Flying after surgery

[options]

Hi,

 

I've been doing lots of research and have narrowed my surgeons down to two in Brussels and one in the UK. I live in the UK myself.

 

Could anyone tell me about flying the day after surgery? Staying in a hotel for a week or two weeks would make something that is just about affordable become too expensive. Would it damage the recovery or the transplant if I got a flight the next day?

 

Thanks

[003294]

You can fly next day but it will mean you will have to travel with a bandage. Better if you stay an extra day or 2 get bandaged removed at clinic and fly back wearing a normal baseball cap.

[options]

Thanks for your reply. So no damage to the transplant then?

 

Did you fly after a transplant?

[003294]

Yes no damage and I flew 2 days post op India to uk with no problems whatsoever with checking in, customs, security checks etc

[Sethticles]

Yep I flew from India to Australia the day 2 post OP, i wore a loose bandana and a really large trucka cap, was ok, i tried to avoid eye contact with people in the airport... LOL

[options]

Cheers guys...& Sethticles, your hair looks great

[cueball35]

I flew home the day after on both occasions.

 

Went to clinic the morning after the ops for a cleaning and then went to airport.

 

Im glad i flew home the day after because i had swelling which kicked in from day 2 to day 7 and i wouldn/t have fancied staying in a hotel room for a week waiting for the swelling to go away

[hairweare]

For such a short flight probably doesn't make much of a difference but it is a good idea to be seen at the clinic on POD#1 for cleaning and going over instructions. For a longer trip I would advise spending the day resting up in the hotel. You will need to keep the grafted area moist with saline frequently which may not be practical on the plane. If the procedure is FUE there may be some oozing and pillow staining on the first two nights after the surgery which is another reason you may want to wait a day before heading home.

[ezel]

Had fue with dr feriduni almost two weeks ago. Had surgery Monday and flew back Thursday. I live in the US as well. Flew from brussels to NYC and then had to continue on to boston. Two security checks. One in the uk and one in the states. Neither were an issue as I swear you could barely tell anything was done. My wife came with on the trip and she is brutally honest with me and she said the same. There was acutely another guy on my return flight that had a HT done as well. I can tell you we both had no issues making a bathroom trip to spray the recipient area. You may have some swelling but that's about it. Truthfully I dreaded this aspect of the procedure initially more then the procedure itself. But in the end I really can't tell you how little My life has been altered. Dr feriduni and his staff were extremely professional and the work was super clean.

[glocktop]

Options, great post. I'm wondering the same thing.

Ezel, its funny you said you were more worried about the flight home than the op itself. I'm in the same boat.

I'm looking at 3500 FUE over two days, and wondering if I should fly the 12 hour flight from Europe to US on post op day 1, or wait until day 3 or so to minimize bleeding, appearance, etc. You say you had no problems at the security checkpoints. No questions about your head? Encouraging.

[glocktop]

Options, great post. I'm wondering the same thing.

Ezel, its funny you said you were more worried about the flight home than the op itself. I'm in the same boat.

I'm looking at 3500 FUE over two days, and wondering if I should fly the 12 hour flight from Europe to US on post op day 1, or wait until day 3 or so to minimize bleeding, appearance, etc. You say you had no problems at the security checkpoints. No questions about your head? Encouraging.

[glocktop]

Cueball, i see you had strip on both occasions. Did you wear a bandage or anything on the plane to protect the back of your head (donor area) from the seat headrest? How long were your flights?

[cueball35]

Cueball, i see you had strip on both occasions. Did you wear a bandage or anything on the plane to protect the back of your head (donor area) from the seat headrest? How long were your flights?

 

Hi Glock

 

The clinic removed the bandages the morning after the op during the cleaning process. They supplied me with a loose fitting bandana for the flight home, just one and half hours flight for me.

 

For the flights home i booked seats at the back of the plane, beside the window, that way you can slip in and out very quickly and by sitting at the window you dont have to get up to let someone out to the toilets, have another passenger bang against your head with luggage walking down the aisle or have a flight attendant passing food etc over your head during the flight!

 

I was always worried about the flight home, going through security etc ,funnily enough more worried about that than the procedure itself but once you get it done you feel proud of yourself for doing something about your hair loss, its almost like a badge of honour type feeling!

[ezel]

I read in some post that although people in the airport may give u stares you have to remember the likelihood of you ever seeing them is slim to none. Probably a better chance of getting bitten by a shark in the ocean! I'd fly home 2-3 days post opp. I actually was out and about in Brussels on day two. Although you are wearing a bandana people overseas are much more accepting of how people dress compared to americans(I'm an American as well). Nobody looked at me with a questioning eye. My wife and I explored the city on day 2/3 with no issues. Day 1 you are still a bit bloody if you will. Only issue I had on day three was a little swelling in the forehead but with the bandana on nobody can tell. Oh-we upgraded to nicer seats on the plane ride as well. Was like 150 bucks. Worth it...if its an option just do it. You spent the money on the HT. Treat yourself to a nicer ride home. Where are you flying to for the procedure?

[glocktop]

Thanks ezel, cueball. Im leaning towards flying home post op day 2, just to minimize any risk of bloodiness. With the Ebola scares going on I dont want to grab any extra attention by looking bloody or odd.

 

Ill be flying from Madrid to Washington DC. Im planning on doing my layovers in NYC if possible, just to keep things in English as much as possible.

[options]

Thanks for everyones responses.

 

Do security make you take off the hat (if you wore one)?

[ezel]

Yes hats have to be removed.

[LondonHT]

option, i flew out of Charleroi and did not have to remove my bandana at any check.