Travel after WLS?

Hi all. I have not yet had the lap RNY still waiting for CIGNA approval. That should be yes or no by the 15th. I am in Albuquerque and the clinic is in El Paso. I will drive down with my wife (She's an RN thank God). I figure 2 days in the hospital if all goes well then 2 days in a hotel then back to hospital for follow up. What am I to expect a 5 hour ride in a car to be like that soon out. We have a little van and I can lay down if I have to. Am a bit concerned (freaked out) and would appreciate some feedback. P.S. This forum is the BEST! I have really gleaned a lot of info and advice and really appreciate it. I have been home with a sinus infection for 3 days and have been reading post from way back. What a hoot. I have also downloaded a ton of stuff Thanks DX.! As a lifelong practitioner of 'Asselhorizontology' I am really looking forward to making the change.

Hi. I had Lap-RNY back in October.  I was in the hospital for two days and then took a 75 mile ride home.  What I quickly found was that the roads were 100 times bumpier than I remembered.  I was still quite sore and every single bump was excruciating.  I was wishing I still had my morphine drip.  It was several more days before I rode anywhere and about a week before I drove anywhere. Personally, I wouldn't want to do your drive, but if I-25 and I-10 are pretty smooth and you have good shocks, it might not be that bad.  However, the benefits of the surgery are so wonderful, that it would be worth enduring that drive.  If you are flexible enough to possibly stay in a hotel another day or two, it probably wouldn't be that bad at all, just be prepared for frequent bathroom breaks.  All tha****er has to go somewhere.   Don't stress over it at all.  The whole thing is so much easier than you can believe it will be.  Before you know it, you will be losing so fast you won't remember what you went through to get there.  Just hang on for the most enjoyable ride of your life. Hope that helps.

Thanks GT. It does help. I appreciate it.

ERG: Man... 5 hours in the van... might be best to be able to lie down... I had a 1 1/2 hour drive and I was miserable.. However... I lived.... I was only in the hospital one night.... left by 2:00pm the following day... Here I follow DX'S advice.. better living through chemistry.. translation... take your meds.. early and often... error on the side of.... more is better... better to be drugged and semi-uncomfortable.. than un-drugged.. and miserable... We'll keep our fingers crossed for you Kev-

Hi Kev I will  take my meds for sure. I had surgery a few years ago for sleep apnea. Uppp I think they call it. A throat wallering, tongue shortning, uvula cuttin nightmare. My plan was to stay drugged til I healed. That worked for a while. Every time I turned on the TV it was the TELE TUBBIES. I was right there with em too til I started wretching from nothing being in my stomach but pills. Any body ever had that surgery? Most amazing, crystal pure pain I have ever had and guess what? I STILL have sleep apnea.

Hey erog, Shouldn’t be too bad. Get a ‘sport’s bottle’ to sip a little as you go. tiniest dehydration and you may get nauseated easily. Also have a pillow in the van to hold on your stomach. I know that sounds weird, but hugging a pillow balances out the stress on you torso and new cuts while moving. It’ll keep bumps on the road from translating to pain in the gut. Many have “Baby-Eyes” soon after surgery. ”Baby-Eyes?” WTF? Yep…you know when babies are trying to follow something with their eyes And they just can’t seem to ‘keep up’ and they have that de-focused Thing going on while they try to focus on a moving object? That’s “Baby-Eyes.” Just look at stuff IN the van, or straight ahead. Moving objects will translate to a weird sort of car sickness. Not just my experience, but over 3 years ago when I posted-

“Did anyone else have “Baby-Eyes?” Tons of folks replied- “I thought that was JUST ME!”

It’s not. It’s a hold over from the anesthesia and the IV Pain Meds. It also blows any hint of concentration. You maybe two weeks out from surgery before you could read a good book. Plan on short, very short, attention span after surgery. It might not be a bad Idea to plan more than a couple of stops, get out and walk around for a minute. Post-surgical complication of blood-clot is aggravated by remaining seated in the same position for very long. Just hit a gas station and make a few laps around the van or into the restroom and back. Not exercise, just some motion for blood flow in the legs. Congratulations on the In-House Nursing Staff that Loves and Cares about you!! You’ve got it made in the Shade!! Have the Greatest!! Best Wishes- Dx

 

All great tips! I appreciate it. Thanks.

You will make it, take a ten minute break every hour or so. Like Dx said walk around the van or if at a rest area walk to the restroom and back. Take your pain pills and don't wait till you are miserable before you do. Keep ahead of it. Try to remember that your wife is not hitting every hole or rough spot in the road on purpose. At least that is what I kept telling my self. My wife is a great driver, as long as I don't have to ride with her when she is driving. What made it worse she was driving my car.  pan head

Thanks Panhead My wife is a good driver too. We are in a bluegrass band and travel a lot on weekends. She drives at least half the time and this seems to happen every time... I fall asleep and wake up while see is passing somebody and there is a truck coming at us head on and I scream like a 12 year old girl! That's how I get my high lonesome sound. E.

I am not sure if this is true for anyone else, but the first area that felt sore beyond my abdomen, was my tailbone. It was like I lost my cushion size, but the load remained the same. I picked up a donut air cushion at CVS and used that to sit me in a position that did not load up the tailbone area. If you leave it a little under inflated it does well to cushion the bounce in a moving car. Also holding a heavy feather pillow to my abdomen helped when lying down, or sitting.