Traveling With CVD: Safety

On the road again! But it sometimes seems like now that you have a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD), it's like you have an extra passenger... an existential sense of dread. It's as if your ability to enjoy your vacation, wherever it may be, is compromised by the knowledge that your heart, the very organ on which the trip now depends.

Although I have been diagnosed with critical congenital heart disease since I was born, I still make an effort to travel for my studies, career, and personal recreation. Therefore, I have decades of experience dealing with this issue and the challenges that come along with it. Furthrting insult to injury, I have mechanical heart valves, which require regular blood tests. This makes it even more complex than most people with CVD. Yet, despite the headache, I still do it.

Why? Because I feel like if I stopped, so too does my heart. This, traveling, and the freedom it brings are the things that my illness will have to pry from me. I promised myself this a long time ago.

However, because of my doctors and the unique circumstances of my illness, I have been able to continue to do what I love. However, fitness for travel must be addressed between a patient with CVD and their doctor before embarking on any long trip, whether overseas or domestic.

There are many factors to consider, including distance, medical availability (not all are created equal), and, most importantly, one's own physical capabilities.

No matter how far of a trip you go, a good rule of thumb, if it is over a day's distance or longer, depending on the state of one's health, is to contact your doctor and make sure that you are not only fit enough to travel but that they know where you are going.

Don't forget that avoiding the doctor's advice is the easiest way to drive straight into disaster.

Before you board a plane, train, car, or taxi, remember your medication and enjoy yourself. It may be a new and mildly cumbersome way of life that no one chooses, but don't let the fear of it stop you from living