In preparation for having the sleeve surgery, I have completed everything except my appt. with the surgical dietitian and that appt. is next week. At this point, I do not know if I will be required to have a second appt. with her. Once she clears me, then paperwork will be sent to insurance for pre-approval. It is conceivable that I could have a surgery date as early as Sept./Oct.

My question for this group is about when would be the best time to take a cruise. My husband and I are considering taking a 14 day cruise later this year (Dec.) or early next year (Jan., Feb., Mar.). For the special rates being offered, reservations have to be made by Aug. 30th. Since I don't know what to expect following surgery, and knowing that cruising isn't all about just the food, I'm wondering if it would be better to cruise first and have surgery afterwards. From a time off perspective I would have to work a few weeks between the two before/or after having the surgery. If I had the surgery in Sept./Oct., do you think I'd feel well enough that I could truly enjoy the cruise, and the food, but just in considerably smaller portions? Has anyone been down this road, or a similar one?

Thanks for any and all suggestions and wisdom!

I had the same thing going on before my surgery I ended up going before hand like 3 weeks before, I'm so glad I did looking back now its no way I would have wanted to be on a cruise no sooner than 3 months after, hope this helps.

Hi. I had the same issue. We have been planning on taking our daughter on a cruise for her graduation gift. I chose to wait. I thought, ok, I will be lighter, feeling better about myself, healthier, stronger. Sure, I won't be able to dive into those big lush meals like I would have before, BUT, I can enjoy them a little at a time. I will be going when I am, 3 months and 3 weeks out. I will be going when I am around 60lbs or more lighter. I am soooo excited. No worries about anything!

I hope you figure out what will make you happy and do it. Enjoy it either way!

i went to mexico one month before surgery and definitely thought i made the right choice. however, i'm 6 weeks out now and i'd be perfectly content going on a cruise or other vacation spot. yes, my food intake is completely different, but i feel great and would have no issue with it. of course, everyone is different, but if you allot yourself at least a month or two in between, i would think you'd be ok. GOOD LUCK!

I will be 6 weeks post op on Saturday and leave Sunday on a 7 day cruise. As far as food I'm going to stick with soft foods for that week. But my physical activities will be limited....everything I want to do somehow uses my core.

I chose to have the surgery prior to the cruise because I was so ready to get started on the new me. I'll be hitting re ocean 35lbs lighter

We just postponed a European / transatlantic cruise that would have started 10 weeks after my surgery. (Scheduling surgery has taken so much longer than I had anticipated it would take -- Ay, caramba!)

My main concerns were: (1) not knowing how fast I will recover -- there are no guarantees about that and (2) I'm not thrilled about being out on the Atlantic for 8 days with no medical evacuation possibilities only three months after major surgery.

Yes, I am being conservative. But I also want to get used to my sleeve and make really sure my first six months are super-effective.

Edited August 6, 201411 yr by VSGAnn2014

I'm 3 months post-op and my life is pretty normal, except for food. I still don't tolerate eating out well or even really want to eat most of the time. I usually just stick with shakes. Overall, it's not a huge issue.. but meals can be stressful at times. My SO still hasn't adjusted to the fact that I can't eat with him like I used to. He feels awkward, like I'm just sitting there watching him eat. It doesn't bother me too much, I can still enjoy the time spent together.. but I understand how it would feel weird if it were the other way around.

Everybody's experience after surgery is different.. so you might be able to tolerate eating out, but you might not. You'll be able to enjoy everything else, but there's no way to say for sure about the food. Personally, if it were me scheduling things knowing what I know now.. I would do surgery as early as possible and the cruise as late as possible.

I am not sure if I would want to be post op. Im considering an all inclusive in Cancun. In a year. Thinner.

I had my surgery in May (10 years ago) and went on a cruise in November (the same year as my surgery) it was fine for me. I felt great, had lots of energy and managed to lose another 4 pounds while on the cruise....(the things you remember)!

I talked with my surgeon about this before my surgery because I have a trip scheduled to Belize starting Saturday (Woot for vacations!). He said I would be fine to do that at 8 weeks out and I'm feeling like a million bucks, so I'm planning to go river tubing, zip lining and do all kinds of physical things with the kids.

I was worried about what would happen if I had complications but I decided just to go for it and I'm happy I did. Being on the beach we'll have lots of seafood choices that should fit into the meal plan but I am taking some of the nectar shakes you can mix with Water just in case I have trouble getting in the Protein.

Thank you all for your input and suggestions. I think I'm leaning toward cruising first and surgery after. I've waited this long for the surgery, another few months won't hurt. I'm currently doing Protein shakes for Breakfast and lunch, Mon-Fri, and a couple of shakes over the weekend with a regular dinner at night. I've been losing weight, but very slowly, in preparation for surgery (my idea at this point). I have an appointment with the surgical dietitian next Friday and will get more info and have more questions answered. I'm slowly getting to where I'm looking forward to having the surgery, but it still seems like such an extreme route to lose weight; although my PCP and cardiologist (who have nothing to gain by making the recommendation for surgery) both feel this is the best option for me in order to lose the amount of weight necessary to greatly improve my health. Of course, my surgeon concurs although he would prefer I have the R-N-Y rather than sleeve, but the sleeve makes the most sense to me.

Anyway, thanks again for your comments!! I'll keep you posted on how it all comes out.

UPDATE: So, my health benefits will be changing in 2015 significantly enough that I moved my surgery date to December 8th, which is when hubby and I were supposed to be on our cruise. Early last week we had already started talking about possibly canceling our cruise plans due to health concerns and travel so when I learn of one particular change to our benefits, I decided I'd use that time off for the surgery instead. I am hoping there will be a cancellation on 12/1 or 11/24 so that I can be back to work prior to the Christmas holiday so as to not mess up any plans my co-workers/peers may have. I was planning to be off for 3 weeks. I would like to ask any prayer warriors out there to pray that I can get the surgery done sooner rather than later (11/24 or 12/1). My surgeon only does surgeries on Mondays and limits his cases to 3. I told his scheduling nurse that I would be checking with her periodically for any cancellations. Thanks y'all!!!