Travelling on an 18 hr flight 6 weeks post op- anyone done it?

[Nicky6 9]

I was sleeved 3 years ago and lost in total about 30 kilos, however sleeve has stretched and am regaining weight all the time.

Ive got a date booked in for the 7th April to go from sleeve to bypass.

My question is how is the pain after this type of surgery?

I’m also booked on a long haul flight (18hrs) exactly 6 weeks after. Has anyone done this? We are already booked and can not be upgraded to business class etc. on top of the costs of my surgery.

How have people managed with food at this stage on the plane and will I still be on soft foods etc and do I have to be cautious of dumping?

Any advice would be appreciated!

[catwoman7 10,843]

no experience with this particular scenario; however, I just wanted to say that most RNY'ers do not dump, and if you're one of the ones who do, you can control it by limiting (or avoiding) sugar.

[JessLess 1,163]

19 minutes ago, Nicky6 said:

I was sleeved 3 years ago and lost in total about 30 kilos, however sleeve has stretched and am regaining weight all the time.

Ive got a date booked in for the 7th April to go from sleeve to bypass.

My question is how is the pain after this type of surgery?

I’m also booked on a long haul flight (18hrs) exactly 6 weeks after. Has anyone done this? We are already booked and can not be upgraded to business class etc. on top of the costs of my surgery.

How have people managed with food at this stage on the plane and will I still be on soft foods etc and do I have to be cautious of dumping?

Any advice would be appreciated!

What does your surgeon think?

[Nicky6 9]

He scheduled the surgery specifically so I would have the 6 week recovery period and knows I’m going overseas, he doesn’t have any concerns about me travelling it’s more me wondering about the comfort and being concerned as far as food goes and how I’ll manage that on the flight if I’m still on soft foods or even purées, I can’t remember where I was at 6 weeks in after my sleeve and not sure if bypass will be different.

Edited December 30, 2019 by Nicky6

[New&Improved 1,780]

6 weeks is fine as long as you'll have room in the seat ?

But you may need to get up and move around the plane at times;

you might even want to get a seat close to the toilet?

[Lynda486 783]

I agree that you should plan to get up and move frequently while in flight. You might call the airline and talk them about dietary issues. They usually are happy to accommodate a special diet. Hope you have a good trip!

[WOLVESFAN1 17]

I had revision from sleeve to RNY on 12/17/19. I flew back home on the 23rd. I was either in the air or waiting in the airport for over 7 hours. I had no problems what so ever. I was exhausted by the time we actually got home. It was a long day.

My biggest day of pain was the actual day of surgery. I had the surgery around 9AM and was up and walking later that afternoon. I was lucky in that I really had no gas pains and only took pain meds the first day. I was inpatient for 2 days and then discharged to a nearby hotel until we flew back home. I'm not a big fan of pain meds and I told my surgeon no need to write a prescription. I only took Tylenol as I needed it. I haven't taken anything since Christmas day. I'm not in any pain, but just feel uncomfortable in the tummy area.

Good news is no more Reflux. I'm allowed pureed food now and everything has been great with the exception of sugar free Popsicle and refried Beans. The fat free refried beans were the pits. They basically got stuck in my chest and hours after eating, I still feel uncomfortable. The doctor said that I would experience things like that and when I do I need to back away from that food and attempt to try it at a later date.

Good luck on your procedure. I'm sure you are going to do well!

[Nicky6 9]

On 12/31/2019 at 12:36 AM, Lynda486 said:

I agree that you should plan to get up and move frequently while in flight. You might call the airline and talk them about dietary issues. They usually are happy to accommodate a special diet. Hope you have a good trip!

Thanks, I’ll get in touch with them and see what they can offer 😊