How Long After Surgery for International Travel

[Gundy 139]

Hi!

Just curious how long it takes after surgery before you can safely travel internationally for a short trip? I’m having the sleeve surgery May 14 and wondering if I could travel to Spain for 5 days for a conference starting June 1.

Thanks!

[aNYCdb 310]

I think the general rule is 6-8 weeks due to the risk of blood clots, but talk to your surgeon about what they recommend and if there is something that can be done to mitigate the risk (blood thinners, wearing those inflatable boots, etc).

[ready4change88 40]

I was sleeved feb 28th and I traveled out the country April 5th and I was fine but check with the doctor to be sure

[nycgirl18 25]

Hi!
Just curious how long it takes after surgery before you can safely travel internationally for a short trip? I’m having the sleeve surgery May 14 and wondering if I could travel to Spain for 5 days for a conference starting June 1.
Thanks!

Shoot good question. I had RNY on April 3rd and have a trip to Vegas at the end of May (half work half play) and then a work trip to India at the beginning of July. That’s 7 weeks out for Vegas and just over 4 months for India so I think I’ll be okay?

[sideeye 1,440]

I scheduled my surgery for the window when I could ensure no international travel for 8 weeks. I'm on week 6 now and I'm really glad I didn't try to cut it closer - I went to the Midwest last week for a few days and honestly it's rough to line up the right foods when you're traveling. I'd packed cheese sticks and hummus and some other easily-transportable stuff, but at one point I had to eat in a canteen and even though I got a lentil burger to nibble on (it was the best choice available) it turned out the cook put some weird sort of oil on it to cook it and it made me feel weird all afternoon. Travel is not when you want to be doing food trial-and-error, especially with the side-effects the sleeve can have.

It's not the risks of the flight I'd worry about, it's the difficulty sourcing the right amounts of the right foods at the right times that gets a little nuts. Eight weeks feels about right to me and that's what my surgeon indicated was the best timing; you've had a few weeks of trialing real foods so if you suddenly find yourself stranded in a foreign supermarket, you'll at least have a chance of picking out the right stuff.

Edited April 14, 2018 by sideeye

[sillykitty 10,774]

I think that is cutting it a little close, but I would have been able to do it, if I absolutely had to. I started traveling domestically for work in week 3 post op. I would suggest packing your Protein Shakes, either powder or premade and taking it with you. When you're traveling for work it's not always easy to get to a store, much less finding the right items in a foreign country.

[elcee 3,341]

I see my surgeon in 3 weeks at which point I am hoping he will give me the go ahead for a revision from band to RNY.

I am hoping I can still get a date this year as my 25th anniversary is mid Feb and hubby and I are wanting to go on a short trip, preferably somewhere warm with sea and sand. I want to be far enough out from surgery that I can eat "regular" food ( as opposed to still being in the soft or puree stages and also don't want to have any other issues.

What are the general recommendations for international travel after bariatric surgery?

[bettie.blue 50]

@sideeye is right, I would worry more about sourcing the right foods on the go. Depending on where you go, there may be a significant difference in what methods, ingredients, conditions are used to prepare food.

[Cala B. 39]

On ‎10‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 5:55 PM, elcee said:

I see my surgeon in 3 weeks at which point I am hoping he will give me the go ahead for a revision from band to RNY.

I am hoping I can still get a date this year as my 25th anniversary is mid Feb and hubby and I are wanting to go on a short trip, preferably somewhere warm with sea and sand. I want to be far enough out from surgery that I can eat "regular" food ( as opposed to still being in the soft or puree stages and also don't want to have any other issues.

What are the general recommendations for international travel after bariatric surgery?

I would highly recommend a cruise, there are always a lot of food choices so you wouldn't have a problem finding something appropriate.