# A word about taking frequent breaks while travelling.



## Ruth n Jersey (Jun 5, 2019)

My cousin and his wife took a vacation to Germany to celebrate their anniversary. They took a nonstop flight and went first class. They had plenty of room to stretch out and enjoyed the flight. 

A few days after their arrival my cousin began to have shortness of breath. He managed to get through the trip because most of it was on a river cruise with not much walking involved. By the time  they got back to the states he needed a wheel chair to leave the air port and go to the ER.

After testing they discovered 4 clots, 2 in the liver and 2 in his lungs. He was immediately put on blood thinners. They said all the clots migrated from his leg,even though he had no pain in his leg at the time. All was caused from flying for such a long time without moving around. 

I'm sharing this because so many people travel and don't take the time to stop and really stretch their legs. It can happen in any form of travel. Not just in planes. 

He is doing well but is still in the hospital. It was a close call. 

I hope Oldman will see this post because I wondered what pilots do on long trips. It doesn't seem like there is a lot of space to move around in the cockpit.


----------



## Ronni (Jun 5, 2019)

That’s scary. 

Ron and I take road trips. Usually they’re not too far from home...2-3 hrs.. but several have been all day trips there and back. We stop several times, for bathroom breaks and to gas up and eat, but I hadn’t given any thought to the potential health risks. Something to consider!


----------



## hollydolly (Jun 5, 2019)

We travel a lot, by train, car and plane... !! We no longer make long haul flights simply because it's too long to sit in one place for up to 22 hours... so now our flights are no more than 4 hours. ..car journeys the same  and we always stop at a service station half way to our destination for a break, and a little walk around.. On a train you can just get up and walk...so we do that!!



I'm sorry it spoiled their very expensive trip to Germany... and I hope he recovers very soon, must have scared them...


from the NHS website.....

                         [h=2]General advice to reduce your risk of travel-related DVT[/h]  If you're travelling for 3 hours of more by plane, train or car, take these steps during the journey to reduce your risk of DVT:


wear loose, comfortable clothes
do calf exercises at least every half hour – raise your heels,  keeping your toes on the floor, then bring them down 10 times. Then  raise and lower your toes 10 times
walk around whenever you can
drink plenty of water
do not drink alcohol or take sleeping pills
                                                                   [h=2]Who's at extra risk of travel-related DVT?[/h]  Some health conditions and other things may increase your risk of DVT  on long journeys. You're at higher than average risk of DVT if you:


have a history of DVT or pulmonary embolism
have cancer
have had a stroke
have heart disease
have an inherited tendency to get blood clots
have had recent surgery – especially in the tummy, pelvic region or legs
are very overweight
are pregnant or you've had a baby in the previous 6 weeks
take oestrogen-containing medicines such as HRT (hormone replacement therapy) or the combined contraceptive pill
  If you think you're at extra risk of DVT, see your GP before you  travel. You might have to take extra precautions such as wearing flight  socks or compression stockings during the journey.


----------



## oldman (Jun 5, 2019)

WOW! That’s a bit scary. My longest flight was back when I flew the Chicago to Honolulu route in a B-747. The cockpit in a 747 is roomy compared to what I had been flying. That flight took around 9 1/2 hours east to west and maybe an hour less on the return trip. Getting DVT was always a hazard and I knew of one pilot that had a stroke on a flight while flying International. 

I flew with a lot of pilots that would do different things. Some would use one of those wrist hand grips with the heavy spring. Others may just do arm and leg exercises and others would just just do simple exercises. Back when I flew this route, we didn’t have the secure door, so I would use the lavatory about every hour or so, walk the plane once a trip, and just stretch my legs while wiggling my toes and stretching my neck. I also liked putting my arms out to my side and circling them and drinking water. 

We were shown a movie where the narrator stated that it’s more likely to die from an embolism than crashing in an airplane. Pilots are taught to drink liquids, no alcohol, staying hydrated is important and if you don’t want to get out of your seat, stretch your legs and wiggle your toes. Just do something, instead of just sitting on flights of 2+ hours.


----------



## oldman (Jun 28, 2019)

Vacation season being upon us, this would be a good time to remind anyone taking a long flight to NOT just sit on your derrière for the length of the trip. Once the seat belt light has been turned off, take a walk up and down the aisle at least once or twice an hour. If you are flying on a wide body plane, two aisles, walk up one aisle and down the other. 

Keep hydrated (with water) and if you don’t want to or can’t walk, at least wiggle your toes. (Be sure to take your shoes off.)


----------



## win231 (Jun 28, 2019)

Ruth n Jersey said:


> My cousin and his wife took a vacation to Germany to celebrate their anniversary. They took a nonstop flight and went first class. They had plenty of room to stretch out and enjoyed the flight.
> 
> A few days after their arrival my cousin began to have shortness of breath. He managed to get through the trip because most of it was on a river cruise with not much walking involved. By the time  they got back to the states he needed a wheel chair to leave the air port and go to the ER.
> 
> ...



Pilots mostly take off & land (I've heard).  During the flight, they fool around with stewardesses.


----------



## Rosemarie (Jun 29, 2019)

This has made me wonder whether simply sitting for hours on end watching tv has the same effect.


----------



## oldman (Jun 29, 2019)

win231 said:


> Pilots mostly take off & land (I've heard).  During the flight, they fool around with stewardesses.



If the weather was good, either my First Officer (F/O) or myself would hand-fly the plane for the take off up to about 1500 feet and then turn on the autopilot (AP). On landings, if the weather was good, we would allow the AP to to fly the plane until we were in short final, which means that we had a visual with the runway, then we would turn off the AP and hand-fly the plane onto the runway. Cruising was almost always done by the AP. 

As for fooling around with the flight attendants (F/A), our airline did not allow that, as long as we were on company time, including if we had to stay-over at a hotel.  What they did on their own time was their own business. But, truthfully, it's not a good practice to get into for a few reasons.


----------



## norman (Jun 29, 2019)

Real good sound information...





oldman said:


> Vacation season being upon us, this would be a good time to remind anyone taking a long flight to NOT just sit on your derrière for the length of the trip. Once the seat belt light has been turned off, take a walk up and down the aisle at least once or twice an hour. If you are flying on a wide body plane, two aisles, walk up one aisle and down the other.
> 
> Keep hydrated (with water) and if you don’t want to or can’t walk, at least wiggle your toes. (Be sure to take your shoes off.)


----------



## jujube (Jun 29, 2019)

My car starts nagging me after three hours of continual driving.  An icon of a coffee cup pops up on the screen and it asks me if I wouldn't like to take a break.  It won't give up, either.  It's like my mother.....it knows best and makes sure you know it.


----------

