IkarosBOS

and i hope and wish you with my whole heart that you will get better. I didnt need much question the judgment myself. The distress you had to suffer proves it was the wrong judgement i am afraid.

knav2013

Looking both ways when crossing the road would still preserve one's dignity. Whereas, shouting about (or having to repeat) one's hidden disability and the resulting consequences from the actions of the airline (be they through lack of training, break-down of communication, apathy of certain staff) would not - no matter how PRACTICAL it may seem.

I saw that that the Civil Aviation Authority had run a consultation before they came up with the guidelines. They wouldn't have just included theoretical nonsense in the guidelines, leaving the general public to come-up with PRACTICAL solutions based on opinion ad hoc. You can picture it - Two novice passengers/staff trying to come up with a solution based on their opinion as and when they encounter a issue like this. Chaos would ensue.

Stez

I've been following this thread but everyone else pretty much summed up what I wanted to say.

With regards to getting a successful contact with BA management, that's good news navylad, hopefully you maintain contact and result in some changes to be brought about that makes travel that little bit easier. Having gone so much higher in the food chain, you might have better luck in that regards, which is well worth more than a CW upgrade if even one change occurred as a result.

Hilde

Maybe instead of "special request" the wording could be along the lines of "medical conditions/needs which are relevant for cabin crew to be aware of"? That would at least eliminate comments about birthday champagne, as it would be hard to argue a medical need for it.

@navylad, I applaud your bravery in sharing such a personal and distressing story, and I too have learnt a lot from this thread. The more information shared about various hidden disabilities, the better equipped we all are to react appropriately in any given situation. So happy for the outcome of your persistent efforts, and I do hope you have a safe, uneventful and enjoyable flight back home.

As for input to your meeting with a senior official in BA (kudos to BA for that); I would emphasize the obvious need for discretion and privacy, so the passenger is reassured their needs are known and will be taken care of, but not spoken out loudly so other passengers may pick up that information.

Best of luck, @navylad!

7Continents

I'm a bit late to the game but with a full heart I'll add the following:
I applaud the bravery of the OP to bring to light silent/unseen issues that the rest of the human race could easily accommodate and we all need to be reminded regularly.
There was a time when I was running very late for a very long and infrequently flown route. I stood up and apologized profusely and asked those ahead of me in line if they would let me jump to the front. Other than a few looks, nobody outrightly objected.
I would do the same here - Talk to those in the cabin or on the line explaining that I have an issue and would they mind letting me go rather than stink up the row. Alternately, walk up to the CC closest to me and explain in a voice that the passengers right near us can hear. That way they can generate a permissive buzz.

zitsky

navylad thank you for posting this. I don't have the same symptoms as you. I take medication for chronic illness that can make it necessary to use the bathroom more often. I've dealt with it by knowing where the bathrooms are when traveling. It's probably not as urgent as yours but it can become a problem.

Cris L

Navylad, I've been reading this as I too suffer from stomach issues. Unfortunately mine have been a lifelong problem since I was a child. In my 20's I was diagnosed with mild Crone's, and am currently undergoing testing to confirm or update this. I'm 54 now.

I've never let this stop me from anything I wanted to do. So please don't let it do that to you.

I've never ever even thought of discussing this with crew, as I am gonna let NOBODY stop me getting to the men's room when I need it! Fortunately, I've not needed it that badly on a plane. Explain afterwards if necessary!

Having said that I've recently started experiencing a new issue onboard. Gas. And more gas to an extreme level. I actually haven't discussed this yet with any of my medical support yet. Not quite sure how to bring this up even.

zitsky

Please bring this up! It can be uncomfortable for you and the people around you. Maybe it can be controlled with medication?

navylad

And more importantly, please do let them know ASAP, this could be a sign of something else going on (like a super-imposed infection or worse, and you need some further investigation.

As as I said up-thread this isn’t a medical forum, so not going to try and get into details or give lots of advice, but I would be in the next 24 hours, contacting your GP, Specialist Consultant or Clinical Nutse Socialist. Please feel free to FM if you want to discuss further. .

