Flying

[Katiesgran]

Was at appointment yesterday and happened to mention yo liver specialist nurse that I wa going to Orlando in October. Absolutely devastated to be told I might not be allowed to fly. She is going yo arrange an endoscopy. Can anyone let me know their experiences please

[Miche49uk]

Hi Katiesgran perhaps they need to ensure that there is no potential for an internal bleed appreciating the cabin pressure but I am no doctor, perhaps you could put a call in to your GP about it or request to speak to your consultant via their secretary?

I am only thinking this as I had a client who was in a car accident just before he was due to fly on holiday, he broke his leg but following a scan they found he had an aortic aneurysm which could have burst had he flown without a doubt...

Try not to worry and I'm sure there must be others who have had similar here.

Michelle xx

[AyrshireK]

As you now have a diagnosis of cirrhosis then you have a risk of having portal hypertension a symptom of which can be varices in the oesophagus which if they burst can be life threatening.

It is pretty normal practise for you to have an endoscopy prior to long flights to ensure you do not have varices as these (as Michelle rightly says) can rupture due to increased pressure during flights. We have had people on here in the past who have had them rupture mid flight requiring emergency landings and hospitalisation (not exactly possibly mid-Atlantic).

If you get the all clear you should still be ok to go on your travels - hopefully you have health insurance all sorted too for your USA trip.

All the best, Katie

[Hidden]

Hi Katiesgran,

I have had portal hypertension and ruptured varices as a result of this. Having spoken to my consultant (Prof Hirschfield, one of the leaders in his field for AIH) here in the UK, he has advised travelling for a max of 6 hours on a flight. I have regular endoscopies (yearly) to remove further varices, but this is the advice I was given, so no more flights to the States for me. I am hoping this may change if they ever eradicate the varices, but who knows! Hope this helps. Wishing you luck