Umm...flight attendants probably won't really help you at all....not a whole lot they can do. They definitely won't seat you in an emergency exit aisle..I tried that......

You are taking a long flight so your best bet is to ask your doc for a shot of lovenox for before you leave and one for when you return. Wear the compression stockings and try to get up ever hour to walk to the bathroom. Drink water. Take an aspirin....

That's my advice!

Hi Amber,
I flew from NY to California in April. We requested & got bulkhead seating. That gave me a bit more legroom & the ability to move around a little more. I did tell the attendants & they were (I think) a little more understanding than they might have been otherwise. My Dr. wrote a note on a scrip pad but we did not need it. She also said wear the compression stockings, drink lots of water, no caffiene & move as much as possible every 1/2 hour or so. Rotating ankles, lifting legs while seated, etc. even just standing up. Obviously do not cross your legs.
Have a safe trip.

Here is an article regarding air travel that might be helpful. The article is meant for folks with blood clotting disorders but the general guidelines apply to all people.

http://www.fvleiden.org/ask/46.html

Tig...what airline did you fly? I've flown 3 or 4 times since by clot and gave up asking for a seat with more leg room. They always shrug me off.....but I am flying to Europe in a week or so and would LOVE to know how to get a seat w/ good leg room....

We flew Jetblue. When my husband made the reservations he explained that I had a blood clot & needed extra room to move & the ability to stand up regularly. He requested the bulkhead seats & got them. I would think that any airline could be that accomodating.

Ugh! For the record, I called American Airlines about my 8 hour flight from NYC to Rome and explained the clotting thing...I asked if I could havce a seat with extra leg room and they said it is a full flight and the only thing I could do was request an emergency exit row...but it's first come first serve. UGH!

I fly a lot for work so I've come up with my plan for traveling. I always drink A LOT of water the day I travel. It helps to keep your blood thin, but also forces you to get up and go to the bathroom. So it serves multiple purposes. I always wear compression stockings when traveling and take a baby aspirin.

Don't bother telling the agents you have a DVT-- they're more likely to NOT give you the exit row because they'll consider it a "medical condition".

For long flights, I reccomend getting to the airport early and get in on the "first-come, first-serve" exit row and bulk head seats-- it's worth being bored in the airport for 2 hours to have extra leg room during the long flight!

Be sure to get up and walk around at least once an hour!

Safe traveling!
Karen

hey there. im also at the end of my warfarin treatment. my haemetologist has given me a customs certificate thing to show at airports which allow me to carry clexane (lovenox) injections on flights with me.

I was advised that from now on, if i go on a long haul flight, to take a shot the day before the flight, the day of the flight, and the day after. I also had PE though so not sure about the DVT only, but surely its the same thing... worth asking your GP

Get a Lovenox shot.
Get an aisle seat (you can get out more easily if need be). And you'll have to get up a couple times to pee if you're drinking as much as they recommend.
Lots of toe pointing and ankle rolling helped keep me loose and therefore kept my worries at bay.
I also wear a bracelet that says "Factor V Leiden" and my name, so that if anything did happen to me, I could be treated. I have another that says "I take coumadin" for when I am.
Hope that all goes well!