I'm six and a half weeks post op and about to go travelling in the US for three months (I'm from the UK), and first up is my nearly ten hour flight to Seattle from London. I still get pretty uncomfortable sitting in the same position for more than a few hours (say, when driving or as a passenger), it usually feels like someone's kicked my left ribs, so I've bought a lumbar support cushion to help me change my position, and I'll have to get up and take a few little walks around - hopefully without driving whoever is sitting next to me absolutely bonkers.

It doesn't happen very often, but I'm paranoid I might get an upset stomach on the flight, and I've already picked my meal (healthy meal option) so I'm seriously hoping this doesn't happen!

But I was wondering if anyone had done anything similar and had some tips as to how to make the journey more comfortable/stress free?

Choose an aisle seat so you can get up/move around easily. Check seat guru if you want to know which seats are best and how wide your seat will be on the plane so you know what to expect. If your worried about getting an upset stomach take some medication with you to take in case it happens (immodium etc).

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Thanks for replying

I've already chosen a window seat as I hate aisle seats - I'm tall so something always gets knocked - my elbow, my foot, my knee - depending on how I'm sitting. I was savvy and booked premium economy so I have extra leg room and a bigger seat, though I sit fine in normal seats really.

I wasn't sure if it was okay to be taking things like immodium, but if others are and it's fine then i'll get some from the airport - thanks for the heads up!

It would be a good idea to talk with your surgeon about your travel plans. He or she might have some suggestions about what meds to take as well as thoughts on preventing blood clots. Definitely plan to get up and walk frequently. I also know that some people who travel long distances wear compression hose or similar.

Stay hydrated, too. Planes can really dry you out. Water and tomato juice/V8 are good choices from drink service.

I just took a quick trip for a medical conference over the weekend.

I took a shaker bottle and powdered Protein with. I bought the individual packets because I didn't want security having an issue if I had the powder just in a ziploc bag.

I also noticed the airport food = carbs!

I went to a bakery/ deli place in airport and had a tuna sandwich minus the bread. That one scoop of tuna was more than enough to fill me up!

Good luck and don't forget a Water bottle to refill !

I love that - tuna sandwich minus the bread

I'm lucky in that Heathrow has a lot of choices for food, but I don't think I'll eat before I fly, just get a coffee and have my meal on the plane - it's white fish and veg. BA allow you to order your meal in advance, thankfully! I think you can have cheese and crackers as a snack later as well.

But you're right - I need to get myself a good water bottle. Protein powders are a no go for me - they taste strange and I can't force myself to drink them.

What Protein Powder brands have you tried? I use the protein works.com and have found their's lovely, but I've others and they were pretty gross. I want to say that you may find Soup or no-carby options in Pret, but they obviously have lots of deliciously tempting carby stuff too. You can get breakfasts and things which would include eggs, Beans, bacon etc (just ask for no bread/potatoes). I don't eat plane food if I can help it, so I try and get something in beforehand where I can.

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Choose an aisle seat so you can get up/move around easily. Check seat guru if you want to know which seats are best and how wide your seat will be on the plane so you know what to expect. If your worried about getting an upset stomach take some medication with you to take in case it happens (immodium etc).

Sent from my SM-G900H using the BariatricPal App

Thanks for replying

I've already chosen a window seat as I hate aisle seats - I'm tall so something always gets knocked - my elbow, my foot, my knee - depending on how I'm sitting. I was savvy and booked premium economy so I have extra leg room and a bigger seat, though I sit fine in normal seats really.

I wasn't sure if it was okay to be taking things like immodium, but if others are and it's fine then i'll get some from the airport - thanks for the heads up!

It would be a good idea to talk with your surgeon about your travel plans. He or she might have some suggestions about what meds to take as well as thoughts on preventing blood clots. Definitely plan to get up and walk frequently. I also know that some people who travel long distances wear compression hose or similar.

Stay hydrated, too. Planes can really dry you out. Water and tomato juice/V8 are good choices from drink service.

I agree with the tomato juice! I had that on each of my flights and it's not sugary like other juices and it has some substance so it sticks in my little vanilla bean of a sleeve for a bit and makes me feel satisfied.

I just took a quick trip for a medical conference over the weekend.

I took a shaker bottle and powdered Protein with. I bought the individual packets because I didn't want security having an issue if I had the powder just in a ziploc bag.

I also noticed the airport food = carbs!

I went to a bakery/ deli place in airport and had a tuna sandwich minus the bread. That one scoop of tuna was more than enough to fill me up!

