Flights

[Windy51]

Hi everyone I have ET and I am on Hydrea and Asprin has anyone been told they can not fly anywhere

[Otterfield]

When I was diagnosed back in 2001, I was told long haul was a bad idea but shorter flights were fine. I was about to fly off to the Azores on my honeymoon, about a four hour flight, and was told to follow all the usual advice, eg drink water, walk around as much as possible.

[Dovme]

Hi Windy?

Do you mean due to the pandemic or in general? Before starting on HU and the pandemic l flew often on long haul - for flights over five hours l was prescribed and self injected Heparin.

[Windy51 in reply to Dovme]

Nothing to do with Covid what is Heparin please

[Dovme in reply to Windy51]

It’s an anticoagulant ( blood thinner). It’s easy to self inject very small needle. Mine came in a pre prepared syringes It lasts 12 hours. When l last took it l was not on HU. But have ET and was on aspirin

[Windy51 in reply to Dovme]

Ok thanks

[Windy51 in reply to Dovme]

Do you have ET and in Asprin and Hydrea

[Cja1956]

I have post Et-Mf (diagnosed in 2019) and in the summer of 2018, I flew from the US to Israel. I was on HU and aspirin forET.( . I was diagnosed with ET in 2008) I experienced nose bleeds on the flight there and also, on the way home, and also a couple of times while in Israel. I still don’t know why, because I normally don’t get nosebleeds. It was a wonderful trip, but I don’t think I would do it again.

[Windy51 in reply to Cja1956]

Hi many hours were you in the plane

[Cja1956]

So we have to fly from Florida to France first. That took about eight hours and then from France to Israel which took probably about four hours.

[Anneian]

Since being diagnosed and taking hydrea and aspirin I have flown to Barbados, New York, Boston and shorter flights to Spain and Bulgaria. I was told to drink lots of water and wear travel pressure socks. I have had no adverse effects.

[Trocken in reply to Anneian]

I’m the same, move around as much as possible too and wore flight socks as advised

[flirt_2015]

Since being diagnosed almost 15 years ago I have flown many times from Ireland to Australia my doctor prescribes heparin I take aspirin and HU

[Pennypen]

I am on an aspirin and Hydrea and have flown from Perth WA to Canada Perth to China not a problem.

[Anneian]

Since being diagnosed 7 years ago I decided to live my life as normal. Moved to live from U.K. to Bulgaria and am loving life.

[Quercus53]

Hi Windy51, I have ET and take aspirin, still contemplating whether or not to go for HU.

My consultant said I couldn't fly any more than three hours, which is a bit annoying as I go long haul every holiday.

However - and it's an expensive however! - she is happy for me to travel Business Class and she gives me a blood thinner to inject at the start of each flight, which lasts 24 hours, so covers connections too.

Unfortunately the upgrade isn't available on the NHS!!

I have flown long haul like this and have had no problems

Hope this helps

x

[lunasurf]

I have had ET for ten years and take HU and aspirin. I have done lots of travelling with flights over 5 hrs and have never been told not to fly. I make sure I stay well hydrated, move around as much as possible, stretch and point and flex my feet a lot during the flight. I’ve never had any issues.

[hunter5582]

It depends on your profile and individual risk of thrombosis based on how your MPN presents. We are not all the same. As others indicated, some need to take additional precautions (e.g. heparin injection). I would add the universal precautions that all of us should take, especially as we age. Compression socks are a good idea and help prevent thrombosis. Also a big deal, get up and move. Do not sit for more than 1 hour. Ever. Getting an aisle seat helps with this.

Wishing you happy travels.

[MPNBlog]

Hi Windy. You ought to be able to travel so long as you take the precautions mentioned here. I have PV, on aspirin and Pegasys. The medical advice I was given was that flights up to 2 1/2 hours are fine (drink plenty of water, move around as much as possible, do leg exercises in your seat at least every half hour etc). Flights longer than that, I must always have blood thinning injections ('Clexane' which is similar to Heparin) as mentioned by others. For long haul flights, say 20 hours all up flying time, I have 3 injections approximately 24 hours apart each way. I take one 24 hours before departure, one an hour before departure at the airport, and one when I arrive at the destination. There are needle disposal bins in toilets in all the big airports. Your doctor ought to be able to tell you how many injections you need and how often, depending on your trip. It's quite easy, the pre-loaded needles are very fine and I can't feel them. A bit of a sting when the liquid goes in. It's better than worrying about a clot. I was advised to take a copy of the prescription and a letter from the doctor in case security at the airport was a problem as it's best to carry them on you and not put them in the check in baggage because they may get too cold. But I have never been asked to produce that documentation. I agree that keeping your legs horizontal makes a difference such as in Business class. I had 3 seats to myself in economy on my last flight and so I had my legs up for the whole trip (the flight was delayed 24 hours so most people were moved onto other flights hence there were fewer passengers). Also I felt much better with no headaches or swollen lower legs that I usually get. But Business class is really not an option for most of us, and my haematologist said it wasn't necessary. Don't stop doing what you love!

[Wyebird]

I’ve bee on at least 4 long haul flights- I have Et. No extra precautions taken. X

[CooperS1]

Hi, I was diagnosed summer 2019 and started on meds (Aspirin and Hydroxy) approx 4 weeks before we were due to fly to Turkey a 4hr + flight! I was convinced they’d not let me fly but when I saw my consultant a couple of weeks before our holiday he said no problem providing I wore flight socks, moved about etc. I was totally fine. My platelet count was coming down, not yet in the ‘normal’ range at that point, but responding well to the meds and I had no side effects from it. But the advice would really depend on your own blood stats. The advice he and the lovely haematology nurse gave me was that they wanted me to ‘live, and enjoy life’ 🙂 Sadly I’ve not flown since due to covid restrictions etc. but fingers crossed for next year. Kind regards. Denise

[BloodZero]

No, i was never told that.

Even before i was on Hydroxy when my platelets were around 1300 i went on many many flights. 8-16hr flights and many shorter ones.

I used to wear compression socks. And exercise my legs on the flight.

Now i am on hydroxy i still go on flights. Even if i was told i shouldn't i still would. My goal is to have an enjoyable life, not a long one (if given the choice).