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Medical Issues on Flights Leaving Vegas

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by Julie888, May 21, 2014.

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  1. Julie888

    Julie888 VIP Whale

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    This last trip, again, there was on a call for medical assistance. Has anyone else noticed this is more common on the Vegas departures? I don't know what the cause was of any.

    After talking to a couple of young guys leaving our hotel for the airport, it was marginal if the one would be allowed on the plane, IMO. More than a few folks leave Vegas in rough condition.

    The Shah could give a professional opinion on this.

    Just wondering if others have noticed this.
     
  2. fenway68

    fenway68 VIP Whale

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    I am in the medical profession, and I have responded twice to calls for medical assistance in 16 trips to vegas. One one the way home, and one on the way there.

    Unfortunately (and thank god he was fine) it was my Dad in the trip on the way out...he had just dropped 30lbs in 6 months (he has kept it off) got down to his "fighting weight" but, never went to his doctor to monitor his needs for blood pressure and diabetes medicine...(why I thought he was smart enough to do that, not sure!) but altitude and cabin pressure, and one bourbon in the airport caused a big drop in his blood pressure and he passed out. Scary as shit! He was fine, yet the trip was a bit handcuffed, because I wouldnt leave his side. I stopped his meds, and all was well, he saw his doctors when he got back, and all tests were fine.

    The other, was a red-eye back...I told this story in another thread, but long story short, this giant of a man sitting next to me, fell asleep and started having a seizure. I realized this when he woke me, hitting me with his convulsing left arm. He proceeded to vomit on himself (not me thank god) and woke disoriented and with slurred speech. I came to his aid, but he refused help once the medics got on board at our connection in Cleveland and walked off the plane. We were only 40 min outside Cleveland when it happened, normally we would have circled for a while, but they sped up and put us on the ground priority style...

    What amazes me, is that I am not hearing calls more often, and its not because of drunk folks, or young people "worn out" from partying, its the mass of medical conditions I have observed in the waiting area.

    Given the amount of smokers and morbid obesity (and I mean no offense) that gets on those planes, never mind the obese smokers, the elderly on oxygen, and the Cirrhotics...yes those with advance alcoholic liver disease are easily spotted...I am shocked there are not more folks who get into trouble 30, 000 feet up.
     
  3. iowa1525

    iowa1525 Tourist

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    Had two in one flight and one on a separate flight. Had to stop in Chicago on the way to Detroit because of one. The flight that had 2 med emergencies there were 3 doctors on board and the passengers simply passed out. One was right in front of me on her way to the bathroom. She was fine when she came to.
     
  4. miniwhale

    miniwhale High-Roller

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    I saw one at the airport leaving. Someone calling for help. A woman was on the floor, passed out. By the time I turned around there were at least 5 people surrounding her. She eventually got up and was refusing medical attention. I am hoping the airline wouldn't let her get on the flight. Her color didn't look too great.
    My brother and sister in law were getting married in Vegas. Her grandfather had a heart attack early in the morning. Her grandparents were up til the wee hours in the morning gambling, having a good time before that.
    I am also surprised I don't see more of that happening.
     
  5. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    Guess we have been lucky in at least 150+ flights from Vegas, never had a medical situation. I almost was one of those people however. I got very ill the day before we were supposed to leave. At the airport, I looked so sick the desk person wanted assurances that I could fly.
     
  6. leo21

    leo21 VIP Whale

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    I had someone taken off the plane departing Chicago. She was older and started to feel ill. It delayed our departure but not by much. I also had a relative coming to Chicago from Vegas who was significantly delyed because someone had a heart attack after they left the gate. It wasn't clear if they were going to make it. The real delay was getting the medical equipment reset. The actual medical response was pretty quick.
     
  7. wormhole

    wormhole VIP Whale

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    Wow. I guess I have been lucky to never have anyone have medical issues on my limited number (14) of flights to/from Vegas. There have been a few obnoxious passengers and a few that looked pretty rough on the return flight. I felt a little queezy on one return flight that I blamed on lack of sleep (not a hangover because I don't drink). Some sleep on the 4 hour return flight took care of that feeling.
     
  8. zolar31

    zolar31 Low-Roller

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    I had one. LAS to Baltimore. About 15 minutes in I hear the announcement, "Is there a doctor on the plane?". we stopped in Denver, they take the guy off the plane and refueled, lost about 75 minutes.

    Now here's why Southwest is the best. They rebooked everybody who had a connection while we were in the air. The Flight attendants made announcements about the new connections. I was lucky I was going to PVD and they held the plane in Baltimore for the PVD people. I know they have jacked up there prices lately, but whenever there's an issue they always come through.

    Overall about 1 for 20ish leaving LAS; In these 20ish trips I've seen about 5 people who were not allowed to fly because they are in tough shape.
     
  9. billyinpg

    billyinpg Low-Roller

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    It's never happened on any flight I've been on but I have seen 3 or 4 people go down when the walk out of the terminal. I guess the heat may be too much for them as it's always in July when I see this.
     
  10. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

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    I hear the announcements more often on transatlantic flights than anywhere else. Usually the person is fine but there was one time we had to divert to NYC. We came down extremely rapidly, I'd guess about 20 degrees of downward pitch so it must have been quite serious. Never did find out what happened though. Hopefully they were fine.
     
  11. theshaah

    theshaah High-Roller

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    Here is my "Professional" opinion. Medical emergencies can happen on ANY flight. Las Vegas sees it's fair share of medical issues on board due to the fact that most people seriously imbibed the demon rum while they were there and then they decide to fly while they're dehydrated. Flying will dehydrate you even further.

