda92532
      brenda92532 mary268

      Posted

      Hi

      i hope everything went well at your sons wedding.  This is a good reason to have to make a flight.  I may be going around September but nothing is booked yet.  It will be abou 8 months after the op so I should be safe.

      Brenda X 

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