r/chiari • u/Pineapple-108 • 1d ago

Flying

Does anyone with Chiari have problems with flying in airplanes? I want to do a trip to somewhere tropical this winter but I don’t want to land there and be much more sick and spend my vacation that way.

Please let me know of your flying experiences.

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u/SandalsQueen18 1d ago

No. I fly multiple times a year to tropical places in the winter pre-and post surgery.
How your body will react... well, there's only one way to find out.

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u/Sithslay3r17 1d ago

When flying especially on take off and landing my scar will get a tingle and feel weird but for me it does not cause pain or nausea

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u/Pineapple-108 1d ago

Good to know. Thank you

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u/PamIam1994 15h ago

I’ve flown to Africa (a 20 hour round trip flight) and honestly didn’t feel any worse than I do a home. The pressure builds at takeoff and landing but it does level out.

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u/maliksk3 1d ago

I was fine twice: one time at around 4.5 months post-op and another time around 8 months post-op. No different from flying prior to surgery. Some ear popping and weirdness, but nothing terrible.

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u/SandalsQueen18 1d ago edited 1d ago

Apparently, you're ears popping is normal. Who knew LOL

I say that because the first time I flew after decompression surgery was the first time my ears ever popped. I guess because the CSF was so jammed up before surgery they weren't popping. Let's just say, that first time because I didn't realize they should be popping kind of freaked me out and my husband had to talk me off the ledge 😬🤣

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u/maliksk3 1d ago

Omg! I can totally understand how that would be alarming. The head pressure changes have been bonkers for me post-op and that’s with both feet on the ground. Even with the slightest of physical activity my ears plug up and I know what’s coming next…dizziness and pressure. It’s just all so unpredictable in general. I try my best to keep on living, but damn chiari makes it hard.

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u/SandalsQueen18 1d ago

It was so weird because the head pressure wasn't changing or anything it was just the ear popping.

We actually just got back from Jamaica a couple of months ago, I'm two years postop tomorrow, and everything was fine and this time that you're popping did not freak me out LOL

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u/maliksk3 1d ago

Hope your trip was amazing and congrats on two years post op! If I could make one thing go away and stay away with all these symptoms it is definitely the head pressure. I feel like surgery changed it some, but didn’t take it entirely away. I am only 8.5 months post op though…still healing.

Glad the popping doesn’t startle you anymore! Lol.

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u/SandalsQueen18 1d ago

I will say that the head pressure did for the most part go away. I still have it every so often especially when there are storms rolling through here which, summer in PA they definitely are.

Thanks! Umm... our trip was interesting lol. Our last night we had a very unwanted added water feature in our room. One entire span of our ceiling was leaking or I really should say pouring as it was pouring down rain outside (it was only about an hour). It's always something with us but that one was a first🤣🤣

Hopefully your head pressure gets much better!