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When Can I Fly?
When Can I Fly?
The other day, I looked at my calendar and thought, “It’s been a while since I went anywhere that didn’t involve a doctor, a waiting room, or someone taking my blood pressure.” So naturally, I asked the transplant doc, “Hey, when can I fly?” I figured I’d either get a thumbs-up or a definite no.
What I got instead was a vague shrug and a gentle, “Well... you can, but only if you’re flying somewhere near a heart transplant hospital—just in case.”
That’s when I realized I’m not just packing underwear and a toothbrush anymore. Now I’ve got to include a mental checklist: Is there a heart team nearby? Do they know what to do if my ticker throws a tantrum mid-vacation?
So, I did a little homework.
Turns out there are over 110 transplant hospitals in the U.S. that perform heart transplants. That gives me decent odds if I stick to major cities—and skip any plans for a cabin in the middle of nowhere.
Take Vanderbilt in Nashville, for example. They performed more heart transplants than any other U.S. center last year—174, to be exact. That’s not just impressive, that’s full-on superhero stuff. And lucky me, I’ve got relatives in Nashville. So if I want to get away, I can fly into Music City, stay with family, and know that if anything goes sideways, the best heart team in the world is just down the road. Win-win.
Another good one is Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, which handled about 5.7% of all U.S. heart transplants. And Stanford Hospital in California isn’t far behind. So I can plan a trip, as long as my destination has both decent barbecue and a backup heart surgeon.
Of course, my doctor added a couple more pearls of wisdom—just to keep things interesting. “Make sure you wear a mask on the plane,” he said. “And don’t sit near anyone coughing, sneezing, or looking like they’ve got the plague.” I nodded, then mentally made a note to pack a dozen masks and start brushing up on my skills at pretending to be asleep so no one sits next to me.
My Heart Journey: Waiting on a Heart
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I also purchased Med Jet insurance. I travel internationally now but it is also good for domestic transport. Around $300 per year. They are a medical team and will fly/transport you to the hospital of your choice basically. I know someone who was in Europe and wanted transport back to his hospital in Appleton Wisconsin. I figure it is worth the money and I would pay more for ambulance ride from Minneapolis to Rochester Mayo. I carry it with me and it gives me peace of mind. You can look them up on webpage and contact them. They are very helpful to talk to about services
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2 ReactionsI also bought medical travel insurance for the year for about the same amount. Including the option to be air flighted back home. I can’t remember the website but there is a website where you can compare different carriers and options.
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1 ReactionStanford is a private owned hospital and are kinda selective on who they will or won't take and what insurance they have. I'd check out UCSF if you're heading in that direction. I did my eval for liver trx with them and it was going to be expensive since they don't care a lot for Medicare and that is what I have so I gave up on that facility. There were several patients at my eval at the Mayo AZ that I had seen at Stanford that left also.
Get MASA ambulance insurance they will get you to any hospital you need airplane, helicopter whatever it takes for $29 a month and you will have zero worries, I travel to the San Juan islands off Washington and no quicker way just in case.