I've been given a trip to Hong Kong for Christmas....on the 27th January!! yikes!
anyway, I need some advice on what if anything I should be doing in regard to my AF, which has been ok (ish) since ablation last March.
I've been getting a lot of leg and feet cramp and this cramp like pain also affects my neck and boy is that sore. So, can anyone tell me if I should wear 'flight socks' given this cramp situation seeing as it's going to be a helluva long flight and a lot of waiting in between flights too?
To say I'm apprehensive is an understatement but the photographer in me is excited at the prospect of some really cool photos I'll hopefully get!
Would really appreciates me advice people, you lot are more apt to be in the know as I've not travelled very much and am a total novice at this long haul flight malarkey!
Oh, and happy new year to you all from Bonny Scotland
Blue x
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nikonBlue
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Try magnesium for leg cramp either pills or you can get Magnesium oil to rub in. Helped me a few years ago. Drink loads of water. Yes to flight socks. Allow extra time at airports so less stress. When permitted do walk up and down the aircraft from time to time.
I've been taking magnesium for several months now and strangely enough when I think of it, the cramp in the legs started after that.....coinsidence I'm assuming ? Who knows eh? I drink water all the time anyway and yes, I hope to enjoy the experience as does my camera!!
Blue
What a wonderful opportunity, grab it with both hands! We flew to the States about 6 weeks after my ablation which was a bit quicker than I would have liked but all went well. You will probably see a list of related posts on this page which will be well worth checking out and each one you look at will feature another batch of related posts so there will be lots of information to help you. The main things to consider are make sure you have adequate health insurance, make sure you take sufficient medication plus extra just in case there are any delays, together with copies of your prescriptions. In addition, keep well hydrated during the flight and avoid any alcohol. I’ve never used them personally but flight socks will be good, some airlines provide them in a goody back but I wouldn’t rely on that. Wear loose cumfy clothing and the more water you drink, the more you wee so that’s a double benefit to keep your legs moving. Give yourself plenty of time for all the kerfuffle at the airport, anything to minimise stress levels has to be good. Particularly if you are staying at one location, it’s good to research where you can get specialist help in the unlikely event you might need it but most important of all, have a fanbloomintastic time!
Hi, I think its that time of year, everyone starts to think of holidays, me included.
I’ve been a bit lazy here and cut/paste a recent post I did on BHF site but its the same info.
I don’t have any issues travelling or flying (short or long haul). I love travel and have been determined not to let my condition effect this.
I was diagnosed with an arrhythmia (PAF) in 2019, following a heart attack (NSTEMI type 2 ). All of this was out of the blue with the arrhythmia being the chief suspect for a small transient clot. An angiogram showed no occlusions ( no stents required) and I was discharged on medication and exercise.
This curtailed travel for a few years after that, including the pandemic period but now I trying to make up for it.
I am fortunate my PAF is well controlled (no episodes for years) with daily medication (Flecainide). I recovered very well and I am very fit and healthy.
I do feel pretty confident now and the main thing for me is avoiding irritating my PAF. For a long haul trip/flight, I ;
- try to remained chilled at all times. Don’t stress - hiccups can happen on trips but just deal with them when they occur.
- stay hydrated and avoid too much alcohol but hey! I’m on holiday, and a beer or wine with a meal is usually fine.
- eat but I never over eat or eat too late. Tricky sometimes on a flight changing timezones but I manage it. Eating late and being over full is generally not good for me anyway; something I avoid.
- to try and avoid jet lag, I always adopt the time zone of my destination as soon as possible.
- get some sleep / relax in tune with my destination.
- medication. I am on twice a day medication - 12 hours apart. Normally, I set a 12 hour timer on my watch after my last dose in local time. It is then just a bit trial and error were I blend my timings to reflect my destination +/- a few hours depending on the situation. This is very much a personal approach, I am sure others may do it other ways but it works for me, so far.
Then there’s just general things.
- good travel insurance - make sure all conditions are covered; declare everything.
- check destination’s law/rules (volume and restricted meds) on importing medication and adhere to it. As a minimum, I take my last prescription and enough meds for trip in their original labelled dispensing packaging. I carry a supply for the whole trip plus spare in hand luggage.
- research medical facilities at destination and have a plan.
- a good personalised first aid kit - ability to deal with typical traveller ailments.
I’ve no experience of compression socks but I always try to exercise my legs when I can. I am quite tall and some seats can be unforgiving. I either walk around the cabin or follow some of inflight exercises they usually have.
