Travel to Alaska - Advised NOT to do!

[njean]

Hello to everyone,

My husband & I have been wanting to do a cruise/tour into Alaska for years now. We were going to do it last year but I had to undergo OHS for the 3rd time in Mar/06, therefore, we cancelled the trip. We figured after I re-couped, we would try again.

Well, a little over a month ago, I went to Houston because I was diagnosed with severe symptoms of CHF & they were sure that I would have to have the mitral valve re-replaced because it showed severe signs of stress, coupled with severe pulmonary hypertension. But the weird thing was, I was not actually feeling like I was dying & I was totally opposed to having another surgery due to the high-risks involved, i.e., massive scar tissue, etc. So the doctors in Houston readjusted my meds; started taking more Lasix 40mg 2xdaily instead of the once a day, decreased my Altace to 5mg daily instead of 10mg, 1 aspirin, coumadin (which I've been on for 34-yrs.) & the potassium & a very, very low-sodium diet. Well, things started to turn around & the CHF symptoms disappeared! So, I went home after 2-wks in the hospital.

But, while I was in Houston, I told my cardiologist that we were going to re-plan our trip to Alaska for 2008 & he said, absolutely not! He said that I could not travel to high-altitudes and that was that! My cardiologist here however says, that he thinks it would be okay. So now I'm perplexed & I'm not sure what to do! I have no more symptoms of CHF but I do have an enlarged left atrium due to the mitral insufficiency. The pulmonary hypertention I had also disappeared & everything seems to be working okay.

Every fiber in my body says, "this is a once in a life-time trip, do it" but then I say to myself, what if when we get there, I start feeling like I can't breathe!?

Can someone share some advise and/or tell me if they have experienced any heart issues if they've been to Alaska? Thank you in advance for listening. God Bless!

 

[Cooker]

I am waiting for the people who "live" in Alaska to post. On the ship you will be at sea level I don't understand the concern. I just got back from a cruise and all was well.

Tom

 

[Ross]

Your citing the same reasons I am for not going to the reunion. My heart is greatly enlarged, CHF acts up at random and I'm on the verge of renal failure along with the lung problems. Add them all up and I cannot see making any trip safely.

 

[dick0236]

Alaskan altitude problem?

Alaskan altitude problem?

The Texas cardio may have concerns about your traveling to Alaska, but it can't be altitude . Like was posted earlier, the ship is as sea level and the Alaskan interior is probably much like New Mexicos' height above sea level.
My wife and I got back one month ago from a 11 day cruise/tour to Alaska. Grrrreat trip. Incidently, Anchorage Alaska has a population of 300,000 and I would imagine the health services there are pretty good . Alaska is a USA state, it is not a third world country.

 

[Adrienne]

In August 2005, just after being diagnosed with A-Fib, we went on a cruise to Alaska. It's all sea level. That being said, my EX-cardiologist told me not to worry about going but not to go to the ship's doctor for anything because I would be air lifted to a hospital!!!! Although we had a good time on the trip, I started getting symptoms of CHS during the cruise (coughing my lungs out all night). Three days after our return, I ended up in the ER and was hospitalized for 9 days. I had my MV repair less than two months after that, and thank goodness everything is fine.

In any case, if it is just altitude your cardio is worried about, the Inside Passage in Alaska is at sea level. You are on Coumadin and Aspirin, so if you go into A-Fib (because of your enlarged atrium), you are protected. You say you are stable now. Probably in your shoes I would go, but I am not a doctor and don't want to advise you to do anything that perhaps you shouldn't do.

 

[Granbonny]

I would plan the trip....Just make sure June/July.Still chilly then..and you will want to venture out on the deck to see the whales/glaciers, ect.You will not want to do any side-trips..but most ships dock within walking distance to towns..We flew to Seattle drove to Vancouver, B.C. but many ships leave from Seattle.....It will not be like you are out in the ocean..inside passage..nearby many towns at any given time..there are zillions of planes in Alaska and I am sure if you got sick..one would fly you to hospital..Seaplanes..I think our member is Peggy from Alaska..PM her with any questions...I am sure she lives in Anchorage...We didn't go that far...many tours you can choose from...I know we did stop at Jurneau (sp?) and it was a huge city........My favorite was Skagway..last stop for miners going to the gold fields.Bought a nice gold nugget there..for my gold chain. they still have the wooden off the ground sidewalks..winter snows..Bonnie

 

[njean]

Thanks to all of you for your replies and advise. I will keep monitoring things w/my health as time goes by & will ask my cardiologist here to do an ECHO perhaps a month or so before the scheduled trip. If things appear much like they are right now, we're going!

P.S. One person told me that he didn't think the altitude was what my cardiologist was talking about, because like you, he said most of Alaska is at sea level or just a few 1000' above with the exception of Mt. McKinley and I didn't have any intentions of climbing it! He said that it's perhaps the "latitude" being that the further north you travel, the closer you are to the North Pole & a higher latitude, if that makes any sense to anyone!

Anyway, time will tell all! Take care & thanks again!

 

[Nancy]

While I don't want to be discouraging, I think if you are not a member of the Pulmonary Hypertension Assoc. website, you should join and ask your questions on their forum.

Here is the link:

http://www.phassociation.org/Message_Boards/main.asp?board=1

How did they make a determination that your severe PH has disappeared? The only measure that I know of is a right heart cath. It is extremely rare for severe PH to just disappear. Echoes are not a good measurement of PH. They can be off by quite a margin.

