DevilBlueDress2

Thanks so much for your thoughtful replies! The Hawaii vacation is really special, not a typical vacation for our family. I turn 50 around Xmas. This will be my Hawaii 5-0. :-)

Greetings! I had my first meeting with my surgeon this week and he rocked my world a bit. I went in determined for a Lap-Band because it's less invasive and hopefully would have a shorter recovery time, but he recommends either gastric bypass or VSG for the long term outcomes. He said their clinic rarely does the band these days. He authored a study in 2011 that compared long term outcomes of band vs. bypass. So I've been in research mode this week again. I'm leaning toward VSG but am open to bypass, too. I have insurance coverage for bariatric surgery this year but may not have it in 2014 and beyond. My PCP who has treated me for 20 years thinks this is a great option for me after all the failed diets plus I have other surgeries that I need in the future and we both think I would have a better recovery if I weighed a lot (80-100) less. I did one of the surgeries (left ankle) last year and I had complications (pulmonary embolisms) and a slow recovery. I still need to do the right ankle- probably in 2015 if my Achilles doesn't rupture before then. Another complicating factor is a big vacation planned for the Xmas holidays. I don't have a date for my surgery but I'm hoping for August or September. Is it realistic that I would be well enough along my recovery to enjoy Hawaii and eat solid food? We are renting a house, so I plan on making most meals hopefully taking advantage of the fresh fish and fruit that should be available. We can still cancel our plans with little penalty but I am hoping that if I'm able to hike, swim, snorkel it will be a great goal and reward. I realize that everyone heals differently and that surgeons have their own dietary guidelines, but I'm looking for some seasoned VSGers' advice. Cancel Hawaii and do it next year and concentrate on VSG recovery? Or a Hawaii vacation 3-4 months after VSG sounds doable and should be fun? What do you think?