Cris L

I should say that this occurred on my recent long haul. It didn't on the recent short-haul, but I will monitor on tonight's flight to Bordeaux!! And blame it on the Wine if necessary!

Deniedboardinghelp

I would be very interested in talking to BA senior management about what they could do to improve how they deal with disabilities. Unfortunately over the last few years I have had some truly terrible experiences with BA and BA ticketed codeshares and I am beginning to feel as though it is no longer possible to travel with disabilities without having to expect that serious problems are likely to occur. My worst experience to date was being involuntary downgraded at the airport to a totally unsuitable seat and the only usable alternative being a four day delay with no assistance or compensation

I have tried to contact BA with the idea of giving feedback on dealing with disabilities and asking if they would be interested in having contact with various patient support organisations I am involved with, but haven’t managed to find the right person to contact and can’t seem to get past being fobbed off by junior employees. So I am delighted to see that at least they are listening to someone!

navylad

So sorry to hear of what sounds like a terrible handled experience. If you feel able, can you DM me some more details so I can include that in the examples I want to present to them?

Deniedboardinghelp

IYou can still read most of it here in ‘real time’:
Involuntary denial of boarding, please help

islemartin2

Long reply from a disabled flyer. Regrets.
I don’t understand: What does a new medical diagnosis of incontinence one day and a trip shortly thereafter have to do with a brand new disability? Seems to me one now has an “official diagnosis” of a condition which has been experienced for some time. One doesn’t just become incontinent overnight; short of a surgeon’s gaffe. Ouch!
Incontinence comes on gradually and eventually a doctor says nothing more can be done about it. Sorry but the inconvenience of incontinence will now be a part of your day to day life. Your day to day life may include plane flights for business or pleasure. It’s included plane flights prior to the official DX for many because its not an overnight condition.
I have parkinson’s disease (PD). PD delivered double incontinence and other ills into my daily life years before tremors began. I understand needing to “go” is not “when” it’s now! Preparing for rush loo visits and worst case scenarios takes place as the problem unfolds — it doesn’t wait for a doc’s diagnosis. I learned how to avoid public “incidents” on my own by preparing in advance and carrying backups in my purse or backpack.
Yes of course I dread long flights. But I still take them. Have I had embarrassing situations. Yep but I didn’t die from them and it’s not anyone else’s fault. I want to live clear up to my death. I will know when I’m too much of a nuisance to fellow passengers and airlines.
But thanks for the tip about alerting the airline. Disability consideration regarding my incontinence has never crossed my mind. I see it as a condition not a disability. There is nothing about growing old or PD or any life altering health condition that is convenient. I just don’t see my accidents are the airlines fault. I am very grateful for the accessibility provisions I’ve used. I am 76, still mobile, but depending on my varying mobility - I’ve appreciated airport wheel chair or cart navigation a few times. I generally ask for aisle and bulkhead seating because of pain and neuropathy in my legs. My jerky legs make it miserable even for neighbors in regular seating. I don’t always get my bulkhead type seating but don’t blame the airline. I am judicious about making frequent just-in-case loo visits. This way I beat or lag comfortably behind the after meal crowds. Other passengers must wonder about my frequent treks!
I liked the suggestion about the Get To The Loo Quick explanation card. May try it. And in future I may well let airlines know in advance of all facets of my disability just in case it makes traveling easier.


Should disabled travelers stay home - heck no!


Do airlines OWE me special consideration - hmmm? I will say I am very grateful they are required to offer courtesies which enable handicapped persons to live richer lives then once was possible. Funny, I see things quite differently now that I am not young, hale, hearty or perfectly mobile.

mhrb

Sorry to hear of your experience. I think in general ignoring the crew when they are being unreasonable and time is of the essence would have been fine here.

Can I ask how you cope in development countries or even in GIG. I know it's easy to be caught short even in cities in Europe.