is this woman right to say the airline "essentially" poisoned her?

Candie wrote: »

And if she was hypoxic it's because there was too much CO2 in the air, and the system was insufficient or faulty and failed to keep the air quality at an acceptable level.

Just because most passengers coped well, it does not mean the air quality was good.

You could also claim that she coped not as well as she expected.No verifiable evidence to say air quality was substandard.She could have taken action herself, was she twiddling her thumbs during the delay? If she was well researched she should have acted before an issue arose.

LexieOnRale wrote: »

In a nutshell, yes. Did you ever see someone in a wheelchair trying to climb a mountain because he feels like that's something he should be able to do? Life is full of restrictions. I'm restricted from getting pregnant for the next few years because of an illness.

She chose to fly long haul, eithaid didn't come looking for her, she did it by herself. That's not their fault, if she is suffering from a serious illness her health is her responsibility.

Yea but she want restricted from flying? There is a big difference from being restricted from doing something and not doing something incase your the unlucky person something bad happens to!
I'm talking about who is/isn't to blame I'm just saying an illness shouldn't stop what you do life!

Holograph wrote: »

What Candie said: "She had been cleared to fly, she did the research and was told it wasn't a risk. And it wasn't, if the plane had been running it's air filtration system and not been parked up with the doors closed, full of passengers using up the oxygen".

I'd imagine (and hope) she wasn't told "it wasn't a risk", rather that the level of risk was negligible or acceptable for her current condition.

Typical shoddy Indo journalism though. Did they even consider to verify her claims with the medical staff who supposedly told her the cause...or even any other medical expert who works with CF/COPD patients before publishing?

jackofalltrades wrote: »

The main engines are shutdown on arriving at the gate.
The APU is then turned on which provides fresh air for the air conditioning system.
People seem to be taking this ladies opinion as gospel even though she knows SFA about planes.
And I presume the carbon monoxide is bit is a mistake.

According to this the peak values for both CO2 and CO are during ground phases.
https://books.google.ie/books?id=KzXPJ-p75QIC&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=airplane+air+quality+ground&source=bl&ots=g6_omSOsPc&sig=kJ5vFtut82YGNwZbjVlRiPA_9DA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwit-7D5ze7PAhVEIsAKHQF4B4IQ6AEISjAH#v=onepage&q=airplane%20air%20quality%20ground&f=false

Plus it's not unusual to get something called APU bleed when on the ground. In those cases Co is fed into the cabin. Although not enough to hurt us it may be enough to tip the balance on people with a pre existing condition.

Jimoslimos wrote: »

No worse than sitting in heavy traffic on a busy bus.

1: You can open the windows on a bus, big difference.

2: If your bus is stuck in the same place for two hours without moving, as far as I'm concerned the driver should be obliged to let people disembark. With or without illness.

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Illness or not, as far as I'm concerned this should never be allowed on any form of transport, including trains, busses, etc. If there's a hold up, doors or windows should be opened. End of story.

In areas of high temperatures and humidity it's best to leave windows and doors closed and the air conditioning on.
The hold up was 1 hour and 26 mins.

It's me again!!
Firstly I want to clear something up on the comments made here about travelling with CF or undertaking the journey that I did. CF is the most common life threatening genetic conditions in Ireland, it is a hard disease to live with and everyday you have to work at your health. But it is also a wide ranging disease, with how it affects us being very individualised. We have CF mountain climbers, we have CF world travellers, we have CF body builders, we have CF solicitors, teachers, medical professionals, we have CF parents, we have CF musicians, dancers, countless careers and lifestyles, we also have people with CF who would love the chance to be all or any of the above but CF affects them too greatly. There are people with CF who run marathons, but there are countless people with CF who spend every minute of their day reliant on oxygen, or fighting hard to stay alive for a transplant call. We are all individuals. I am not a marathon runner (that may be more to do with the fact that I hate running!) but I've never once been on oxygen in my 25 years. Long gone are the days that people such as a CF patient are locked away in a room and not allowed to live life. In fact we strive to make the most out of life while also respecting our health. As a result over the years I've travelled to numerous countries, I've qualified and worked as a teacher, I've completed two additional degrees all while ensuring my health is of paramount importance.

Travelling with CF is harder but is possible and encouraged when the patient is at peak health. Prior to travelling here, I was in the gym six days a week and looked after myself to OCD standards. The decision to visit this country, for the third time I might add, was fully supported by my team at home who done their due diligence and completed numerous tests to ensure I was well enough to travel. Top of these tests was ensuring my oxygen saturation was well above acceptable standards, in fact I have never measured below 98% sats. This along with good lung function and numerous stress tests to mimic flight conditions were carried out all of which I passed with flying colours. There was no medical reason, risks considered, that I should not fly. Sorry if any of Ye think we as CF patients should not want to see the world or live life as much as possible but those days are long gone.