I should mention that everything has been discussed with my cardiologist too, in particular plans for dealing with my arrhythmia.
Clearly travelling is a choice, taking into account your personal circumstances and appetite for risk too. Only you can judge your personal state (both physical and mental); don’t rush things either. For myself now, I feel I have stability and I’m currently confident about my medical situation. In 2022, I ventured into Europe again and last year headed out to Singapore and Borneo. For the latter, I was in middle of the rain forest, for example. It was remote and clear that good medical facilities were a few days away, I knew this but ……but I wanted to visit that national park.
Best and I hope you manage to get away.
male, 57, UK
PS. - I visited Hong Kong, the year before my heart attack. It’s an amazing place to visit.
Oooooooh I doooo soooo envy you ........... HK, one of my most favourite cities .... and such a lovely people too. The Star Ferry, HK Island, Kowloon, the Peninsula Hotel, Victoria Peak and Aberdeen with its jumbo floating resturants ............... stop it! stop it! Haven't done long haul since pre CoVid but HK was usually a stop over en route to Sydney. It should be about a 10 hour flight, depending on airline and the jet stream. I have always worn flight socks but TBH, I've never had the cramps you talk about. Maybe wise to chat to your medical practitioner about that.
Do give some consideration to a neck support of some sort, and if a heat pack helps your neck or shoulders normally, then see what is available. I have normally travelled Cathay Pacific and back in the day they would dish out hot towels in flight. Something like that or a sort of neck cushion may be wise. Resist the temptation for alcohol in flight, do, do, do keep hydrated with water and don't be afraid to keep walking around the cabin and a static form of exercise in your seat would be to keep moving your ankles and do stretches. Should be inflight information on these healthcare issues in flight.
For me the key is, both inflight and doing transfers is to exercise and keep (non alcoholic) hydrated. AND DO NOT EVEN THINK OF AF ....... STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. 😂😂😂
Oh yes, I don't know how frequent your AF is BUT if you are on medication ( and depending on doseage and how long you will be away from Bonnie Scotland ) make sure you have some in cabin baggage as well as hold baggage. May also be wise to take copies of your prescription or a letter from your Surgery certifying that these are officially prescribed drugs. When I've travelled to Oz I have never had a problem with meds on any route I've flown whether it be via HK, or Singapore or Manilla en route to Oz, but best be safe.
Enjoy your holiday ....... just a cheeky enquiry ... do you need a baggage boy to assist with your camera kit ???? 😂😂😂
Ha, yes that would be good to have a wee help!! I'm such a novice of traveling as I've just never been in a financial position and thanks to my son, he's working over in HK or somewhere near and has given me this gift of travelling to see HK for my Christmas.....but I'm travelling alone so where shall I meet my assistant??
For the record I'm no longer on any Flecainide after the ablation last year so yes, cool and calmly I will go on this trip of a lifetime!!
stay well
Blue x
Good Afternoon nikonBlue,
You may like to take a look at our booklet 'AF and You' which you can find here: api.heartrhythmalliance.org... It provides tips and advice on travelling with AF, including things to consider before you leave, during your journey and once you arrive at your destination.
Additionally, we're hosting a Patient Services Online coffee morning later this year which will focus on 'Travelling with an Arrhythmia'. It could be a great opportunity for you to learn more about travelling with AF if you have any other holidays planned later in the year. You can find more information here: heartrhythmalliance.org/afa....
I hope you find these resources helpful. If you have any questions or would like any further advice, please don't hesitate to contact our Patient Services Team on 01789 867502 or email info@afa.org.uk
Hi baba, if you have any specific questions relating to AF or any specific posts on the Forum, please feel free to contact the Patient Services Team direct on info@afa.org.uk
what a wonderful opportunity! And lots of great advice already offered. I’ll just add that for long flights, I wear compression socks. Helps keep the blood flowing to and from your legs. And I do lots of leg stretches in my seat, get up and walk the aisles and stretch when I can. Have a wonderful time!
Firstly, HK is great, the ferries, the Peak, Nathan Road... if you need someone to carry your bags I'm here.Yes get the flight socks, but also if you can reserve an aisle seat, so you can go for a walk on the plane if you want to.
Ha! another offer to carry the camera gear....brilliant!! My son has booked me an aisle seat so yes that's great though I'll probably get lost going fo a wander and will need to remember my seat number!! Just not a traveller at all so all new to little old me!!