Good luck and don't forget a Water bottle to refill !

I love that - tuna sandwich minus the bread

I'm lucky in that Heathrow has a lot of choices for food, but I don't think I'll eat before I fly, just get a coffee and have my meal on the plane - it's white fish and veg. BA allow you to order your meal in advance, thankfully! I think you can have cheese and crackers as a snack later as well.

But you're right - I need to get myself a good water bottle. Protein powders are a no go for me - they taste strange and I can't force myself to drink them.

BA is fabulous! It also sounds like you made a great meal choice.

What cities are you visiting in the states?

Oh and another great option I had while away was tuna tartare and sashimi!

I can usually always find a sushi place in airports.

I flew to Arizona and there were no good options at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, at least not in my terminal ....

Choose an aisle seat so you can get up/move around easily. Check seat guru if you want to know which seats are best and how wide your seat will be on the plane so you know what to expect. If your worried about getting an upset stomach take some medication with you to take in case it happens (immodium etc).

Sent from my SM-G900H using the BariatricPal App

Thanks for replying

I've already chosen a window seat as I hate aisle seats - I'm tall so something always gets knocked - my elbow, my foot, my knee - depending on how I'm sitting. I was savvy and booked premium economy so I have extra leg room and a bigger seat, though I sit fine in normal seats really.

I wasn't sure if it was okay to be taking things like immodium, but if others are and it's fine then i'll get some from the airport - thanks for the heads up!

It would be a good idea to talk with your surgeon about your travel plans. He or she might have some suggestions about what meds to take as well as thoughts on preventing blood clots. Definitely plan to get up and walk frequently. I also know that some people who travel long distances wear compression hose or similar.

Stay hydrated, too. Planes can really dry you out. Water and tomato juice/V8 are good choices from drink service.

My surgeon definitely knows I'm going, he's known I've been set on going travelling since before the surgery because it was part of the reason he told me not to get a band, but he's not told me to do anything special. I think I'll just make sure I get up enough, like you said, every few hours I'll take a walk

Hydration is key! But not the tomato juice - I'm picky about drinks (not so much about food) and I can't stand it. I'll probably ask for lots tea...I love tea, and some water and orange juice to mix in with my water I think!

I just took a quick trip for a medical conference over the weekend.

I took a shaker bottle and powdered Protein with. I bought the individual packets because I didn't want security having an issue if I had the powder just in a ziploc bag.

I also noticed the airport food = carbs!

I went to a bakery/ deli place in airport and had a tuna sandwich minus the bread. That one scoop of tuna was more than enough to fill me up!

Good luck and don't forget a Water bottle to refill !

I love that - tuna sandwich minus the bread

I'm lucky in that Heathrow has a lot of choices for food, but I don't think I'll eat before I fly, just get a coffee and have my meal on the plane - it's white fish and veg. BA allow you to order your meal in advance, thankfully! I think you can have cheese and crackers as a snack later as well.

But you're right - I need to get myself a good water bottle. Protein powders are a no go for me - they taste strange and I can't force myself to drink them.

What Protein Powder brands have you tried? I use the protein works.com and have found their's lovely, but I've others and they were pretty gross. I want to say that you may find Soup or no-carby options in Pret, but they obviously have lots of deliciously tempting carby stuff too. You can get breakfasts and things which would include eggs, Beans, bacon etc (just ask for no bread/potatoes). I don't eat plane food if I can help it, so I try and get something in beforehand where I can.

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I got a few different ones from myprotein.com and my brother has some he uses for his marines training. I can just taste the fakeness of it, don't ask me how, lol. I'm fussy about what I drink so I have to try and find ways around things, but my doctors not actually told me to take extra protein or drink Protein shakes so I've been alright so far - I'm just supposed to have three kids/starter size meals a day - healthy and protein heavy.

Yeah, Pret usually have good options - so do Boots, so I might get some fruit or veg Snacks from there before the flight. I've realised I actually have Breakfast included in my airport hotel stay so I'll see if there's anything good there first. I quite like plane meals BA give you nice food in premium economy so I'll definitely have that for my lunch/dinner (that's gonna get confusing!)

I just took a quick trip for a medical conference over the weekend.

I took a shaker bottle and powdered Protein with. I bought the individual packets because I didn't want security having an issue if I had the powder just in a ziploc bag.

I also noticed the airport food = carbs!

I went to a bakery/ deli place in airport and had a tuna sandwich minus the bread. That one scoop of tuna was more than enough to fill me up!

Good luck and don't forget a Water bottle to refill !

