17 hour flight day after surgery advisable?

[bennyt89]

I'm talking Belgium -> Australia. The flight is anywhere from 17 - 20 hours so definately long haul.

 

After FUE is it ok to fly this distance 24 hours post surgery. Or should I wait another day? (Or does it even make a difference?)

 

My original plan was to have surgery, rest that night, hopefully check in with the clinic in the morning for a quick check and possible wash and fly in the afternoon.

[Spanker]

No, it's not advisable. You have so much invested, why not take it easy, low stress, keep it clean and damp, ect. It's much harder to do that on a plane for 20 hours.

[Speegs]

Quick flights under 4 or 5 hours are no biggies, but long flights sound like a needless risk, I'd just chill in a hotel for a day and take it easy before embarking on a long flight, you'll need to be careful how you sleep on the plane for such a long journey, you don't want to dislodge grafts.

[jjsrader]

Yea; wait at least one day - wear a sterilized or clean bandanna on flight back and be careful about pressure on your head.

 

If you can wait two days after that is even better.

 

Of course you can fly back the day after surgery but you might be miserable as all get out. Not a fun way to spend 30+ hours door to door, right?

 

With FUE it's better and easier than FUT obviously - but if you are a warrior and can gut it out you can do it but be extremely careful.

[bennyt89]

Thanks for the advice guys.

 

I don't mind staying an extra day or two. I was more concerned with flying with any kind of swelling as I'm sure that would be hell on a long haul flight. And my understanding was that swelling tends to occur on days 3 - 5?

 

I just want to avoid that happening. If it's even true?

[Spanker]

Thanks for the advice guys.

 

I don't mind staying an extra day or two. I was more concerned with flying with any kind of swelling as I'm sure that would be hell on a long haul flight. And my understanding was that swelling tends to occur on days 3 - 5?

 

I just want to avoid that happening. If it's even true?

 

Depends how many grafts, if you ice right, etc. I saw one of the forum members in person and he was extremely diligent in icing and massaging the swelling away from his face. I was very minor. I've seen guys not follow instructions and look like they fought Tyson.

[harryforreal]

Duuuuuuuude......Stay 5 - 7 days. Seriously. I swelled up on day 3 like crazy. I had 1000 grafts at the front on Friday, rested Saturday and Sunday with not too much swelling and went to work on Monday thinking nothing of it based on what people said. By 9 AM I was feeling awful, and my fellow coworkers were approaching me with extreme concern based solely on my appearance - not like when you have a cold or even the flu type appearance, but like you are having a brain aneurysm or stroke and are about to drop dead in 30 minutes. I remained at work until the end of the day, my eyes were swelling like crazy, and I went home and just swelled up. Horrible feeling. But also it became quite apparent at work that something serious was going on, and later on people were easily able to figure out it was a HT.

 

In any case, yeah, like Spanker said, just chill. Take a week in Belgium. If you're feeling well go out and visit the medieval town of Brugges and other places.

 

But even if you don't swell, you don't want to risk damaging the grafts in your scalp by immediately hopping on a plane all drugged up. Just hang and chill in Northern Europe a bit - eat lots of Belgian chocolate.

[bennyt89]

Duuuuuuuude......Stay 5 - 7 days. Seriously. I swelled up on day 3 like crazy. I had 1000 grafts at the front on Friday, rested Saturday and Sunday with not too much swelling and went to work on Monday thinking nothing of it based on what people said. By 9 AM I was feeling awful, and my fellow coworkers were approaching me with extreme concern based solely on my appearance - not like when you have a cold or even the flu type appearance, but like you are having a brain aneurysm or stroke and are about to drop dead in 30 minutes. I remained at work until the end of the day, my eyes were swelling like crazy, and I went home and just swelled up. Horrible feeling. But also it became quite apparent at work that something serious was going on, and later on people were easily able to figure out it was a HT.

 

In any case, yeah, like Spanker said, just chill. Take a week in Belgium. If you're feeling well go out and visit the medieval town of Brugges and other places.

 

But even if you don't swell, you don't want to risk damaging the grafts in your scalp by immediately hopping on a plane all drugged up. Just hang and chill in Northern Europe a bit - eat lots of Belgian chocolate.

 

A week seems a bit excessive. I guess the reason I want to get home sooner rather than later is for recovery purposes, if there is swelling and other nastiness to deal with would rather do it from the comfort of home and familiar sorroubdings rather than a hotel room.

 

And I didn't realise there were impacts on the grafts from flying?? Something to do with the pressure?

[Baldrick101]

I think you need to either travel the morning after OP before any swelling kicks in or wait 4-5 days for it to go down. But everybody reacts differently. My swelling was not too bad but it did go down between my eyes so I looked very weird. Not sure how swelling would impact the passport cameras for facial recognition. I would email your surgeon and they will give you the best advice.

