Flight home 5 days after surgery

[TruNorth 1]

I am hoping someone can help me out. I am flying into San Diego from Toronto for Gastric Bypass surgery. I am being released from the hospital 2 days after surgery and I am trying to figure out how long I should stay in San Diego.

My Surgery is on the 4th of June I was thinking about leaving on the 9th but I have a four hour flight home. What is the recovery like and will it be possible for me to sit for four hours days after my surgery.

[ShoppGirl 5,072]

I would have been able to but I had very little pain or issues post op. Some people will say they couldn’t have because of pain or nausea, etc. i wonder if you can get something from the doctor to change your flight if you have any issues??

[Guest]

I think the answer is maybe. You really won't know until you know, everyone is different.

[Tomo 1,196]

I was able to sit up and be pretty much normal by the 3rd day but as others have noted, everybody is different. The pain I felt throughout the week was mostly incision pains which would've been doable for a 4 hour flight. The long walks at the airport though is something I would hesitate to do but then again the next morning after my surgery when I went home I had to walk a long way to get to our car (huge hospital and parking lot), and I was okay.

Good luck and congrats to your upcoming surgery.

[dasper 26]

I'm pretty sure I could've done the trip, But I would recommend using a belly band/abdominal binder, just Incase of getting bounced around with turbulence or something.

Sent from my SM-N986U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

[MistySkye 181]

I had sleeve and had surgery on a Monday, flew home Thursday. Over 4 hour flight. No issues.

[toodlerue 462]

I would not have been able to do that especially if I was by myself.
Most of my pain after abdominal surgery is the pain in the left shoulder from the gas used to inflate your stomach. Mine is always almost unbearable for 3 weeks after any surgery.
But every one is different so no one here really has the answer for you, we can just share our own experience with you.

[Smanky 757]

Yeah, I wouldn't have been able to, but I also had a hiatal hernia repair, so my post-op pain was pretty bad and lasted a good two weeks.

You might be fine though - it's definitely a case-by-case thing. I flew interstate a week after my gallbladder removal (not as intense a surgery admittedly) and the turbulence and landing was a bit unpleasant, but it was doable.

[Flab-U-Less Forever 140]

I second @toodlerue...I had bypass on March 3 and remember thinking to myself "thank god I didn't have to travel to get the surgery cuz I would not have been able to do the airport/plane". I also had a hiatal hernia repair which turned out to be quite large and cumbersome to fix. I was in a lot of pain post op for about a week and I have a high tolerance for pain. Everyone is different so unfortunately you won't really know till after the surgery. I assumed I would have minimal pain so I was quite surprised when it turned out differently.

[ShoppGirl 5,072]

I forgot to add that if you do decide to do the flight that early it may be helpful to arrange for a wheel chair to get through the airport. Depending on how big the airport is, of course but if it’s a lot of walking in a rush it may be better to be safe than sorry. You can always get up and walk around when you get to your terminal and have time.

[Vassarini 10]

I had GBS (and a hiatal hernia repair) on a Thursday and flew back home out of San Diego the following Sunday with a layover / flight change in Denver. I was nervous ahead of time but had no issues.

A few things that helped:

— I spoke discreetly to the gate attendants in San Diego and Denver, and they kindly allowed me to board early and take my time settling in. For my flight out of Denver, they even moved me closer to the front of the plane into a better seat.
—I arrived at the San Diego airport early and simply took my time strolling to the gate.

—The Denver airport is big, so I arranged for shuttle service between gates and was relieved I did so! Major airports offer this free of charge (though you should tip the driver).

—I didn’t request wheelchair service, but that’s also an option.

—A flight attendant kindly helped me hoist my carryon into the overhead since I boarded early for the first flight, and a fellow passenger helped get it down again. (I’m 5’3” so sometimes people kindly offer this, or you can wait and ask for assistance if you need it).

—The worst part for me was that I parked way out in the hinterlands at my home airport and hadn’t arranged for someone to pick me up. I had to rest a few times, then finally leave my luggage and drive back over to pick it up when I got to my car (not an issue as it was late/dark on a Sunday and my home airport is small, so no one was there to notice unattended luggage in remote parking) . In retrospect, having an airport pickup would have been much easier.

I hope this helps and good luck with your WLS and travel home!

[IsaacMoore 0]

I had a similar experience last year when I flew back after surgery. I was a bit worried about the long flight, but I opted for a First Class seat, which made a huge difference. It’s not about luxury, but the extra space and ability to adjust the seat really helped with comfort. I think staying in San Diego for a few extra days is a good idea—around 5 days sounds reasonable to me, as it gives you more time to heal before the flight. Affordable First Class Travel options are out there too, so you don’t necessarily have to break the bank for a more comfortable trip! The key is taking it easy and making sure you’re not overdoing it.

Edited December 23, 2024 by IsaacMoore

[ShoppGirl 5,072]

If you have someone to travel with you what about consider renting an RV?? Would for sure take longer but you could have a few places figured out to stop along the way and you could literally be in bed if you needed to be.