stroke caused by left carotid artery blockage, can they fly?

[aileen187]

my father had a stroke last aug 23, he had a left carotid blockage of 100 percent. he had lost speech and although we are trying hea having difficulty because of language difference. he lost feelings on his right side. he has no insurance, and were told that we will have rehabilitation for atleast 2 weeks. then i will have to take him home. im pregnant and due this month and i just dont know how will i be able to take care of my father, my baby, my 7 years old son and my husband who have cerebral palsy. i am thinking of flying him back to our home country to atleast be with my family and get theraphy there cause its much cheaper and i could probably work if i dont have to watch over him 24/7. im not trying to get rid of him its just that my siblings and mother are all there to take care of him versus just me... i want to know if it would be possible for him to fly atleast 18 hours. there are lay over for sure...

[caregiver222]

Modern aircraft are pressurized. In the case of the Boeing 777 to 6,000 foot MSL. Older aircraft are pressurized to 8,000 foot. In both cases the amount of oxygen difference is not significent to affect a medical condition, provided the patient can function normally without supplemental oxygen. The primary problem is being out of the reach of a modern emergency room on long flights. The thing to remember is if an aircraft depressurizes the masks will fall down but will NOT be activated unless they are PULLED down. This ignites (interestingly) an chemical oxygen candle to provide oxygen for nthe individual passenger. A caregiver may be required to provide this emergency assistance to a paralyzed patient. Small aircraft such as used for air ambulances are often not pressurized. Generally these planes provide a tank with supplemental oxygen for patients when the plane flies above 10,000 feet.

[aileen187]

Thank you, i dont have the means to fly my family over so maybe i will just wait for the doc to say i can fly him, in your opinion what are the risk i will be taking by flying him home?

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
I am sorry to hear about your father. I agree you have your hands full and it would be better if your father is with your mother and other family members. Long flights are best avoided after stroke. If he needs to travel long distances, hopping flights are the best. The golden rule is to follow your doctor's advice in this case. In general, after a full blown stroke, doctors do not allow travel by air for 2-3 months. In case of a transient ischemic attack, doctors advise you to wait 10-14 days before flying. However, as I said, ask your treating doctor.
The other option is to have your mother and another family member fly over and stay with you. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.