Advice for Traveling

So, this Friday, I am taking my first big vacation since being given the gift of a DS.  We are traveling from NY to Ixtapa, Mexico for a Club Med vacation!  I will be 4 months out since surgery when I go on this trip.  I have lost 110 pounds since last July, and 70 since my surgery!  This is our way of having a big time reward for all he hard work that went into getting this life changing surgery for me and my family!

So, I am looking for travel advice from the experts out there.  I will already pack my vitamins (I use the Vitalady packs).  What else does anyone recommend to pack as a DSer that i might not have thought about already?  I've already done my shopping, and changed my wardrobe from size 58 pants to size 46, and shirts from 4x to 2x.  I am definitely going to bring Immodium, and Benefiber if things go the other way.  I even bought a portable shake maker so that I can make protein shakes while in Ixtapa, although I don't think I'll find almond milk.  It will be very hot out there, so Syntrax Nectar Fruit punch with lots of ice should give me high quality icy smoothies.  I also have Sweetleaf pills and packets so I can sweeten iced tea while out there.  

What I'm really worried about is the length of time on the plane getting there and back.  I already took one trip to Florida from NY where a worst nightmare occurred - two bathrooms on the plane were out of order, leaving only one for the whole plane, and I did not want to stink the whole place out.  Usually I have one explosion in the AM, and we are leaving at dawn.  How do I coax my body to adjust from its usual routine?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

Congrats on taking a wonderful vacation! I've not had the DS yet (first appointment with dietician is Friday) but ixtapa is great and will be hot. I've been a couple of times and always had great fun! There is shelf stable almond milk that might get you through a couple of days? Can you ask for a small refrigerator in your room by saying it's medically necessary? Be careful of the water and the ice to be sure it's purified so you don't get Montezuma's Revenge! We only drink what we open ourselves and only eat fruit we peel ourselves and take a dose or two of Pepto Bismol chewables everyday on the advice of our PCP. You will have such a good time and being lighter will only make it more enjoyable for you!!

Howdy! I don't know about changing your normal BM's between now and Friday, but here are some suggestions for the smell. 

* Try getting up earlier than usual, you may find that you have your big explosion at home, instead of the plane
* Carry a small bottle of poopourri (which you spray into the toilet before going. It traps the smells). I make my own, here is the recipe: http://www.budget101.com/gag-gifts/poopourri-gag-gift-3115.h tml  - we carry this everywhere in a small 3oz bottle. 
* Carry a separate spray to deodorize the room. 

If you are like me, you carry a 2oz potty pourri for the toilet bowl, and another 2oz spray (such as citrus magic, or Mountain Air Odor Eliminator), to spray the bathroom. This takes of it all, complies with TSA regs on bottle size, and no worries. 

Hopes this helps. 

Ozium should work also.  You have to be at the airport 2+ hours before an international flight, so that might also help you to get moved along.  You can take your protein powder or bars into Mexico.  Congrats on your weight loss and your trip.  Have fun, but do be careful of the water.  

I just returned from 2 weeks in Orlando, had to use the restrooms twice on both legs to Houston and then to Sacramento.  The vents are pretty strong in the bathrooms, plus you can flush during to help with some of the smell.  There generally isn'****er in the toilet bowl, so not sure how the poopouri will work.

You can take nuts, but don't take beef jerky into Mexico.  I also made sure that I had a protein bar or two and nuts for my flight.

I'm sorry, I don't have any advice....but I'm jealous!!!!!  Have a wonderful time!  Lord knows, you deserve it!

What a wonderful trip!  And all of you deserve to have the best time in Mexico after going through this surgery.

I always take my Immodium, and fiber gummies on trips.  I also take wet wipes in a plastic bag - not the hard box.  And Ozium. 

Snacks for the plane ride - lots of them. 

Zip lock bags of protein powders that I use water (bottled water) to make the shakes.

Have a great time.

 

I have 2 pieces of advise. I love Ixtapa and have stayed at Club Med maybe 6 x as it is my families favorite club med.  We plan on going in Jan of 2014.  My first piece of advice may make you laugh but bring bug spray because at night the bugs are bad in July and the one they sell there is not even aloud in the USA.  If it is your first trip there in July you will find it humid so plenty of fluids.  Second piece of advise I swear by as I work in an office with multiple stall bathrooms you can buy it on amazon and use like 8 drops before you sit down.......... sorry I had to go get the name of the product it is called one drop.  Not to worry I have never had diarrhea at the club meds as they filter the water.  Congrats on the wt loss.  You are going to love the fresh fish in butter it is awesome and is very DS friendly and served I think at both lunch and dinner.

Enjoy!!!

One other thing I like to bring beef jerky I make along if it has been a long period of time since I have been able to eat protein it is and easy go to that you do not have to refrigerate.

Have a good one

Donna

My beef jerky was confiscated going into Mexico.  You can take in turkey, bison, chicken... but not beef (or don't declare it and take your chances).

OK here is the best tip I have EVER gotten and let me tell you other than having the DS it has changed my life...

Go to Amazon and look up Ozone Jr. or OZN Jr.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3D aps&field-keywords=ozone+Jr&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aozone+Jr

This thing is AMAZING!!!  I am no longer afraid to go anywhere or stay anywhere.  I was always so embarrassed because as you know even with a spray in a small space the whole place still stinks and some of those sprays are so heavy they make it worse.  Its about the size of a book and you need to plug it in (plane bathrooms have an outlet) but it is a miracle worker!  So far it has handled everything I've dished out!  I also bring a travel size of lysol and usually use that too but that's really just overkill, it actually gets rid of that smell too!

There are also battery powered ones that are much smaller, but they are not as powerful, but easier to carry around.

Good luck and have a wonderful vacation!!!  :)