I love that - tuna sandwich minus the bread

I'm lucky in that Heathrow has a lot of choices for food, but I don't think I'll eat before I fly, just get a coffee and have my meal on the plane - it's white fish and veg. BA allow you to order your meal in advance, thankfully! I think you can have cheese and crackers as a snack later as well.

But you're right - I need to get myself a good water bottle. Protein powders are a no go for me - they taste strange and I can't force myself to drink them.

BA is fabulous! It also sounds like you made a great meal choice.

What cities are you visiting in the states?

I'm flying into Sea Tac, spending a week in Seattle, and then hiring a car for ten weeks and making my way through Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho - then I have a week in Vancouver before flying home it's a pretty huge undertaking, but I've spaced myself out loads, I'm a confident driver and traveller (I spent four months all up and down the East Coast a few years ago), and I've been meaning to do this for...forever! I'm mostly staying in Airbnb places so I have a kitchen and can control my meals, and also either with a pool or near one, so I can get my laps in!

Oh and another great option I had while away was tuna tartare and sashimi!

I can usually always find a sushi place in airports.

I flew to Arizona and there were no good options at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, at least not in my terminal ....

Sushi is great - I love sushi. Definitely an option

@@Athenyx I flew from NY to Beijing via San Francisco 8 weeks after my sleeve surgery with my mom and sister who only knew I had my hernia repaired. I wore compression hose, and tried to get up at least every couple of hours. I also did some leg excercises in my seat. Per my surgeon, I also took a coated aspirin tablet.

As for food, I packed Protein shakes, Protein Bars, nuts and GenPro-unflavored protein powder that I could add to any drink. One tablespoon has 30 grams of protein. Although I suggest unless it is a thicker type of food/drink, to only use a teaspoon at a time.

I also bring an empty Water bottle, I have a Brita one with a filter, you can get water from the drinking fountains, soda machines or some airports have the filtered water bottle fillers. My last trip I was able to fill it a few times as the flight attendants came by with water, so I was good between flights.

Good luck with your trip. I'm going to AZ next month for a few weeks to visit friends and do some exploring. I love to just drive and find new places...

@@Athenyx I flew from NY to Beijing via San Francisco 8 weeks after my sleeve surgery with my mom and sister who only knew I had my hernia repaired. I wore compression hose, and tried to get up at least every couple of hours. I also did some leg excercises in my seat. Per my surgeon, I also took a coated aspirin tablet.

As for food, I packed Protein shakes, protein bars, nuts and GenPro-unflavored protein powder that I could add to any drink. One tablespoon has 30 grams of protein. Although I suggest unless it is a thicker type of food/drink, to only use a teaspoon at a time.

I also bring an empty Water bottle, I have a Brita one with a filter, you can get water from the drinking fountains, soda machines or some airports have the filtered water bottle fillers. My last trip I was able to fill it a few times as the flight attendants came by with water, so I was good between flights.

Good luck with your trip. I'm going to AZ next month for a few weeks to visit friends and do some exploring. I love to just drive and find new places...

Thank you for the advice

I'm visiting a friend when I'm in Arizona too! I'm challenging myself to basically be alone for three months - I've done it before, but that time I used public transport to get everywhere and only drove tiny little bits - now it'll be just me and the open road - eek.

No worries. Closed groups do not show up on your page so no one should know, but if you don't feel comfortable even with that I understand.

Best of luck with your surgery! I'm coming out to London next month the week before my surgery so it should be 'fun' doing a liquid diet while traveling for work!

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I've never joined a closed group so I thought it would show up on my profile - I don't mind joining if that's the case then. Though, I can't find a group titled 'Bariatric Surgeries 2016' on there, lol.

Do you have to do a liquid diet before surgery? I just had a healthy Protein diet for two weeks pre-op so I wasn't very inconvenienced - it was afterwards that was a bugger, but I mostly stayed at home for those two weeks!

You'll want to make sure it's a "secret" group, not just "closed". See screenshot

As for your flight, looks like you've gotten some great advice. Have an awesome trip!

Thank you!! [emoji1][emoji1]

The one thing I wish I had on my weekend trip was a small collapsible Tupperware container.

Every morning I had a egg and chorizo burrito minus the tortilla and was not able to finish it of course and wish I had a small container to keep the leftovers for later.

I know this site has them in the Bariatric pal store.

I'm with you there - I've packed some little Tupperware boxes and a mini cooler for on the road [emoji1]

I'd like people to be able to join it without me having to invite them.

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