Travelling to get DS Surgery

[SpaceNeedle 1]

Hi everyone, I am scheduling my DS surgery presently. I am revising my Sleeve to the DS. Being self pay, I needed to find the best price to help out. Here in Washington, it runs about 30/40K. I found that just outside Orlando I can get it done for about a third of the price. (not going to Mexico..had a bad experience already) I am very worried about the plane flight back right after surgery. Can't imagine needing to use the bathroom to poop on the plane. I would die of embarrassment I think. Please tell me your memories of right after your procedure etc. Also, will this surgery mean that I will need to be near a bathroom whenever I am out and about??? Thanks so much!

[Jeanniebug 461]

9 hours ago, SpaceNeedle said:

Hi everyone, I am scheduling my DS surgery presently. I am revising my Sleeve to the DS. Being self pay, I needed to find the best price to help out. Here in Washington, it runs about 30/40K. I found that just outside Orlando I can get it done for about a third of the price. (not going to Mexico..had a bad experience already) I am very worried about the plane flight back right after surgery. Can't imagine needing to use the bathroom to poop on the plane. I would die of embarrassment I think. Please tell me your memories of right after your procedure etc. Also, will this surgery mean that I will need to be near a bathroom whenever I am out and about??? Thanks so much!

Totally off topic, but you mentioned it. My sister just got back from Mexico. Poor thing had explosive bodily fluids - from both ends - the entire trip on the plane. She ended up getting E. Coli. She's better now, thanks be to God. But, I could really sympathize with her.

On topic. I would not want to fly, right after surgery. You are at a greater risk of pulmonary embolism, when you're on a plane. Have you checked out Blossom Bariatrics in Las Vegas? They're closer - so not as long of a flight.

[RickM 1,734]

I think that it partly depends upon how soon after surgery you are travelling, and then your individual experience with healing and recovery. Our surgeon had us stay in town for ten days, in order to have the first post op follow up visit in person, and then head home. That, and also just the basic conservatism of being local for the first few days as that is the time of greatest likelihood of complications needing rehospitalization (and with a DS, he doesn't want anyone else fooling around with your insides if something does need to be done, as uncommon as that may be.)

On bathroom issues, most any of us are subject to problems early on as our systems get used to the changes that were made (you may have run into some of them with your sleeve - Constipation being the most common, but it can go the other way too...... As you aren't eating much then, there is proportionately less coming out the other end, but again, the diet is different and your system may object, no matter which surgery you have. The DS is known for bathroom issues, but it overall isn't greatly different than what many RNY folks go through - it's just that many surgeons will emphasize it with the DS when they are trying to sell you on something else that they know how to do. The malabsorption will change things, and early on things may be more inconvenient or urgent until your diet gets squared away and you figure out what does and doesn't work for you. Up until Covid hit, we had a regular group support meeting that was primarily vets 10-20 years out that was a restaurant dinner event, and you wouldn't know that it was a group of primarily DSers in there (other than on average being more normal weight.)

[RickM 1,734]

2 hours ago, Jeanniebug said:

Totally off topic, but you mentioned it. My sister just got back from Mexico. Poor thing had explosive bodily fluids - from both ends - the entire trip on the plane. She ended up getting E. Coli. She's better now, thanks be to God. But, I could really sympathize with her.

On topic. I would not want to fly, right after surgery. You are at a greater risk of pulmonary embolism, when you're on a plane. Have you checked out Blossom Bariatrics in Las Vegas? They're closer - so not as long of a flight.

I doubt that Blossom does the DS, though we do generally hear decent things about them on the other procedures for those on a budget. She could also go to one of the DS guys in CA - Rabkin or Keshisian - but they will be in the same range as what she was quoted in WA, if not maybe a bit higher.

[NovaLuna 708]

I had the Loop DS (which is a little different) January 23 2020 (right before the Covid crap storm). From what I remember... I didn't poop a whole lot the first two or three weeks since I was on liquids and then puree and barely ate anything so from my own experience maybe your plane ride will be fairly normal. I did have overactive bowels once I hit stage 3, but hell, when I hit stage 4 I actually got Constipation issues (and then learned it was because I was taking too much Iron. Went from taking 3 multi's with iron to 2 and then finally down to 1 multi with iron. My family actually tends to hyper absorb iron and I forgot about that so... I actually don't need as much of it and still test in the normal range. Smack dab in the middle of normal at that).

