I'm sorry you had such a bad experience, but I have to say, perhaps some of this was due to miscommunication/misunderstanding? I have been traveling with my own wheelchair for many years now, and this is the key information I find I need to communicate to the airlines.

My husband and I traveled to Germany last December (NY (Newark) to Berlin (via Dusseldorf)), and found LH's accommodations to be excellent. Now, over the years, I have learned what I need: I travel in Business or First Class in all long-haul flights, because, unlike other passengers, I cannot simply get up and move around, so the extra space is a necessity for me, not just a luxury. Thus, on this trip, my husband and I booked in Business. We also called Lufthansa upon booking, and advised the airline that I would be bringing my own wheelchair, and that I am mobility impaired. They noted this in my booking.

When we arrived at the airport, traveling in Business had its advantages: shorter lines, use of the SAS lounge (which is not the most luxurious place on the planet -- indeed, it resembles an IKEA -- but it is vastly preferable to Newark airport during the holiday rush, especially when our flight was delayed). We relaxed and had tea and nibbled on cheese until our flight was called, and I was able to use a clean and separate handicapped bathroom in the lounge prior to heading for the flight. ^

Boarding was organized and polite. The seats were relatively comfortable (certainly much better for me than those in Economy) and the service by the FAs was amazing! One of them even assisted me to the lav while my husband slept, at one point. That sort of kindness one does not easily forget. I slept for about five hours, and awoke, nervous because our flight had been delayed.

Not to worry, Dusseldorf had been informed of our situation, and we made the flight to Berlin, thanks to airport staff who pushed my chair at top speed and got us through the airport very quickly. We were even given extra Lebkuchen in Berlin while we waited for my wheelchair.

The flight from Berlin back to Dusseldorf was delayed due to weather: our FA kept us informed of the situation in Dusseldorf throughout. The flight to Newark was pleasant and uneventful, with, once again, excellent service.

Here is what I do not expect: I do not expect an exit row seat. In the event of an emergency, I cannot open the door, nor can I assist other passengers getting off the plane (I need assistance in the best of circumstances). I cannot sit in an exit row. Not. Happening.

I cannot expect to be upgraded without paying for the seat. Sure, it happens. But it's very rare. Since I need the extra space, I pay for it. Gladly.

I cannot expect an airline or its personnel to understand the nature of my disability. I must explain it to them, in simple terms. Frankly, the OP's description of his medical issues is confusing to me, and, I think, to some extent, unnecessarily so.

I admit, I still prefer Singapore Airlines to Lufthansa, but I found nothing terrible in Lufthansa's service.

I know this is an old thread, but I was just looking for accommodations for my husband who also has what the OP has. It's an odd disability. My husband would be more than capable of opening the door and helping people off and knowing him, would be one of the last ones off the plane in case of an emergency - he would demand to stay and help. The fact that his legs swell and become very very uncomfortable while sitting for extended periods, doesn't mean he is an invalid or incapable of walking, bending, lifting, etc.

Perhaps to explain the condition a bit better than the OP for those who happen upon this thread and scratch your head at her explanation - my husband had a terrible sunburn on the lower half of his legs one summer. While the skin healed, it just never healed properly. He never really thought much about it until 10 years later while working on the job, he stood up and immediately fainted. Later we discovered he hand thrown several blood clots from his legs and they had traveled to his lungs - double pulmonary embolism. He was very lucky he didn't die. The blood clots were so severe it misshaped the lungs and the heart. There is a medication they can give, much like they give after a stroke, that almost immediately dissolves the clots and luckily he arrived at the ER in time for this to be administered, or the doctors do believe he would have died as a result of the clots.

So...all that being said, the clots were from several factors - heart disease and the damage he had done to the veins in his legs 10 years prior. They never healed and they are basically dead. From the shin down his legs are black on the fronts. Due to lack of blood circulation his ankles can swell up to 4x the normal size. It's really not terribly dangerous as much as it is just very very painful and uncomfortable. We recently flew from the states to London and back and I purchased Business class tickets with some points I had accumulated and I flew coach. His legs were swollen from the flight, but not terribly and we continued on our 50 day trip through Europe just fine, making sure to allow plenty of time in the evening for elevating his feet.

I want to take another trip, but I have no more points and Business is very expensive, even if just for 1 person, so I find myself here looking to see what type of accommodations I might be able to request of the airlines. I don't expect Business when we paid for coach and I could care less if he can watch TV for 12 hours or not! I just would like him to have room to stretch his legs and the ability to get up frequently to walk around. Like the OP says, it's a condition not a handicap. When we asked for an exemption for him on a previous trip, they allowed him to board early, but wouldn't allow him to sit in an exit row due to his "disability". Boarding early doesn't help his situation at all. He was likely to most capable person on the flight to help in case of an emergency, but they don't know that and likely have never heard of venous stasis dermatitis or chronic venous insufficiency.

After his hospitalization he was not able to return to work and was able to get SSD 2 years prior to regular retirement. So we have the documentation, but we don't like to make a big deal of it, as he's really fine - his ankles just swell and become painful. We are happy to pay for upgraded seats and small fees to sit where needed, but on long haul flights, it would be nice to be able to buy a Business class at a discount due to the disease - but only if there was one unsold. I'm not wanting the airlines to give us anything or sell us a seat at a discount that they could have sold at full price. But, just to have the opportunity for a discount of an unsold seat would be great. Something I wish they would look into.

I don't think anything has changed in the last 10 years!

You will only get guaranteed entrance into Business class if you pay with cash (or points) - medical comditions do not qualify for an upgrade, only for the most suitable seats in the class you have paid for, and exit row seats are usually excluded because staff cannot realisticaly assess abilty to assist with evacuation.

While discounts on unsold Business seats would be nice the system could be abused by those falsely claiming hidden disabilities and what do you do if you find at the airport there are no spare seats in Business class

If you need an extra seat to allow room to stretch out you will need to pay for it.

Have you considered traveling by a different mode of transportation than flying? I have nerve damage in my lower spine, and coach class air travel is incredibly painful for me, so I've reached the point where I save flying for "really special" trips. We did a cruise a few years back, luckily from a port only an hour from home, and that worked out really well in terms of comfort and lack of pain. I've also done some long trips on Amtrak, which I find to be very comfortable, with plenty of legroom and the ability to walk around as much as you like.