Next I would like to stress that as an above poster mentioned that at no stage did I say or imply that the airline was at fault. I simply stated that what happened was linked back to that journey. No more that DVT can occur in someone who seems healthy, it happened because of the journey but it doesn't not make it the carriers fault. In fact, I chose to fly Etihad at an additional cost opposed to other airlines based on precious experience and I stand by my choice. They are a brilliant airline and were Fantastic to me every time I have travelled with them. I always have and always will declare my condition to Ye airline prior to travelling and as a result I always have to submit certain tests and checks to the airline so they are happy to carry me. These were completed this time as usual, and I was therefore passed fit to travel by my team and the airlines doctors. At no stage was anything raised about my suitability to travel as I was that healthy prior to all this. I would still chose Etihad about most airlines and any of Ye should consider them. The flight crew were fantastic on the day, but as was also raised here nothing was raised to them as the symptoms I firstly developed mimicked something extremely common even in the healthiest of health people - Jet Lag. Had I had any indication of what was happening I would have immediately alerted the crew and requested oxygen. There was no reason to suspect it was anything this serious so I had no reason to alert them. What happened, I have been told, is more dumb luck than anything. What I simply said was that the additional time on the plane with below par air just became too much for my little lungs. This would have been one of the last things that anyone could have predicted due to how healthy I was prior to this.

Now to clear something else up - at no stage did I slate the ISA, I was trying to highlight that they are a charitable group who receive minimal funding and as a result have access to few resources. At no stage would I or my family expect to be put up in the "Ritz" as was said above, in fact they would ask for somewhere a lot more normal if it was offered, we're way too ordinary for that kinda place!! Anyone who ever has had a sick relative will tell you that the most important thing is not the quality of the place (and hostels are quite nice here actually!) it's the proximity. My parents would have camped in the road outside the hospital if possible, my partner who was meant to be staying half an hour away slept in waiting rooms or my ICU room on a chair. It was that important to be close because it was touch and go for so long. My family also at no stage expected anything to be paid for them, in fact unlike was suggested to us we refused to have fundraisers and/or donation pages. I have fantastic travel insurance and see no reason why anyone but myself and my insurance would have to pay for anything. The point I was trying to make is that due to their size and funding it was difficult for the ISA to assist with practical information (such as where close would be available for an indefinite period etc.) they did their best and helped find them stones throw accommodation, which was pivotal to my recover as it meant that my family were constantly with me. We never asked for them to fund anything but they did assist with some accomodation with their very limited funds and we are hugely grateful for that. It's funny how trying to highlight that they have limited resources and rely on sponsors and donations came across as me criticising them. I have been in contact with them since and they know I never implied that they let me down. They just don't have enough resources (funds for enough full time staff for example) to help as much as they want to. We have spent many hours since working out how to help raise funds for the ISA in order to thank them and to allow them to continue helping Irish people here!

Another point that was made was that I slammed Ireland, well anyone that knows me will tell you I am the proudest Irish person in the world. I was like the tourism board here encouraging anyone I met to go to Ireland and see our country. I drive everyone mad with how proud of being Irish I am. But if anyone you think that slating our health system means you are not proud of being Irish you are crazy. If anyone here thinks we have a well run health system you are only lying to yourself. I have done twenty five years of seeing first hand the crisis levels that are being reached in our hospital. The front line staff in Ireland are amazing, they are among the best qualified, best trained and most professional in the world but they are being pushed beyond breaking point. They are expected to pull of miracles and to give Top class care in conditions that are completely unacceptable. They are expected to work with little to no thanks from the upper levels of the HSE and to do everything they do for absolutely shockingly low pay. When I woke up here in hospital, at times I might as well have been at home I was surround by that many Irish staff. You hear everyday at home about the skills drainage that is going on and the nurses, drs, Physios etc. who have reached a point where for their own health have to leave the country, but I can tell you that it isn't until you see first hand how many of them are here in just one hospital that it hits home. They are of all ages, from all over Ireland and from different walks of life but time and time again they said the same thing to us, they would love to go home but how can they? What are they going home to? How can they leave a job where they are respected and valued as an employee to walk into the hell that it is working in an Irish hospital. I did say I would be dead if something like this happened me in Ireland, and I stand by that but I said that this was not because of the staff we have in Irish hospitals but because of the state our government is leaving the health service in. A&E's at home are beyond manic and the staff in these have my absolute respect, I honestly don't know how they face into work sometimes, yet they do. They do in the hope they can make a difference and they do everyday despite the conditions they are expected to work in, and the lack of resources they have to contend with. Our government has time and time again let Irish people down. They refuse to fund lifesaving drugs and equipment despite promises they make at election time. For example there is currently a drug available to treat the underlying cause of CF in approximately half of Irish patients, and the government has refused to fund this despite that funding this will reduce the amount of resources needed to treat CF patients in the long run. But as with treatments and drugs that have been developed for many difference life changing and life limiting illnesses, the government would rather give themselves a pay rise of 4,000 per TD per year. Is it any wonder our health service is in crisis? Many times we have heard promises of specialised units to treat diseases like CF, but while a new CF was opened in my hospital at home in recent weeks, the funding for this was raised through fundraising and donations, not through government investment. TD's will be the first to praise the new unit but will fail to mention that the people who were behind the development of this unit (amazing people who include CF patients, parents, CF medical professionals, and concerned Irish citizens) faced hurdle after hurdle, fight after fight with the government and the HSE to get this unit developed.