It is true that high altitudes can be very problematic for those with PH, and some even have to move to lower levels.

Joe suffered with PH for many years, and was even on Tracleer for it. And the ramifications of it were one of the causes of his death, plus the fact that we didn't have a good doc locally to help him with the PH. we only had those who THOUGHT they were helping, but really did not have an indepth grasp of the problems with the situation.

It can be a progressive disease and should be diagnosed and treated by a doctor who specializes in PH, not just a doctor who sees it from time to time.

Please go to the PHA website.

 

[njean]

Thanks for your advise and directions to that website. I will be checking out very soon!

To answer your questions on the pulmonary hypertension, I had an ECHO, a TEE and a heart catherization done when I visited Houston. That's where the PH was found, however once my medications were adjusted and I released a lot of the fluid I had been retaining, they did another ECHO after two weeks of my meds readjustment & it showed the PH dropped from 88mmHg to 37mmHg.

Thanks again for your reply.

PS. On my previous reply, I mentioned the further north you travel the higher the latitude meaning the oxygen levels are thinner, according to what that other person had told me.

 

[tobagotwo]

The one in Houston thinks Alaska is all mountains. I suppose compared to Houston, it might seem that way. Basically, he seems to be reacting to all the pictures of Alaska that show hte mountains and glaciers.

I would listen to my local cardio, if it were me.

I was told I would very likely perish if I went snorkelling before my surgery. I did go, I did go down pretty deep, pretty often, and apparently I didn't pass away from it.

It's your life. You have two doctors with different opinions (that's not a surprise), but the one seems to be talking about altitudes, and that's not really a factor in your plans. If you're concerned, you could recontact the fellow who flunked Geography (and Earth Sciences) in Houston, state the altitudes you will be at, and get a rethink from him.

Best wishes and bon voyage,

 

[njean]

To Bob H:
You are too funny! In fact when the cardio in TX told me that, I told my husband, "well, he knows his anatomy pretty well, but not his geography!" Thanks for the laughs & take care!

 

[pcannon]

Snorkeling?

Snorkeling?

You were advised against snorkeling? I have Mitral stenosis and regurgitation. I see my surgeon Aug 21 but am planning a caribbean cruise with my sister and mom. My sister and I both scuba dive and I was planning on doing that in Belize. I might not be able to?

Thank You,
Peggy

 

[njean]

To PCannon,
No, I was never advised not to go snorkeling; I was advised NOT to travel to high altitudes.

If your doctor says it's ok to snorkel & if you feel you can do it without putting yourself at risk, then go for it girl!

Take care & enjoy your cruise!

P.S. Hopefully, my husband & I can do our Alaskan cruise/tour next year!

 

[geebee]

I have done many things that have kicked up my symptoms many times - ankle swelling, SOB, fatigue. However, extra lasix has always worked eventually.

There are very few things I want to do that I don't. I do not run because I know I cannot, same with climbing too much. However, I have been to high altitudes (Leadville, CA for one @ 10,000 feet), went scuba diving, flown all over, etc. My theory is simple - why did I go through 3 OHS to sit around and do nothing?

I am not foolhardy and know my limitations. I just don't let them limit me too much.

 

[Cooker]

I am not foolhardy and know my limitations. I just don't let them limit me too much.

Good answer.....I like the way this girl thinks

 

[bvdr]

I've been on an Alaskan cruise and some of our excursions brought us to higher altitudes but this was in my pre-symptom days. A couple of years before I was diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease I went on a trip to the Swiss Alps and did feel the altitude and did have some shortness of breath but not enough to get it checked out at that time. It was enough though to look back at and relate it to cardiac problems.
You have been dealing with heart problems far longer than I and probably know your limitations as well or better than your cardio does. Trust your instincts on this one. I think you would really have to watch your sodium intake on the cruise though. Last February I ended up visiting the ship doc and I think I shook him up a little. He was an ER doc from Colorado and was on his first cruise. He had basically signed on so his wife could have a free cruise. His first inclination was to get me off the ship but I convinced him that conservative treatment should be tried first. He called me that night and everyday after that. I did get better and ended up enjoying the rest of the trip. If you go I hope you have a wonderful time.

 

[njean]

Thank you Gina! My thinking exactly!

We've been through too much not to take some risks once in a while & enjoy each and every wonderful day!

Thank you all for your words of encouragement & I will stay focused on that dream & make it a reality!

God Bless!

 

[Dennis S]

Elevation

Elevation

I just googled Las Cruces New Mexico, and believe it to have an elevation of about 3,900 feet. (Please double check this). Assuming altitude is a significant problem, it sounds like an ocean cruise would be an improvement over your present situation!

Of course there is a lot more to it than this, but the Drs. concern for altitude ---I would be a little embarrassed if I were him/her

 

[ruth]

Hmmm, how many cruises *aren't* at sea level???

 

[John & Joann]

We have had EXCELLENT experience with the physicians on Holland American. The ship is staffed with emergency room physicians from Vancouver. They have a staff of 7. 1 month on the cruise ship, 1 month vacation, 5 months of emergency room. The family travels on the cruise ship with them. HIGHLY COMPETENT.

We have been on 2 cruise trips to Alaska. We did not climb Dinali, but did take part in most of the scheduled activities. Joann did go into major atrial fib. in Fairbanks. This eventually lead to the the pacemaker.