Hi there fellow bonny lass! We travel extensively, much of it long haul, so well acquainted with the particular additional issue of domestic travel to connect with London flights, or the connections via other hubs eg DXB etc. I agree with others the most important thing is to eliminate any stress you can. If via London, we travel the day before, stay at airport so that we're "there" as sadly the domestic connections are very prone to overbooking, cancellations, and delays nowadays, especially when there's a weather/time of year factor. Last year we transited LHR 8 times, only 3 went smoothly, but we had our built in buffer of not missing a critical connection. Just spent many hours hanging around airports, but almost none risked missing the start of our holiday (the big deal). Even if we risked a same day connection via LHR, I never book the sweet spot timings nowadays, eg the GLA at 0950 to connect with a 1245 to....it's of course doable, but flights are now full to capacity, getting a landing slot at LHR can take over an hour, the queues at flight connections and security can be huge, your bags may not join you even if you make it...If your flights are already fixed, and non changeable, make a plan should anything go wrong. Google it thoroughly, check out all the forums/info of airport layout. I'd even consider booking airport assistance (it's not just for people requiring a wheelchair). If you're on a flight with a delay, ensure the cabin crew are aware of your connecting flight and the Captain should receive some info from ground operations - sometimes buggies are awaiting transferees to fast track you to the connecting plane. Should you be too late, the airline will possibly have already offloaded you and rebooked you. Make sure you follow the Flight Connections lane when you're transiting! Onboard, it's as others have said, drink water, no alcohol, any flight over 4 hours, everyone (even non fibbers) should wear good flight socks (buy the best) put them on at the first airport and don't take them off until destination. Get a really good neck pillow, look for one that has an indentation at the back - the usual full circle ones push your neck forwards too far, again research those and other types. I have a travel cushion for the bum, I take a big scarf for extra warmth as airline blankets in economy are poor, fluffy socks for over the flight socks (and to protect from manky floors esp in toilets) good earplugs, noise cancelling headphones, and a good attitude towards the crew. My biggest travel weapon is being able to use the lounges - last time we had to wait 8 hours but bearable. My credit card includes it, or some places you can prebook and pay. If that's not doable, find the quietest spot you can and try not to stress. NEVER put ANY of your meds in checked bags, and put a change of clothes in your carry-on too. I hope some of this is useful, but mostly hope you have on time, seamless, stress-free transfers and flights, and the most wonderful time in HK. I have flown thousands of times, nowadays with AFib, planning/contingency research is being forearmed.
well, thanks for all that! I'm flying from Edinburgh to Amsterdam then have a 4 hour wait and from Amsterdam to Beijing which off course is the long flight of 10 hours (eek) and the another 7 yes 7 hour wait for my flight to Hong Kong.....yikes! All that waiting but thankfully my son does have lounge access for me and will instruct me well!! I'll be buying all the 'comfort' accessories this week and am checking with my gp regarding my meds so am hopefully well organised and ready to go. It's not quite a wee trip to London which is what I half expected!!
What a lovely gift from your son, your having lounge access is the key to it all. Such a complex itinerary, but having the lounges with food/drink/peace will make it more than bearable. 4 hours at AMS is a good thing, they're pretty notorious for not loading bags, but should be OK. Anything under 2 hours at AMS I'd panic. I use my Apple air tags in suitcases, good to see before departure that they're close enough to you before take-off. Assuming you're KLM to AMS, you'll be glad to get a bite in the lounge, they have the worst snack in the world on that flight! I haven't been to BJS for a few years. Don't remember anything specific, must be just another typical enormous airport where you could be anywhere. HKG used to be quite the adventure when landing at the old airport, used to be shut your eyes and pray, now it's moved to a new location it's fine, clean and modern. The city itself is just amazing, your photos will be wonderful. Enjoy every moment, relax and all will be well. Cheers!
Definitely do not do what I did and discover that you've completed run out of one of your meds the night before your flight!Thank goodness for the bloody wonderful NHS who managed to organise an emergency prescription for my Edoxaban to cover me for 2 weeks (they normally only give a week's worth for emergencies) - otherwise I could have been a potential late entry for 2023's Darwin award.
Can anyone tell me who to get travel insurance with that won't cost as much as the blooming flight cost!! Totally amazed at the prices I'm finding so thought I'd just see if anyone has any reasonable places I can try!
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