cirrhosis Holidays

[Tim12]

I am wondering if I can go on a holiday and fly have heard its not a good idea with this condition

[AyrshireK]

It depends whether you have portal hypertension and/or varices and whether your doctor has said you are fit to fly.

Obviously you need to adequate travel insurance in place and that can be difficult if you have cirrhosis and especially with varices and do not risk travelling without both your doctors clearance and insurance in place - we had a forum member who was travelling long haul and didn't actually know he had varices and they burst mid-air resulting in an emergency plane landing and him being held liable for the costs of that plus the onward journey costs of fellow passengers who missed connections plus his own hosptialization fees in France.

Another consideration is infection risk plus drinking water - we had another forum member who ended up being hospitalized abroad when drinking bottled water with high sodium levels and he ended up with a massive ascites.

It's not impossible to go on a foreign holiday but check with your doctor first and obviously have your insurance sorted.

Katie

[Tim12 in reply to AyrshireK]

ok thanks I am going on a cruise soon will my insurance go up

[AyrshireK in reply to Tim12]

A cruise is different from flying - the danger there is the risk of a bleed mid-flight.

Cruising you've got the whole infection risk scenario but you just need to be careful.

You'll need to mention your condition to your insurer and make sure your cirrhosis is covered.

My hubby and I only holiday in the UK so i've no experience with holiday insurance.

Katie

[Tim12 in reply to AyrshireK]

ok thanks for your information as always

[Tim12 in reply to AyrshireK]

I do not have ascites

[Devonviolet]

I was told cruises were out by travel insurance companies as similar patients might need to be helicoptered off a cruise ship for urgent medical treatment.

[Tim12 in reply to Devonviolet]

Sorry do you mean travel insurance will not cover me

[PipM82]

I have cirrhosis and after some considerable thought and conversation with doctors I went to Sierra Leone for a month in early 2020. It was a challenging experience in many ways and I didn’t feel great the whole time but I’m really glad I went to my wife’s home country for the first time.

[Bs1524 in reply to PipM82]

what travel insurance company did you use? My husband’s consultant has said he is ok to fly

[PipM82]

I can’t remember - this was in February 2020. I’ll see if I’ve got any emails still.

[Devonviolet]

Yes, I was referring to travel insurance. I was finally insured by All Clear insurance but cruises were excluded. Flying was not.

[Bs1524]

when I started looking around for my husband they only seemed concerned with had he had a transplant or was he on the list for one. They seemed more concerned about his knee replacement surgery and the fact he needed his other knee replacing as well. I a, starting to think a broker would be best for us.