Post-Flight Muscle Pain / Weakness

[+ FreshFluff]

Went my Dr today. He felt the chest pain was NOT PE since it is not ong-going. Told me to keep track of chest pain / traveling. Since I'm already on blood thinners, he felt PE was not likely. But, I'm going to keep track and followup if it continues near flight times.

 

Glad you spoke to your doctor, @OneFinger. Was this a GP or specialist? In any case, keep us posted.

[+ FreshFluff]

Went my Dr today. He felt the chest pain was NOT PE since it is not ong-going. Told me to keep track of chest pain / traveling. Since I'm already on blood thinners, he felt PE was not likely. But, I'm going to keep track and followup if it continues near flight times.

 

Glad you spoke to your doctor, @OneFinger. Was this a GP or specialist? In any case, keep us posted.

[+ WilliamM]

Glad you spoke to your doctor, @OneFinger. Was this a GP or specialist? In any case, keep us posted.

Happy Birthday

[+ WilliamM]

Glad you spoke to your doctor, @OneFinger. Was this a GP or specialist? In any case, keep us posted.

Happy Birthday

[Guest]

Went my Dr today. He felt the chest pain was NOT PE since it is not ong-going. Told me to keep track of chest pain / traveling. Since I'm already on blood thinners, he felt PE was not likely. But, I'm going to keep track and followup if it continues near flight times.

Well, even without being on anti-coagulants, the pain from PE's is not permanent, nor are the clots. No way to tell at this time, of course, but I think it's important to understand that newer anti-coagulants, although much easier to take and prescribe, don't have the broad spectrum of warfarin. If this happens again, especially after a flight, I would get this evaluated very promptly, at the very least with a D-dimer, which is a quick, easy, and risk-free test. And FF has a good point. If the person giving you this opinion isn't a specialist on clotting disorders, it may be worth seeking another opinion.

Weeks after an event, saying you never had a condition can at best be an educated guess. It would be like saying, weeks after having a cough and a fever, that you never had pneumonia because you're not still coughing and having a fever. Like a PE, either the pneumonia kills you, or you recover. If you're considering a long flight, especially, say, going down under, please consider the opinion of a clotting specialist if the opinion you received wasn't that of a clotting specialist. Did you ask him if you'd be tested for genetic problems such as the ones I mentioned previously, by the way?

[Guest]

Went my Dr today. He felt the chest pain was NOT PE since it is not ong-going. Told me to keep track of chest pain / traveling. Since I'm already on blood thinners, he felt PE was not likely. But, I'm going to keep track and followup if it continues near flight times.

Well, even without being on anti-coagulants, the pain from PE's is not permanent, nor are the clots. No way to tell at this time, of course, but I think it's important to understand that newer anti-coagulants, although much easier to take and prescribe, don't have the broad spectrum of warfarin. If this happens again, especially after a flight, I would get this evaluated very promptly, at the very least with a D-dimer, which is a quick, easy, and risk-free test. And FF has a good point. If the person giving you this opinion isn't a specialist on clotting disorders, it may be worth seeking another opinion.

Weeks after an event, saying you never had a condition can at best be an educated guess. It would be like saying, weeks after having a cough and a fever, that you never had pneumonia because you're not still coughing and having a fever. Like a PE, either the pneumonia kills you, or you recover. If you're considering a long flight, especially, say, going down under, please consider the opinion of a clotting specialist if the opinion you received wasn't that of a clotting specialist. Did you ask him if you'd be tested for genetic problems such as the ones I mentioned previously, by the way?

[+ purplekow]

One thing I would add to all this if this is a full pressurized cabin then the data here is accurate and as little as an hour is enough time to develop a clot in the leg if you do not get up and move. If you are on a plane that is not maximally pressurized, the risk is even greater, I did not see if you are flying commercial or if you are flying in a private non jet but the SOB and the history of PE strongly suggests taking every precaution every time you fly.

 

Even healthy people at low risk still are better off taking an aspirin if not containdicated and using compression socks and getting out of the seat regularly, mores during long flights.

Edited January 8, 2020 by purplekow

[+ purplekow]

One thing I would add to all this if this is a full pressurized cabin then the data here is accurate and as little as an hour is enough time to develop a clot in the leg if you do not get up and move. If you are on a plane that is not maximally pressurized, the risk is even greater, I did not see if you are flying commercial or if you are flying in a private non jet but the SOB and the history of PE strongly suggests taking every precaution every time you fly.

 

Even healthy people at low risk still are better off taking an aspirin if not containdicated and using compression socks and getting out of the seat regularly, mores during long flights.

