Travel At 5 Weeks?

[OilSooner 23]

So, I found out I have to go to a conference for work (read all day meetings) for two weeks in Feb. I was planning to have my surgery in Jan. My surgeons nurse says I can have the surgery Jan 12th, and then should be okay to travel Feb 19th to the conference. The conference will require a 3 hour flight, and I will be away from home for the entire two weeks, and will have to live on food not coming from my own kitchen. Can this be done, or is it a bad idea? There is always the option of waiting until I return, though I hate to wait until late March or early April, as this process has already been soooo long.

Those that were sleeved....am I asking for too much, to try to travel just 5 weeks out from surgery? Or, should I be okay by then? I wont be doing anything more than sitting in meetings all day, but I do need to be mentally sharp. And, could I be able to make mushies (or whatever you are on at 5 weeks) work from a hotel room setting? It will be a 4-5 star hotel, and I will have a rental car and access to grocery shopping, but likely no fridge or kitchen utensils, etc.

Thanks in advance for all advice! I'm really torn here and look forward to hearing perspectives from those that have been there.

[FlawedMan 6]

You can do it.

The travel will not be a problem.

Eating will be a hassel, but can be done.

I drank a lot of low fat milk during that time period.

High in carbs, but keeps you hydrated and gets the Protein in.

Hummus, refried Beans, cottage cheese are all options.

Little single serve size cans of the refried Beans (in chips and dips section) travel well.

FM

[KellyL 173]

It might be tough, but it's do-able. Since you may not have a fridge it will be even harder, I would try to at least get a room with a mini fridge and microwave if at all possible. For broths and stuff you may be able to use the room coffee maker, seems like I've heard of others doing this. A lot of people use things like the magic bullet to blend their mushies. I have a smaller type one, It's like a Single serving one by GE. I think it's called the GE Rocket Blender. So it's smaller and you may be able to take it with you in your suitcase. It has a bunch of accessories, but just the base and one cup would suffice. The GE Rocket Blender is $20 and perfect size for one person, way more economical than the popular magic bullet for $50. It looks like Hamilton Beach has one for a little cheaper than the GE. It's about $15.44 on walmart.com.

The flying part shouldn't be a problem 5 wks out, I flew home from MX a couple days after surgery, and I was more than ok, I was great! Good luck to you on getting your surgery when you want, I know I would hate having to put it off any longer either.

:plane:

[longer-life 139]

A 4-5 star hotel might accommodate you and put in a tiny fridge for you or at a minimum they might let you use a fridge they have in an office somewhere. Speaking to a manager might be worth a try since you are staying for 2 full weeks and it's for medical reasons. Don't wait until you arrive though. Call as soon as your reservation is in their system. Best wishes!

[Rev Me Up! 75]

You should be OK, but you won't know what your eating habits will be until you get closer to that time. I was 100% eating solids by the 5 week mark, just very little of them. I have never really been into the Protein drinks, so that was never an issue for me. You will want to have some Snacks tucked into your purse at all times so you can have mini-meals during the day as needed. If there are cheese or deli meats served at Breakfast, bust out a zip-lock bag and save them for later in the day. If there are yogurt cups, tuck one into your bag. That will keep you from having any meal panic during the day.

Most of all - do not push yourself while on the trip. Drink a lot of fluids, don't forget to eat, and make sure you get plenty of rest. You may still have fatigue at 5 weeks (mine lasted more than 8 weeks).

Good luck - you can do it!

[LoserMama 37]

I haven't yet been sleeved, but as a person who has need accommodations for refrigeration for meds and breastmilk for many years, and I travel a lot, I have yet to have a hotel that wasn't able to accommodate my need for a fridge. So that part should be helpful.

Like you, i expect to be traveling within 3-4 weeks after surgery, so I am planning on ensuring I have a fridge and microwave in my room, and either using grocery delivery service to bring some basics to my hotel when I've arrived, pack a few non perishable things that can travel.

If you wanted, you could pack perishable stuff ina cooler with ice and put it through security too. I used to do this with breastmilk to get the milk I'd pumped home safely. You could do that with perishable foods as well, since it goes through security, they let it through.

looks like you could take Protein drinks on, too -- have a prescription for medical liquids if you wanted to bring RTD Protein Drinks, but I don't plan on trying it, too much hassle. (see in this PDF the bit about nutrition drinks) http://www.tsa.gov/assets/pdf/special_needs_memo.pdf

[OilSooner 23]

Thanks so much for all of the great advice! I'm now really thikning I should be okay, and am going to proceed with getting the surgery set up for the 12th. I am certainly going to call the hotel to get a fridge set up, and will also be bringing a tiny food processor (in factm talking to my wife about this last night, she said she already has one!).

Thanks again!

[Puja 148]

I hope it isn't too late to reply to this!

I had my surgery, and then traveled to India 4 weeks later. Granted, I'm not living out of a hotel, but I haven't had difficulties with food and drink. I assume you will still be within the US, and food options should be available to you all over. A good hotel will definitely accommodate you!

If you like, your doctor can write you a letter explaining why you may need liquids on the plane, or a special diet at your place of stay. By 4 weeks, you should be on cheeses, yogurt, Protein shakes, and lots of other foods that are easy to transport with you to a meeting.