It isn't just CF patients that The government is letting down with empty promises, they have down the same time and time again across the board with most illnesses - Cancer services, Neurological services, paediatric services, mental health services, aged care services, the list goes on. The staff that work working these services are at breaking point, they are working endlessly to improve and save lives yet are expected to do this in conditions that are beyond a joke. If you spend any length of time in any area of the health service you will see that the major improvements are needed in order to give these amazing staff proper conditions and resources that will allow them to save more lives, to improve lives of patients.

After twenty five years, I have seen countless front line staff break down, I've seen them in tears. The units, wards and a&es we do have in Ireland are completely understaffed, the staff that work them have to make three of themselves on every shift in order to provide the best care they desperately want to give each and every patient. No one should have to cope with the conditions that they are having to face, especially for the paycheque that they them bring home. It's beyond acceptable. As I mentioned above that our government will provide themselves with a 4000 euro a year payrise, which may not sound like a fortune, but if the government invested these funds in our health service they could employ approximately an additional nineteen nurses within our hospitals. Nurses that are badly needed in our unstaffed A&E's, our unstaffed wards, out unstaffed units.

So when I said I would be dead I meant it, because the government has decided time and time again to cut front line services - paramedics and ambulance crews who are exhausted covering an area way bigger than should be acceptable with the same amount of resources(or at times less) as they were to cover smaller areas in the past, accident and emergency departments that have been merged from smaller hospitals leaving the same staff levels to cope with huge influxes of people from massive geographical areas, specialist and ICU units that have fantastically trained and experienced staff but far too few of them for the amount of patients they have to provide care for. It isn't the fault of any front line staff, and if it sounds for a second that I was implying that I certainly was not.

Irish medical professionals are in huge demand worldwide, because they are among the best trained, best qualified, most professional and most kind staff that any hospital in the world could wish for and the point that I wanted to get across was that the government needs to stop taking these amazing people for granted and start improving our health service.

Now, I know that in the end that's not what came across, and I don't blame the writer for that. We live in a world now when shock factor sells and that's what they have to do. I should have realised this myself but unfortunately despite my best intentions of telling how valued Irish staff are here and that they need to be given the resources and appropriate pay to keep these wonderful people in our country it came across completely differently.

Now, hate me if Ye like, unfortunately you can't like everyone in the world but at least take a bad opinion of me for what I was trying to say (I.e. The novel length post above!) and not what was put across.

Oh and to clear up despite what may have come across the reason I can't fly has nothing to do with CO2 or plane air. It has to do with the development of a clot from the ECMO machine, and anyone that knows about clots knows there is an exclusion period from flying after them! The proof of how healthy I was prior to this is in how fast I have bounced back, as the teams here have said if I wasn't in such great health before no way could I be making the progress I am! I know Ye didn't ask but I am doing very well in case Ye were wondering!

Lastly, one other thing that I had stressed I wanted in there but was excluded was my thanks and appreciation to my family, friends and community at home. There was no doubt that it was everyone at home that got me through this - but again that's not a story is it!! There's a reason I'm proud to be Irish despite what people here think and that's the people we have in our country. We're a unique community and it isn't until the chips are down that that is often recognised.

Now guys I'm off. Please realised that what Ye read quite often isn't the whole story or how it happened!! Now I'm off to tuck myself into bed here- it's bloody freezing, home and away lies let me tell Ye!

My last comment on this will be just to say I didn't run to the media. I'm the kind of person that keeps myself to myself, I don't brag on my accomplishments nor do I make public my grievances. It's just a well known story. That's all. Now everyone like I said before hate me if Ye like (I would obviously rather Ye didn't but anyway!) please do it for the right reasons not the perception Ye were given by this. Toodles!

If you didn't criticise the charity at all then the quote 'To say the help that was offered was unimpressive is an understatement' is very odd. They don't mention anything about an unfortunate lack of funding in what they've written, and all that comes across is that you've slated them for the paucity of help that was offered.

I wouldn't be as magnanimous about the writer's work here as you are if they've basically written the exact opposite of what you told them...

@Lilibird, thank you for taking the time to write the above, can i ask why you believe that the aircraft air was sub par?

What I simply said was that the additional time on the plane with below par air just became too much for my little lungs.