Woman who slept whole flight from London to Australia warns passengers after leg started to burn

A woman who slept through most of a 20-hour flight is warning others after she noticed her legs 'burning' following the journey.

One passenger had the misfortune of having to catch a flight from London to Australia which took almost an entire day and night.

But while many of us find it difficult to snooze through a flight, she managed to sleep pretty much the whole time, explaining she only got up once to use the bathroom.

Now, she's warning others about the dangers of being so sedentary on long-haul flights.

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Once the passenger had landed, she became concerned after her leg began to swell and burn within a couple of days.

She says the feeling was similar to 'pulling a muscle'.

"It felt hotter than the other leg and was annoying me so much I couldn't sleep," she told the Daily Mail.

"During the flight I didn't really get up at all as I was just so comfortable in my aisle seat. I got up once at the end of both flights to use the bathroom - other than that I just slept the whole time."

The passenger had no idea, but it was actually a 4cm blood clot that was causing her discomfort.

A blood clot is a mass of blood that forms in a vein or artery. They can block blood flow, or travel to different areas of the body and can be life threatening.

Travelling - especially by plane - can involve sitting for long periods of time which increases the risk of a deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This occurs most commonly in one leg but can also be found in arms.

While her dad had warned her to stay mobile and even gave her compression socks, she didn't take his advice, which is something she 'massively regrets'.

"[Doctors] said it was a large DVT and I will have to be careful for the next three to six months. I will now be prone to them in the future and will need to wear compression socks too," she explained.

"If the DVT doesn't go away or moves I will need to go on blood thinners for up to a year.

"I'm worried that it might move or that I'll be prone to them later in life. I feel silly too as I should have just got up a few times!"

Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

Symptoms of a DVT include throbbing pain in one leg; swelling; warm skin around the affected area; red or darkened skin in the area (which may be harder to see on brown or black skin) and swollen veins.

However, the passenger explained that her experience was more of an 'ache' than a pain.

Topics: Health, Travel, Australia, NHS

Lucy Devine