Flying after jaw surgery

[TheEvilCactus]

Hey guys :- )

Saw a thread on this before and someone worryingly said this:

"asmileconnectsus wrote:
nothing unusual about my surgery- I had double jaw surgery with cheek implants. i had many bone grafts in upper and lower. There are several cases of people having heart attacks post jaw surgery when they have flown too soon. I would just be cautious."


Heart attacks????!!! Can anyone provide any actual information on this? A Google search yields nothing..

I plan to fly around 6 weeks after double jaw surgery, is this okay? Would you? Have you?!

[sirwired]

This is a general bit of advice after any decent-sized surgery. Surgeries kind of make the body's clotting mechanism a bit hair-trigger, causing DVT (and possibly a pulmonary embolism.) I don't see that flying would cause a heart attack or stroke.

A short hop I wouldn't worry about, but don't fly halfway across the world the day you are off the pain meds.

Six weeks should be fine to go anywhere... you are pretty much healed by that point.

[Mark11]

Exactly as sirwired said but if you really have to fly and your doctor says there is a slight chance, try to have a bottle of water or other liquid, don't stand in your seat for more than 30 minutes, you have to walk often and, if absolutely needed you could take some prescribed drugs to help you relax.
Source: a relative who was at a risk of cerebral or heart stroke if on a plane for a long time did all this and was fine.

[kenc127]

6-8 weeks as a general rule, and of course, run it by your maxillofacial surgeon if you need to. Another thing to consider is the effects cabin pressure changes can have on the healing process when the plane ascends and descends. In my situation, I experienced pain when the plane took off and landed, but not while at cruising altitude.

As far as blood clots, maybe ask your doctor if it would be OK to take some aspirin for the flight to keep the blood thin.

Source: been through it