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I'm no longer a member of TL since Jan saw fit to ban me but I have very recently read a story over there about a woman who suffered a spontaneous pneumothorax and had to cancel her flight to see her boyfriend as a result. I've read tonight that she is feeling better but not yet fully recovered and is still awaiting results of a chest x ray to see if the situatiuon has resolved. However, it seems that she has already rebooked her flight for late August without knowing the results.
As no one over there appears to be advising this woman, I thought that a reader here who may be a member of TL might be so good as to tell this woman that patients in her position are cautioned against flying until the results of the follow up chest x ray confirm full resolution of the pneumothorax. Commercial airlines currently arbitrarily advise that there should be a 6 week interval between having a pneumothorax and travelling by air. She may have been a bit hasty in booking her flight bearing in mind that she said she will not know the results of her x ray until next week. She could, therefore, have already thrown good money after bad.
She should be very careful because recurrence during a flight may have serious repercussions. Apparently patients may travel safely 6 weeks after a definitive surgical procedure or an xray showing that the situation has resolved. If they have not been given that all clear, there is still a significant risk of recurrence for up to 1 year, depending on whether the patient has underlying lung disease or not.
I should imagine that she will not be able to get travel insurance to cover her unless she has been given the all clear to fly and even then, it will no doubt cost her a lot given what's happened. She should also be careful because I doubt she'll be able to make a claim if she has to cancel her flight again if the medics don't give her the all clear to fly.
It's a very serious thing. If I'd still been a member there I would have told her myself but as I'm not, perhaps someone would be wise to alert her to the facts.
As no one over there appears to be advising this woman, I thought that a reader here who may be a member of TL might be so good as to tell this woman that patients in her position are cautioned against flying until the results of the follow up chest x ray confirm full resolution of the pneumothorax. Commercial airlines currently arbitrarily advise that there should be a 6 week interval between having a pneumothorax and travelling by air. She may have been a bit hasty in booking her flight bearing in mind that she said she will not know the results of her x ray until next week. She could, therefore, have already thrown good money after bad.
She should be very careful because recurrence during a flight may have serious repercussions. Apparently patients may travel safely 6 weeks after a definitive surgical procedure or an xray showing that the situation has resolved. If they have not been given that all clear, there is still a significant risk of recurrence for up to 1 year, depending on whether the patient has underlying lung disease or not.
I should imagine that she will not be able to get travel insurance to cover her unless she has been given the all clear to fly and even then, it will no doubt cost her a lot given what's happened. She should also be careful because I doubt she'll be able to make a claim if she has to cancel her flight again if the medics don't give her the all clear to fly.
It's a very serious thing. If I'd still been a member there I would have told her myself but as I'm not, perhaps someone would be wise to alert her to the facts.
She's mad............