Q: My wife is 36 weeks pregnant with our second child. Do you think she will be fit to travel to the South of France and back on Eurostar, and will we need to show a doctor's note to say it's okay to travel?
Andrew Fletcher.
Dr Jules Eden writes: You need to check with Eurostar. With airline travel, international carriers usually rule that no one can fly after 32 weeks of pregnancy, but they can bend the rules and often let people fly up to 36 weeks if they have a doctor's note.
To be frank, I don't know how your GP can guess that all will be well in a couple of weeks as premature labour can catch everyone by surprise. If you need a note, your doctor will check that the baby's head is not fully engaged and there are no contractions. If all is clear, then you should be fine. For the return leg, don't travel if there are any signs of labour.
Make sure you have the E111 form with you. This allows you free health care in France if you need to see an obstetrician. On the trip itself, make sure she takes a walk up and down the carriage every hour as the pregnant uterus can press on the venous drainage from the legs, increasing the risk of a DVT. Finally, and I'm sure you were going to do this, but it's best if you carry all the luggage.
Q: A 56-year-old friend is planning a short break to Madrid. A couple of years ago, he suffered two minor strokes and is now taking medication - enalapril, doxazosin, amlodipine, pravastatin, dipyridamole, and aspirin. Is it safe for him to fly?
Keith Spiers
A: That is quite a collection of medications he is on. The first three are to control the blood pressure, the last two to thin the blood, and the pravastatin is to lower the cholesterol level. The fact that he is on three different antihypertensives means that control of the BP is proving difficult, so get the pressure checked before flight. If it is above 160/100 there is a risk that another stroke can occur. I recommend he buys his own blood pressure monitoring device. They cost less than £50.
Q: Where can I find a list of certified diving referees?
Vicki Carr
A: The best way of finding a doctor in your area is to buy one of the dive magazines, such as Sport Diver or Diver, and look in the classified ads in the back. That is where they advertise and all contact details will be there. Alternatively, your local dive shop should have a list.
Ask the flying doctor If you have any questions you want to ask Dr Jules Eden, email E-med as an online support service for anyone who finds themselves a long way from a doctor's surgery. You can get free pre-travel information on any destination in the world. Log on and click on the Travel Clinic icon.