Edited January 8, 2020 by purplekow

[OneFinger]

Glad you spoke to your doctor, @OneFinger. Was this a GP or specialist? In any case, keep us posted.

This was a specialist.

...If this happens again, especially after a flight, I would get this evaluated very promptly, at the very least with a D-dimer... Did you ask him if you'd be tested for genetic problems such as the ones I mentioned previously, by the way?

Have not heard of D-dimer before. Will check into this. My Dr did test for genetic problems and there were none.

One thing I would add to all this if this is a full pressurized cabin then the data here is accurate and as little as an hour is enough time to develop a clot in the leg if you do not get up and move. If you are on a plane that is not maximally pressurized, the risk is even greater, I did not see if you are flying commercial or if you are flying in a private non jet but the SOB and the history of PE strongly suggests taking every precaution every time you fly...

Always fly commercial now. Last private jet flights ended in 1998. My first PE were after a commercial flight of 90 minutes. So, I'm a

always cautious when flying - wear compression socks and often get up to walk the aisle.

[Guest]

One thing I would add to all this if this is a full pressurized cabin then the data here is accurate and as little as an hour is enough time to develop a clot in the leg if you do not get up and move. If you are on a plane that is not maximally pressurized, the risk is even greater, I did not see if you are flying commercial or if you are flying in a private non jet but the SOB and the history of PE strongly suggests taking every precaution every time you fly.

 

Even healthy people at low risk still are better off taking an aspirin if not containdicated and using compression socks and getting out of the seat regularly, mores during long flights.

Where does the suggestion of healthy people at low risk taking aspirin before long flights come from? I'm not necessarily saying you're wrong, but I've never heard that guideline, if it is one, nor of a study suggesting that. Aspirin is not benign. Several months ago, a randomized clinical study came out that reversed the commonly-given advice for high-risk patients to take aspirin to prevent strokes or heart attacks, when the study showed the risk exceeded (or, in the case of diabetics, equaled) the benefit. Another caveat is that someone on Xarelto or Eliquis (I forget which one OF is on) should not take aspirin except under unusual circumstances.

[+ purplekow]

Harvard Health cites an article from 2005 and updated in 2017 and published in January 2017 which suggests that if you are not otherwise at risk from ASA that taking 81 mg of ASA 1/2 hour before a flight would be reasonable. The data was extrapolated from DVT in hip fractures and suggests only a minimal benefit might be obtainable. Clearly if you have problems with ASA, a history of PUD, ASA allergy, use of medications that ASA would significantly alter, then you do not fit in the category of otherwise healthy with low risk from ASA.

If new recommendations have been set forth since 2017, I have not seen it, but perhaps it is out there. But as to from whence I made the statement, that was it.

I understand that there may be little or perhaps no benefit and there is no conclusive double blinded study nor is one really feasible considering the number of people needed for a statistical difference to be generated given the low benefit potential.

[+ FreshFluff]

@OneFinger I can’t across this thread again. How are you doing? Do you feel ok while flying?

[OneFinger]

@OneFinger I can’t across this thread again. How are you doing? Do you feel ok while flying?

 

@FreshFluff, thanks so much for checking in to see how things are going. Due to Covid-19 virus, my last trip was in early March. No problems at all went fine except shortness of breath. The next trip will be mid-September. I really don’t these medical problems are related to air travel.

 

For almost 2 years now I’ve been dealing with these symptoms. My PCP, neurologist, and oncologist can tell me what it is not but not what it is. So far, they have ruled out diabetes, MS, MD (my sister died of IBM which is in the MD family), scleroderma, and a host of other diseases.

 

A year ago, I was diagnosed with smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). This is a form of blood cancer that attacks the platelets. I found a FB group for people with SMM and it’s been a very helpful with a wealth of info. The format is very similar to this site.

 

About 6 months ago a woman in the Netherlands posted her problems with leg weakness / soreness, extreme fatigue, and loss of balance. She said her Dr told her it was unrelated to SMM (same response I got). I saw her message about 4 hours after her initial post. She had over 100 responses from all over the world during those 4 hours. All but about 6 people had similar symptoms.

 

The other interesting info was that the problems seem to come and go without warning. Mine has only improved by 25% and I’m currently in one of my worst bad periods. Very limited mobility and I get winded / sweating just taking out the garbage (less than 50 years away).

[Luv2play]

Just reading this thread now and while I have no medical advice to offer you, I want to wish you all the best in these difficult circumstances you find yourself in.