They probably won't warn you, but there is the rare chance it'll happen to you too so... 1. I vomited old blood after my surgery. It hurt like hell, but only happened 4 times so... not too bad, I guess. And, 2. Any surgery with malabsorption has a 3% chance of you developing either a wheat allergy or Celiac Disease (I got the wheat allergy). Also, when you do get put onto general diet try to avoid fatty foods because they will likely cause stomach issues (at least they did to me earlier on. And still kinda do that to me now). And if you wait too long to eat your stomach may decide to empty everything in your bowels (I can't be the only one who had this surgery that this happens to. Also, I'm not joking). It's incredibly annoying, but if I have constipation issues I know how to solve it lol. Problem is though that you will be in and out of the bathroom for a few HOURS because your stomach will not settle and my surgeon warned not to take imodium because it can cause bowel blockage and with this surgery you REALLY don't want that. So you'd be stuck at home. Best thing to avoid this is have something like a granola bar next to your bed so you can eat if your stomach wakes you up (mine does. but I'm stupid and ignore it sometimes because I'm tired and I pay for it later... bright side, if you can call it that lol, is that after the day spent in the bathroom you'll drop 2-4 pounds and no, I'm not joking. You really go that much. Or I do, at least. TMI, sorry).

Also, regarding needing to be around a bathroom... not necessarily, but make sure you know where it IS. If you need to go then you will get a rumbling in your tummy and you will know when you need to rush to the bathroom. So make sure you do know where it is just in case. Also, the thing they say about never trusting a fart? Don't gamble because you might lose lol (I'd say 80% of the time it's an okay gamble, but the other 20% could be embarrassing if you were in public).

Again, sorry for the TMI, but I figure it's info that you'd probably need to know. I'm happy with the surgery I chose, btw and have no regrets (other than wishing I hadn't had to take a med for my Trigeminal Neuralgia that made me gain 18 pounds back and even if I lost half of that since I switched meds I still can't lose the other 9 pounds for the life of me. But really that's not the surgery's fault, it's just my stupid ass TN that decided it was going to crap on my happy parade and send me into absolute agony and force me to take meds that make me gain weight... and yes, I'm still upset about it since the flare is still going on 7 months later and even if it's mostly under control now it's a progressive disorder and I REALLY don't want to have brain surgery AGAIN! Sorry. Rant over).

Anyway, I wish you the best and hope everything goes well for you!

Edited November 7, 2022 by NovaLuna
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[Jeanniebug 461]

7 hours ago, RickM said:

I doubt that Blossom does the DS, though we do generally hear decent things about them on the other procedures for those on a budget. She could also go to one of the DS guys in CA - Rabkin or Keshisian - but they will be in the same range as what she was quoted in WA, if not maybe a bit higher.

I have no idea what Blossom does. I just remember hearing about them and thinking that it was interesting that they were in Vegas.

[Deb9838 0]

Just trying to help - I am lucky enough to live in Salt Lake City, where there are numerous bariatric surgeons, and for self-pay I recommend Dr. Daniel Cottam or any other doctor at Bariatric Medical Institute in Salt Lake City, because they have their own surgical center, so you end up paying less than if you were going to a hospital. They are across the street from a major hospital in the event of an emergency, but he has done thousands of successful surgeries, myself being one of them. My surgery in August 2021 was $15,000 total for both doctor and surgical center. You could drive to SLC from Oregon (or have someone drive you), so no airfare either. I did not need to be near a bathroom after going home for anything other than what would be considered normal.

[SpaceNeedle 1]

Thanks to all that answered and gave advice etc. I screwed up and said I was getting a DS when inn fact I am looking for the best price (self Pay) for a Sleeve to Bypass revision. I would very much appreciate everyone's knowledge and help if you know a good place with low prices for this surgery. The closer to the west coast as possible is best as I am in Seattle. Looking forward to hearing from this great forum community! Thank you all! David