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?

I also bring ziplock bags of varying sizes. The snack size are perfect for packing Protein powder and nuts. The quart size are great for left overs to munch on cold, and the gallon size are great for things that get messy and you don't want them ruining your stuff.

@@Athenyx I'll be taking a couple of days for myself. I like driving around and being alone. It gives me time to think and explore at my own pace. If I feel like hitting a flea market or staying all day in a museum, I can in peace.

@@summerebanks It's your group, you can set it up however you like. I just want to make sure that @@Athenyx knows that her friends will see that she belongs to a "Bariatric Surgeries 2016" FB group if it's not "secret". Not everyone wants that info on FB.

@@summerebanks It's your group, you can set it up however you like. I just want to make sure that @@Athenyx knows that her friends will see that she belongs to a "Bariatric Surgeries 2016" FB group if it's not "secret". Not everyone wants that info on FB.

I agree. One of the reasons I participate in BariatricPal so frequently is because it is anonymous AND is not tied to Facebook.

This is something we should all be mindful of.

In addition, remember that anything you post here or elsewhere can be searchable, so please don't post private information (like email addresses and phone numbers) online. I see too many people do this and don't think they realize how vulnerable they are.

I searched that group and was able to see everyone's full names. See pic. (Redacted for privacy, of course)

If it's a private (rather than just closed) you will have to invite people, but members will only be visible to other members. If people can ask to join it's not going to be private for members because it has to be searchable and seen by the public to request to join

I also bring ziplock bags of varying sizes. The snack size are perfect for packing Protein powder and nuts. The quart size are great for left overs to munch on cold, and the gallon size are great for things that get messy and you don't want them ruining your stuff.

@@Athenyx I'll be taking a couple of days for myself. I like driving around and being alone. It gives me time to think and explore at my own pace. If I feel like hitting a flea market or staying all day in a museum, I can in peace.

I'll be hitting walmart for supplies as soon as I get the car

That's exactly how I feel! If I waited around for my friends to get themselves together for this kind of trip I'd probably never go - better to go on my own than not go at all, and then I can just do whatever I feel like.

@@summerebanks It's your group, you can set it up however you like. I just want to make sure that @@Athenyx knows that her friends will see that she belongs to a "Bariatric Surgeries 2016" FB group if it's not "secret". Not everyone wants that info on FB.

I agree. One of the reasons I participate in BariatricPal so frequently is because it is anonymous AND is not tied to Facebook.

This is something we should all be mindful of.

In addition, remember that anything you post here or elsewhere can be searchable, so please don't post private information (like email addresses and phone numbers) online. I see too many people do this and don't think they realize how vulnerable they are.

I agree completely! I quit FB a few years ago because I didn't want to be "tracked" by others.

I definitely don't want people knowing my business unless I choose to tell them

Measuring cups and measuring spoons! And a small food scale so you are always aware of how much you are eating.

Measuring cups and measuring spoons! And a small food scale so you are always aware of how much you are eating.

I don't have the room to pack that stuff [emoji20] But, thankfully, I eat such small portions I'm kind of getting used to knowing what portion size to make my meal (basically, smaller than child size, lol) [emoji1] I'm actually struggling to eat more than two small meals a day at the minute - I had a little porridge and fruit this morning, which was my first breakfast of the week - so I'm getting there!

Be sure and get up and walk for circulation too. Flying causes dvts

Awesome!

I want the crazy collapsible measuring cups they have at target so i can bring them to work

@@Athenyx,

Long flights are hard!

One thing you can do in addition to walking around is to fidget. Kick your legs back and forth, do ankle circles, lift your legs up and down in your seat. It’s annoying to have to remember to do that – at least, I know sometimes I get lazy on the plane – but you’ll feel better after the flight. You can even set a timer to remind yourself every half hour or so.

Drink plenty of water! Flights are super dehydrating. Figure out what you would normally drink if you were on the ground, and drink extra Fluid on top of that.

With food, decide beforehand what you will eat, and take it with you. You don’t want to depend on airport or airplane food, especially if you’re worried about stomach trouble. If you do end up depending on airport food, there are usually some decent options. Even McDonald’s and Starbucks have things you can eat, like grilled chicken and oatmeal and fruit bowls and eggs.

I would also suggest doing what you can to get plenty of rest in the days before the flight. The stronger you are going into it, the better you’ll do.

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice

I had a little scrambled egg and orange juice at the hotel and I'm just on my way to the terminal now - wish me luck!

Hope you have a great flight! Enjoy your trip