CapeFearNC

September 9th- this coming Wednesday!

September 9th- this coming Wednesday!

My surgery is also on Wednesday the 9th

I am in the Hyatt now. Having surgery on Monday. I felt safe regarding covid with all aspects of this trip (airport, hotel and Blossom). Blossom has a great program. They really care about each patient.

Ah! I just found this message board!

Hey fellow North Carolinaian! I made the journey from North Carolina to Blossom back in May. We flew out on a Saturday and rented an SUV. We drove up to Utah and visited some national parks for a few days and then back down to Nevada. I had my first day with appointments at Blossom on that Tuesday, EGD on Wednesday, surgery on Thursday, IV fluids on Friday morning. We were on a plane Saturday morning coming home.

We rented an SUV, mostly because we do not like to be tied down to one place, a.k.a. the hotel. We like to be able to go anywhere we want to and I did not want my husband being stuck in the hotel the entire time while I was at Blossom. We made several trips to Walmart, including my wonderful hubby going the day of surgery to get me some sugarfree Popsicles.
Be sure to take walking shoes and clothes because you will be walking on a treadmill.

They will give you all of the medications that you will need on your first day visit. They will tell you exactly when you will need to take them. To be completely honest, the only day I had any type of pain was the day of surgery. I took the pain pills as prescribed. On Friday, we were out shopping at the Tanger outlets.
The nurse will go over a lot of things with you on the day of surgery. The main thing will be having your husband “pound” on your back to help with the gas. My husband did it to me about every 15 minutes. The other main thing is you will have to get up and walk every 2 hours for 15 minutes. For me, I got over that pretty quickly and it had really subsided by Friday.
They will provide you electric compression socks for the flight home. You will not need to get up and walk on the plane nor did they advise me to. Just be sure to pack those in your carry-on. I put them on as soon as I got on the plane and let those go until we landed. I had no pain on that Saturday on our way home. I did not feel like I needed anything extra to sit on.
Make sure you buy some Water or something to drink inside the airport and take on the plane. I am not sure if they are still not providing beverage service or not, but many people were getting on our planes not knowing that they were not providing beverage service.
I really liked everyone that I dealt with Blossom. I think Alex is a fantastic nutritionist and he will go over lots of things with you. Be sure to write down any questions you may have for him. You will have an opportunity to talk to him the first day you are there. They also do an outstanding job of following up with you after the surgery. They gave you ample opportunities to discuss any concerns you have with them.
One week into my pre-op diet, I completely lost my appetite. It has only gotten worse since the surgery. Nothing smells good, nothing tastes good, nothing looks good. I even flipped to drinking plain water, because the flavored water just isn’t cutting it for me anymore. I can tell my taste buds have definitely changed along with losing the hunger hormone.

On the flipside, I am down 39 pounds since the start of my pre-op diet.

Thanks Your personal take on the process will be helpful. Others have said to pack Protein Shakes and Protein Water. The hotel is not near any shopping area you can walk to. Also, who wants to walk in the Vegas heat. I wasn't going to check my bag for the flight. Once I heard about taking an Uber to Target or Walmart for supplies, I figured it is easier to just pack them and check my bag. My fear would be that the stores may not have the flavors I like. There is enough to worry about for this trip. I also decided not to take a friend with me. With Covid, they are not allowed at Blossom or the surgery ctr. They would be stuck in the hotel room the entire time. That is also a lot time to ask someone to take off of work. Blossom will provide a companion for me for the night of the surgery. They will make sure I walk during the night. Two things I constantly hear - walk as much as possible to remove the gas and sip, sip, sip so you stay hydrated. I am sure the rest of the time I will want to sleep. I will be thinking of you next week and hope all goes well for you.

The hotels are very near both a Walmart and Target. Easy, quick Uber trip if you need anything. I agree, way too hot for walking! The companion care is great! I had to hire one too bc I went at Christmas time and no one could come. My gal was so sweet and made sure I walked. Plus, I liked that she worked for Blossom and was experienced in taking care of post op bariatric patients. Good luck!

Just got home from my trip/surgery @ Blossom. Short flight for me. On the way home, I recommend taking your anti nausea pill 1 hour before you board and a pain pill 30 minutes before you board. That worked perfectly for me, I was quite comfortable on the way home.
There is a Target a short Uber ride from the hotel. They have tons of varieties and flavors of Protein Drinks. Also a whole aisle of travel toiletries if you’d rather not pack those.
If you feel a little rough directly after surgery when you get back to your hotel room, don’t despair...5-6 hours after your surgery a nurse comes to the hotel to give you an IV of fluids, anti nausea medication, and pain medication. It works wonders on your comfort level within an hour.
Nice hotel with great staff but they only clean the room every 4 days....the trash cans are small and so people pile trash in the hall. Really a shame for such a nice place, but there’s no where to dump it yourself. Just request that they clean your room daily, and they will.

I am traveling to Vegas next week, I have to do the seven day stay bc my surgery is scheduled for 7/28, a Tuesday, I am flying across country as well. I have been so nervous about the journey but can update you with my experience after if you’d like. So far they’ve been great. The pre op “meal plan” hasn’t been bad- I just remember every time I feel hungry or irritable it’s for me and for my kids!

Congrats I’m not too far afterwards I fly out for my surgery September 3 & have my VSG on Sept 9th! Best wishes for successful surgery & speedy recovery

Congrats I’m not too far afterwards I fly out for my surgery September 3 & have my VSG on Sept 9th! Best wishes for successful surgery & speedy recovery

I am going to Blossom mid August. Similar to you, I am traveling cross country from NJ. My biggest concern is the 5 hr flight and then a 2 hr car ride home. I have 6 weeks until I leave. I will let you know how things go.

I only had an hour flight home. But they will give you compression stockings to wear and will tell you to get up and walk some during the flight. I asked them bc I was nervous about 1 hour- they said I didn't have to walk on that a short of a flight, but that they tell their patients with longer flights to walk. I would recommend that you try to get a bulkhead seat or emergency row - extra leg room which I found helpful.

Good luck, I loved my experience there!

Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

They take SUCH good care of you while you are there. Sounds like you have the flight thing worked out! Good luck to you too!

And I am inching closer to submitting a photo of me- because as a Fairly New Inhabitant of Onederland, I too am becoming proud of the WOMAN I am BECOMING, don't laugh but in real Day to Day LIFE I Am Shy still. This is the first social network I have appeared Brave on- but Guess What! I am fulfilling my Destiny after All!

I too will be traveling across country making the flight from East Coast & beautiful beach town of Wilmington, NC. I am scheduled for surgery with Blossom the beginning of September. Counting down the days till our trip!