Long haul flight after surgery

[groovearmada 14]

Hi all,

Im a newbie here, have been reading for sometime and just wondering what your experiences are with flying afterwards?

Im thinking about going to Mexico (at the moment i am impressed with dr ramos kelly) however the journey home for me would involve a 4 hour flight to chicago then a 15 hour flight back to UAE. Is this a crazy idea?

Whats your experiences?

Thanks a lot,

groove

[Globetrotter 1,340]

I had my surgery on the West Coast and 3 weeks later I flew 22 hours. I wore compression stockings, never stopped moving my feet the entire time, and drank Protein Water constantly. I think it would be cheaper and more sensible for you to have surgery there in the UAE, I know that they are doing it now.

[groovearmada 14]

I had my surgery on the West Coast and 3 weeks later I flew 22 hours. I wore compression stockings, never stopped moving my feet the entire time, and drank Protein Water constantly. I think it would be cheaper and more sensible for you to have surgery there in the UAE, I know that they are doing it now.

Thanks for your reply Globetrotter.

Yes they are doing the surgery here, however, costs are double what i would pay in Mexico. The doctors that i have to choose from are limited and having already visited a few for consultations, was not impressed with "customer service" and general care available after.

3 weeks later is impossible for me and I would need to travel home a week max, after surgery.

Still in research mode so maybe I will find something better suited to me over here!

Thanks again for your input!

Groove

[Foxbins 625]

I think the potential problems with the long flights are dehydration and deep vein thrombosis. I felt fine to fly home on the 4th day after surgery so the surgical aftermath should be okay and it was a pretty short flight for me. Water should also be okay if you keep drinking during the flights. I would ask the surgeon's office for their advice about flying so long. I am sure they have experience with people coming from far away.

[Eloray 3]

It took me all day to come home, arrived at 11pm. The worst part for me was I was hungry that day. Not my tummy not even my head but the other symptoms that your body tells you that you are not eating enough. I yawned alot( low sugar), irratibility, headache. Anyway for me I needed to eat more broth that makes me feel like I had a meal and feel satisfy. On that day, day 5 protien Water was not cutting it. I would pack broth, protien powder for those days. Maybe do the shorter the one day and fly the other on the next day. It could be rough but probably doable. See if you can get a sleeping pill for the longer day flight and/or fly first class back. Good luck with the planning.

[Rootman 1,101]

It's tough. I flew home on day 4 and it was a miserable experience. I was fatigues beyond belief, sore and emotionally drained. Dealing with the aggravating security, far apart gates and less than helpful airport personnel is draining on ANYONE let alone a person recovering from surgery.

Some suggestions:

• Get some support stockings, this will help prevent DVT
• Get up and walk on the flight from time to time
• Have someone come with you for moral support and physical support should something start to go wrong.
• If they offer an upgrade to 1st class TAKE IT if you can afford it. The difference in room and comfort is AMAZING!
• Be sure to drink Water like mad in the dry airplane air
• You may have to make arrangements with the airline for nourishment during the long flight since you will be more than one day total traveling. With the TSA nonsense it will be difficult for you to take liquids aboard the plane.
• Arrange for wheelchair service at the airports. While it is good to walk the long distances and harried pace may be too much for you to maintain and make your connections.
• Try and stay in Mexico a few days longer than normal, even if it's just at a hotel. This will help you regain your strength before the long trek.

We all wish you well! Keep us posted.

[brazcan 37]

Hi

I am 5 days out from VSG with Dr. Kelly. I came from Toronto 8h flight and I would do it again to have my surgery with him in the Florence Hospital. I only have good things to say about the medical care and I have to tell you that I am hard to please when it comes to health care (would not do it in Canada for instance).

I had the same concerns about the flight back and after talking to my general doctor he just recommended a longer stay to give more time for the body to recover and to have easier access to care in case of any initial complication. He also recommended to break the lond trip in parts. It will make it longer but it will give you time to walk between conexions and to get help in case anything happens. I feel good but need to rest after a few hours so I think that breaking the trip in parts will give more comfort.

I added one more day in hospital (3 nights) and I felt that that was a very good decision. It did not increase the price much as I did not require more IVs or so. Then I satyed one night in Mexico. Today afternoon I will go to San Diego (30minutes + customs) and will stay one night there to take the flight to Toronto on saturday at noon. Each day I feel better so I think it was a good decision and it did not increase the price that much. If I had been direct, and only after 4 nights, I am sure I would be uncomfortable so with maybe $200 more I got 2 more nights and time to sleep and rest between trips. I asked the hotel to drop me in the check in area so I do not have to carry any weight.

