flight into health

flight into health

Etymology: AS, fleogan, to fly

1 an abnormal but common reaction to an unpleasant physical sensation or symptom in which the person denies the feeling or observation, insisting that there is nothing wrong. See also illness experience.

2 voluntary and temporary suppression of mental or physical symptoms to prevent further analysis of the patient's emotional state.

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Patient discussion about flight into health.

Q. What's the thing with having diabetes and flights? I heard that I might have problems with my feet and I should buy special socks.

A. Hello. I cannot answer anything about the "flights", but I can really attest to diabetes and feet pain. A lot of diabetics get what is called "Charcot foot". I have that now and am NOT diabetic, although I am learning that if a specific blood test called a "Hemoglobin A1C" is elevated, then it may be helpful to go thru the whole realm of glucose challenge tests, etc, just to have everything checked out. However, it is predominantly diabetics who suffer with Charcot foot. I am learning that in the beginning of the advanced stages, except for putting orthotics in your shoes, there is not too much that can be done, except soaking the feet (no more than 10 minutes a day in warm water only), wear good socks and perhaps get orthotics for your shoes. Initially I found a Sport/Ski shop that sold orthotics to put in ski boots that really helped, but now it is getting a little more complicated. Charcot is NOT fatal. It does affect 1 in about 2,500 people. D

Q. Are long flights dangerous? I'm flying next week to my vacation, and the flight is going to be rather long (almost 16 hours non-stop). Several years ago, my 75 years-old aunt had blood clot in her lung after a flight of similar length. I also heard that during flight the blood in the legs clots and that it can cause after that problems with the lungs and breathing. Does this mean it's dangerous for me to fly? Should I change my ticket to shorter connection flights?

A. Long flights, especially when seating in crowded cabins without moving the legs for long periods can cause the blood in you legs to clot and after that to move to your lungs and damage them. You may try to move your legs during the flights (like getting up and walking a little etc.) This video has some suggestions:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_mte4WsVZUk

Q. Why do I have major headaches during flight landings? I always get really strong headaches just before landing. Lately, they have been so severe that I honestly feel like my head is going to explode. The closer the plane gets to the ground, the more pain I have. After landing, the pain eases a little but I have a headache at least a day or two afterwards. Do anyone have any suggestions?

A. The air pressure change makes air expand and if your ear canal is blocked –there is a severe pressure on your inner ear/estacian tube. This is painful.
You might try swallowing real hard or yawning, or “popping” your ears. This is called "Valsalva" maneuver :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valsalva_maneuver