Flying for the 1st time since surgery

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Bubblebeard
Bubblebeard Member Posts: 61
edited February 2019 in Lymphedema

Hello ladies, checking in and hoping to pick your brains and their infinite wisdom. I'm a fairly anxious person. I feel that I should start off with that :) I will be flying to Colorado from Florida tomorrow. This will be the 1st time I've had to fly since having my double mastectomy with lymph node removal on the left side. I know the basics of what I'm supposed to do. I have my compression sleeve and I know to put it on a few hours before the flight, leave it on during the flight, and then leave it on for a few hours after. Then elevate the limb when you're resting in the hotel Room. I'm a nervous wreck. I'm afraid it's going to start swelling on the plane. I'm afraid when I take the sleeve off in the hotel Room it's going to swell. I'm also going to be traveling alone with my 7 year old so that's complicating my anxiety.


I'm also going from basically sea level up into the mountains of Colorado. My doctor did not seem concerned about the elevation change but I am. Any thoughts? Words of wisdom? Anybody else traveled and had complications? I also don't normally wear the sleeve very much but I've been wearing it for the past week or so. My left arm is very minimally swollen and always has been but the doctor and physical therapist were never worried.

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  • Veeder14
    Veeder14 Member Posts: 880
    edited February 2019

    Hi Bubblebeard,

    I’m sure you will be fine with wearing the compression sleeve for flying. I was a little worried myself about my arm swelling the first time I flew but it didn’t. When you get to your destination and your drive up in the mountains you might want to continue to wear the sleeve. If your arm doesn’t seem to swell the. Take it off. It would be a drag to have yo wear it the whole vacation but hopefully you won’t. I also wondered about going to places with high elevation and whether I would have my arm swell. I went from sea level to 5000ft yesterday then went hiking and had no problems. good luck on your trip and relax and have a great trip

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  • Denise-G
    Denise-G Member Posts: 1,777
    edited February 2019

    My LE therapist always told me (before I needed a sleeve full-time) to wear your sleeve after you arrive for the same amount of time the flight is.

    Elevation changes can have an effect on swelling - if you do, wear your sleeve! Good luck!

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  • Bubblebeard
    Bubblebeard Member Posts: 61
    edited February 2019

    Thank you for your responses ladies! I think I will take your advice and wear it for the same amount of time as the flight which is 4 hours (my doc said 2 hrs but it cant hirt, right?). I may just go ahead and wear it the whole time to be safe. It doesn't bother me, it's just another layer underneath all the ski gear.


    I'm stage 4 but doing very well and I will be traveling alone with my son, which makes it a little bit more nerve wracking. If anything goes wrong with me then I have him there, alone. But I'm in really good physical shape at the moment and now's the time to do it. I want to be there when he sees snow the 1st time <3

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited February 2019

    Ask your son to take your bag out of the overhead bin and pull your bag off the baggage claim conveyor. This reduces stretching the nodes and surrounding tissues.

    For what it's worth, I tend toward 12- to 34-hour flights. My PT and LANA MLD nurse both say, "After the flight, hydrate well and keep the sleeves on for an hour or so."

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  • warriorchick
    warriorchick Member Posts: 14
    edited February 2019

    I have flown from Florida to Colorado and also California without issues. I had my first challenging lymphedema flare up just prior to my trip to Tokyo. I was reluctant to travel that distance with lymphedema but decided not to let it affect my trip. I did great. I wore my glove most of the flight but took it off when it was to painful and put it back on within the hour. I also prefer using the kinetic tape at night since it seems to help reduce the time I need to wear garments. I'm considering the lymph node transplant surgery. Has anyone had the surgery? I'm looking for some insight.

    Thanks! 

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  • cosla
    cosla Member Posts: 2
    edited February 2019

    I wear a sleeve and glove daily, I also use a compression pump. I have flown several times. I over hydrate, avoid salt, move my arm often during the flight, avoid lifting bags over my head. After flight I dry brush arm, then later in shower do manual drainage to keep the fluid moving. I continue to hydrate. I also use kinesio tape above sleeve to the neck node area. Focus on having fun!!!


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