[bennyt89]

I think you need to either travel the morning after OP before any swelling kicks in or wait 4-5 days for it to go down. But everybody reacts differently. My swelling was not too bad but it did go down between my eyes so I looked very weird. Not sure how swelling would impact the passport cameras for facial recognition. I would email your surgeon and they will give you the best advice.

 

I can't speak directly to Dr Bisanga himself, only through one of his reps.

However they advised flying +1 day after surgery in the afternoon should be ok for a 20 hour flight.

[Shera]

I can't speak directly to Dr Bisanga himself, only through one of his reps.

However they advised flying +1 day after surgery in the afternoon should be ok for a 20 hour flight.

 

Benny,

 

I think you should take the advice from the earlier posts. You have just committed to a surgery which you have most probably invested alot of your time, energy and resource.

 

If you have the capacity to stay another few days to rest and recoup then you should do so.

 

It is difficult to assess how you will feel the following day after surgery, every patient is different. Also your grafts are still at risk and your head will be sore and and you may feel other discomfort too.

 

I personally insist that long haul patients stay at least 3 nights following surgery.

 

It's not rocket science, just plain old common sense!

[bennyt89]

Benny,

 

I think you should take the advice from the earlier posts. You have just committed to a surgery which you have most probably invested alot of your time, energy and resource.

 

If you have the capacity to stay another few days to rest and recoup then you should do so.

 

It is difficult to assess how you will feel the following day after surgery, every patient is different. Also your grafts are still at risk and your head will be sore and and you may feel other discomfort too.

 

I personally insist that long haul patients stay at least 3 nights following surgery.

 

It's not rocket science, just plain old common sense!

 

Isnt 3 nights right around when swelling would start to appear (if you're prone to it).

 

I guess no one including me can anticipate what's going to happen. At this stage I'm thinking of pre booking a hotel+flights package deal to leave +1 day after. I'll assess how I'm feeling that day and if it's obvious I'm not comfortable to fly I will just skip the flight and book a one way ticket back later in the week.

[jjsrader]

Yea; just go for it +1 day after. Be careful, do the ice thing and even if you are swelling some on the flight you'll be fine.

 

FUE isn't nearly as traumatic initially as FUT. Finally, getting back home is a good motivation to protect your grafts on the flight home 'cause no one wants to be overseas recovering unless you want to just sit around for 4-5 days or really want to make a vacation out of it.

[Shera]

Isnt 3 nights right around when swelling would start to appear (if you're prone to it).

 

I guess no one including me can anticipate what's going to happen. At this stage I'm thinking of pre booking a hotel+flights package deal to leave +1 day after. I'll assess how I'm feeling that day and if it's obvious I'm not comfortable to fly I will just skip the flight and book a one way ticket back later in the week.

 

In my experience, approximately only one in five patients have any swelling following FUE which usually occurs within 24 hours of the surgery. It usually calms down within the next 24-48 hours.

 

My point is actually the discomfort and the unnecessary risk you will be taking flying back a day after surgery. I've yet to come across a patient who wishes he/she would have returned via long haul the following day.

 

Personally I wouldn't feel comfortable sending a patient back home on a 17 hour long haul journey the day after lengthy surgery, I think it would be irresponsible.

[harryforreal]

Yeah, I'm in total agreement with Shera. If you were visiting Brussels for a business trip and expected to be done in a day, yeah, no need to stick around if you want to get home for comfort's sake. But this surgery is no small matter - even though prior to it I didn't think it would be such a big deal.

 

My principle concern with flying for so long while doped up is that you have to support your head and maybe the drugs cause you to fall asleep (I mean, 20 hour flight, I'm sure you will sleep!) and while sleeping while drugged up you brush your head against the seat the wrong way or something and damage your grafts. But, yeah, since you mention the pressure - considering how much suffering I experienced once the swelling became severe, I can't imagine that additional pressure from an airline cabin would be good at all.

 

Belgium is certainly not the most interesting country in Europe, but there are some interesting things to see there - and taste. You're not going there for the sights and tastes, though, so stick around for the sake of your grafts if not your level of discomfort and if you get a chance, take in some sights on top of it all. What do you have to loose? Except your grafts, of course....

[hsrp10]

If it were a very minor surgery of a few hundred grafts then and only then "maybe" yes.

 

But for a larger procedure definitely no!

You will still be oozing blood and fluids the day after which will stick to any bandana or hat you wear, which when removed will pull out those precious new grafts you just paid a fortune for and flew half way around the world to get.

 

If you don't mind getting big stares and can go hat and bandana free and have no other choice to fly back, than also perhaps. Also you could get yanked off your flight for appearing to have had "brain surgery" lol due to all the blood etc. which one overly-aggressive flight attendant tried to pull with me before I showed her my doctor letter (keep your doctor letter in your carryon luggage to avoid this!)

 

But give it 2 days at least post op before flying, more time is optimal.