Thursday 19 May 2016

Travelling sickness


It’s all so exciting planning for a trip. Then you arrive at your destination and find that you have all these health issues.
On my recent trip to Hong Kong and Bali, my ankles and feet almost doubled in size. It was extremely uncomfortable to put my feet down and walk. Hong Kong and Bali were very hot, and we did lots of walking. This did not help the ankles and feet. The body seemed to have doubled in size and the face was puffy in the morning. The older you get you realise that the body takes longer to heal, and long after you return. On our return journey from Johannesburg to Durban, the eardrums were blocked. This can be excruciatingly painful, and there is nothing much you can do.

So to prevent swollen ankles and feet during your flight, the following may help from http://www.avogel.co.uk/blog/2014/07/30/10-tips-to-help-survive-heavy-legs-when-flying/
http://www.active.com/travel/articles/travel-and-lower-leg-swelling

  • Twiddle your toes - keeping your feet and ankles moving while sitting for long periods will encourage regular blood flow.
  • Keep cool – many people notice a slight swelling in their fingers and toes after intense exercise or in hot weather. The same scenario can be replicated in an aeroplane. When you are too hot, your veins dilate. Additionally, you are prone to sweat more, losing salt through the skin. This makes your veins less efficient at drawing blood from surrounding tissues, allowing blood and other fluid to gather in your legs.
  • Wear loose-fitting clothing and compresson stockings
  • Drink lots of water
  • Go for a walk
 After your flight:
  • Go for a walk
  • Have a massage
  • Rinse your legs in cold water
Also this site may help http://www.healthandhealthyliving.com/6-causes-water-retention-reverse/

To prevent your ears from getting plugged the following may help from http://www.healthyhearing.com/report/52447-Airplanes-and-ear-pain-why-it-happens-and-what-you-can-do
  • Avoid sleeping during ascent or descent 
  • Drink lots of fluids in-flight to stay hydrated 
  • Yawn
  • Chew gum
  • EarPlanes:  Specially designed ear plugs that have a filter to equalize pressure
  • Nasal spray: Take only on as as-needed basis as overuse of nasal sprays can end up causing more congestion. Use 1 hour prior to descent
  • Decongestant: Shrinks nasal membranes. Take one hour before descent, also post-flight until ears normalize

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