    Just a month ago I was jumpseating on a flight from LAS to MCO and unfortunately shortly after take off a gentleman rang his call bell complaining of chest pains and a shooting pain in his arm. We notified any medical personell on board and they helped out immensely. We ended up diverting to Dallas and taking him off the aircraft on a gurney and continued onto Orlando. I sat in his seat from DAL to MCO. NOT the way I wanted to get a seat on the flight.

    This guy was just a couple years older than I am and I'm 35.

    LV also attracts many older folks who are heading twoards retirement homes in LV and they travel back and forth between LV and wherever they live (think snowbirds but instead of flying south they fly west) those folks tend to have a lot of health problems already and flying tends to exacerbate them manly due to the fact that they oxygen is simulated to mimic 10,000 ft.

    Getting sick on a flight is NO FUN. Sometimes it's better just to stay home...or if you're in LV...stay a few extra days until you feel better enough to fly.
     
  12. vegasmacker

    vegasmacker Canadian Ambassador for Sully's Bar

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    Had one where we were about to pull away from the gate at LAS to return to reality when an elderly lady on a oxygen machine stated she was having a heart attack and slumped over in her chair. The medics came and then she decided she could fly, but the airline said no way. It became a 30 minute ordeal to get this lady off the plane to go with the medics, clearly she was a little incoherent and just wanted to go home, can't blame her there.
     
  13. burdog

    burdog Low-Roller

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    Just saw that McCarren now has an emergency clinic with a pharmacy located in it. Great idea as I have seen MANY ill people waiting to get on a plane and I can't help but wonder what might come UP(?) during their flight. Not all these folks were over-indulged as a couple had food poisoning, (I was one but was able to move about a little morning of the flight).
     
  14. Viva Las Vegas

    Viva Las Vegas Elvis has left the building

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    I only see these on SWA flights, with at least a half dozen each flight to Vegas. What's amazing is nearly all of these people with severe health issues requiring early boarding are miraculously cured mid flight, gaining the ability not only to walk up the ramp in Vegas, but also with the ability to carry their bags, push and shove anyone daring to get in their way.

    [YOUTUBE]BJYZL7LFLt8[/YOUTUBE]

    Genesis 3:25
     
  15. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    Had an issue once where there was a woman, who looked like a homeless person and was talking to herself while in the boarding-area, got on the plane and sat in the row directly in front of me. Not too long after she sat, she started screaming that her finger is stuck in the seat-belt!!! The flight-attendants come back and apparently she was putting the slide part of the belt into the wrong end of the buckle and had gotten her finger wedged into the part you lift up on!!! Every time one of the attendants would even touch it, she'd scream... and I mean scream... you're tearing my finger apart!!!! After some consultation, they had to call some maintenence fellas to come and cut the belt off at the same time EMT's were called. Once they got the belt cut and her outta the seat, they walked her to the area just outside the front-door of the plane (she was in like row 3). You could hear her screaming and yelling and then a few minutes later, she comes back in with a big white bandage on her finger and looks to sit in the row and seat next to me. I got up and walked further back in the plane... no way was I gonna sit and listen to this whacko during the flight. She'd been a damn "spectacle" for the past 40 minutes or so.
     
  16. wpete

    wpete High-Roller

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    I drive to Vegas, except one time. I forgot the reason why we took the 30 minute hop instead of driving, but we did. Didn't you know it THAT was the trip I got sick the night before we were to leave Vegas for home. Felt great the 2 or 3 days we were there, had a great golf outing with my friend. Everything was great. Then late afternoon on our last day something hit me like a brick to the face. All I wanted to do was go to bed and sweat it out. Felt like crap. So that's what I did. I left my wife on the casino floor at about 5 in the afternoon and went to bed. Slept all night and still felt like crap the next morning. All I can say is thanks that I was flying home instead of driving the 6 hours the way that I felt. But who knows, maybe it was flight getting to Vegas that made me sick in the first place.
     
  17. jgates8

    jgates8 VIP Whale

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    That happens on the MSP to Phoenix leg in the late fall. 10 wheelchairs for pre-boarding but only 2 when the plane stops in Phoenix. Another trip with mom we had 8 or so get on in MSP and I think only mom and one other needed a wheelchair in Vegas.
     
  18. Someone

    Someone High-Roller

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    I probably would have left the plane :eek:
     
  19. Terry Benedict

    Terry Benedict VIP Whale

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    This one time...
    I was flying home alone on a 2:00 (or so) flight. The night before my flight I dropped my brother off at the airport and went back to Harrah's for some last night gambling. I wasn't feeling too well. I only had one drink in five hours of blackjack. The next morning I felt very nauseous. I took the rental car back, put my head down, and staggered to the airport. Since I had some time to kill, I sat outside Don Alejandro's outside of TSA. I started sweating through my shirt and actually passed out in my seat.

    When I woke up, I asked the twentysomething girl sitting next to me if she could flag down one of the attendants for some medical attention. Her boyfriend who was sitting on the other side of her told me in no uncertain terms he thought I was an asshole and they got up and walked. I thought he was a real ****** but in hindsight I probably looked like someone who got hammered at 9am and went to the airport. Forgiven. Another lady flagged down a guy with a wheelchair and he took me through TSA, to the gate, and to the plane.

    So I was one of those people who took a wheelchair to preboard and walked off the plane. I deserved the judgments from my fellow travelers because it looked bad.
     
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