The bad part is that I really miss my kids and I want to be with them in my home but I think we need this time just to rest, without any stress, giving time for our bodies to adjust.

Should you come to Mexico, Dr. Kelly is for sure an excellent choice and Trish will be your family, your gardian angel here. Do not setlle for a clinic just to have a better price. I have seen one of the clinics that other doctor works in and I would never have ad surgery there. The hospital is a must and the one Dr. Kelly works in is excellent with very caring nurses who are so patient even with crying babies like me. Trish will be with you 3 times per day and she takes care of you like a family (I came alone). You can contact me with any questions and i will be more than happy to answer.

take care

[Rootman 1,101]

Brazcan, the only advice I can give you is that returning to the US through customs usually takes 2 HOURS or more, mostly sitting in traffic in line for the customs check, which is 5-10 minutes. So plan accordingly.

[BlackBerryJuice 349]

I agree with Globetrotter in that it's best to try to find something close to home. There are quite a few European sleevers on this forum, I know there are people who've gotten sleeves in Spain and Czech republic, and I'm sure there's lots of options in the UK, as they have a major issue with obesity there, as well. I've heard lots about sleeves done in India, as well - not super-close, but still closer to you than Mexico. I mean, you are PROBABLY going to be ok, but it's one thing to have a medical emergency when flying over Europe where a plane can land practically anywhere and you can get medical care within half an hour and another to have a medical emergency over the Atlantic ocean - where it could take 5 hours for you to get help, at which point it may be too late.

[brazcan 37]

Thanks Rootman

The trip was smooth. We waited for about an hour as we were in some sort of fast track line. It was interesting to see how it works, all the people selling things... It is tiring anyways as I needed a bit of a rest when I came to the hotel. Today I am leaving to Toronto. I will bring pain meds just in case. I cant see the time to hug my kids again.

Take care.

Brazcan, the only advice I can give you is that returning to the US through customs usually takes 2 HOURS or more, mostly sitting in traffic in line for the customs check, which is 5-10 minutes. So plan accordingly.

[groovearmada 14]

Glad everything going ok bracan, i will be looking out to see how your flight back to canada goes.

Safe journey.

Groove

[brazcan 37]

Just an update on the long haul question. Please see my post above to understand this.

I ended up missing my flight on the 12/02, at 1pm. Next flight was at 22:30 (4.5h to Washington + 2 hours wait + 1 hour to Toronto) . I had to stay in the airport all day and then took this flight. Apart from the boredom and normal fatigue that anyone would have in similar circunstances, I was just fine. No additional symptoms. I tried to walk in the airport every hour fro 15 minutes. I "walked in place" by my seat in the place twice for 15 minutes to prevent blood cloth as i did not a compression stocking. I brought some chicken broth, juice, Water, pain med (just in case), gasex. Everything was fine. I was in my day 5 after surgery. I made sure I had a good rest/sleep after getting home but I was absolutely fine during the whole time.

[groovearmada 14]

Just an update on the long haul question. Please see my post above to understand this.

I ended up missing my flight on the 12/02, at 1pm. Next flight was at 22:30 (4.5h to Washington + 2 hours wait + 1 hour to Toronto) . I had to stay in the airport all day and then took this flight. Apart from the boredom and normal fatigue that anyone would have in similar circunstances, I was just fine. No additional symptoms. I tried to walk in the airport every hour fro 15 minutes. I "walked in place" by my seat in the place twice for 15 minutes to prevent blood cloth as i did not a compression stocking. I brought some chicken broth, juice, Water, pain med (just in case), gasex. Everything was fine. I was in my day 5 after surgery. I made sure I had a good rest/sleep after getting home but I was absolutely fine during the whole time.

Hello!

That is fantastic, so pleased everything went well! Did they give you good aftercare advice? Do you have a doctor at home to check up with?

[emilygrace 5]

That's a lot different than a long haul flight. I flew back from Australia to the US (~22hrs flight time) 3 weeks postop and that was pushing what my doctor wanted me to do, but I had to get back to work.

They did thrombosis testing to check if I was prone to clots, I took aspirin, wore compression stockings, drank a lot of Water and walked as much as possible. I also travelled business class.

[brazcan 37]

Hello!

That is fantastic, so pleased everything went well! Did they give you good aftercare advice? Do you have a doctor at home to check up with?

I got all the post-op info in writing and info on signs of serious complications (Tachicardia? Very low blood pressure? Rush to ER). My family doctor agreed to see me at 1 week and run some tests at 1, 3, 6, 12 months but if the tests show anything wrong I will not be able to go back to Mexico and will have to be seen here. Thanks