Traveling with the Lap Band?

[PuraVida37 715]

I have been asked to chaperone a school trip abroad next year and want to know if I will be ok with my lap band. If you have experience with any of the following, please chime in!!

The flight will be about 8 hours, the whole trip will be 9 days in Europe. I am concerned that stress plus the flight will make me tighter and I'll end up in the ER again. But I don't want to have an unfill if I can help it (I had a major unfill and it's been a hard time in trying to get back to the green zone). No one knows I have my band, and I would like to keep it that way. I am also concerned about meals while traveling.

Any comments?

[Mikee57 699]

I haven't travelled abroad with my band so I am not sure what the flight will do to you, maybe that's a good question for your surgeon or his staff. as far as the foods go...I have been to many countries and I know just thinking back on those trips that there was plenty that I could eat to keep me well within my food choices. Europeans do eat alot of bread, so you might wish to skip that...but they have alot of meat choices and wonderful vegetables. enjoy your trip, but check with the doctor to see if there is any concerns you need to be made aware of while you are outside of the country!!! Have fun PuraVida37...have fun!!!

[enjoythetime 1,457]

I absolutely understand the stress of flying!!! I haven't made that big of a trip uet(8 hours) BUT when I have flown I haven't had any problems with my band. I talked with my surgeon before my first trip and they said if you can don't eat or drink much of anything about 1 hour before because the change in altitude could cause the band to get tight. They advised me to do the same thing, not to eat or drink anything for an hour after landing. She said some people experience this but not many but just to error on the side of caution since it was my first flight since surgery and from there I should be able to gauge how my body will handle it. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary and since then have flown 3 more times with no problems. I do hold off on drinking anything too close to take off but will have a drink on the plane and have been able to eat and drink fine afterwards. Again, evryone is difference and this is just my experience. Have a fun time on your trip!!!! You will do just fine!

[Jack 855]

I can't address the flight questions as I quit flying 25 years ago. However, "eating in a foreign land" I can comment upon, as I took a 15 day coast-to-coast road trip from Portland Oregon to S. Florida, and was subject to many abnormal stresses.

I adapted the basic Bandster Lifestyle to the circumstances, and had no issues arise that were troubling....well....other than trying to figure out why the boiled peanuts I got never seemed to live up to the promise of joy and amazement their fans promised I'd enjoy.

Eating unusual foods in unusual places isn't all that difficult if you keep your discipline and your basic Bandster habits.

[NJDad 173]

I travel often. In fact, I am writing this on my ipad in an airline club lounge in Minneapolis. I spent a little over a week in Poland and Germany last month. I actually found it easier to not overeat in Europe compared to over here.

In Europe, the portion sizes in most restaurants are smaller than American restaurants. I found that if I stuck with the basics, I did just fine. I always carry my powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Protein in the single serving packs, so I was set with my daily Protein shakes. Drink lots of bottled Water, every chance you can.......water is always good for you anyway. The individual packets are bit more expensive than the big canister....but much easier to travel with.

Breakfast in my hotels were buffet style. Lots of breads and cold cuts.....I would avoid those. I stuck to the "American breakfast" of scrambled eggs and a little bacon every morning.

I also found that most European cities are centered around the town center. My hotels were not far from these centers. In my past visits to these cities, I would have driven downtown to find a restaurant for dinner. I found myself walking each night. The cities are just made for pedestrians. The walking was good exercise, and I got to see parts of town that I normally missed from the cars.

As for the flights.....I was lucky, I fly business class, so the food wasn't that bad. I picked the chicken dish on all the flights, scraped off whatever fancy coating they put on it and cut it into my normal tiny bites. I bought a bottle of Water before each flight and drank that plus whatever water I got from the airline too. I was never hungry on the plane. I never felt uncomfortable with my band either.

If imam answer any other specific questions, feel free to ask away. I was banded just short of a year ago and have over 100,000 miles on this sucker.......so I can probably address most of your concerns.

[Frequentfliermom 6]

I fly quite a bit and have had no problems with band tightening.

[Yadiordz 346]

I flight in april 4 1/2 hours and no issues at all.