Cruising after weight loss surgery

[cuppy]

I'm going in for the gastric lap-band in a few weeks and was wondering what cruising will be like after surgery.

 

I'll be honest, my husband and I plan our day around the meal options on the cruise. Isn't that awful, we probably hit every meal and snack available. I think we eat more on a cruise than we do in a month.

 

I love cruising, but I am wondering how it will be eating on the ship. Has anyone else out there gone in for weight loss surgery and cruised since then. Was it difficult? Did you have issues with eating on the ship? Did it make it difficult to keep within your restricted limits?

[cusyl]

Good luck with your surgery, would be interested in how it comes out. I know they want you to eat several small meals a day, so that should be easy on a ship, especially with the buffet.

[sharonella]

An out of state friend of ours cruised with us in early March 06, after having the surgery in early December 05. This gave him 3 months to learn & follow his new "eating rules" before cruising. And he said his doctor told him that most complications, IF they occur, happen within the 1st 3 months after surgery. So he felt very secure in following thru with the cruise we had started planning the previous March. (If he couldn't have had the surgery 3 or more months before the cruise, he was going to schedule for after.)

 

The hardest part, I think for him, was the "not drinking" on the ship. I know what he means - it's like when I gave up smoking - I was fine most times, but the worst part was the "social smoking" times - like when my friends & I went out dancing.

 

Like you - he had cruised before, so he knew what to expect in the way of food offerings & could plan ahead what he could & couldn't eat. He had dinner every night in the dining room, but obviously couldn't eat everything on his plate. It was a bit of a challenge to cruise so soon after his surgery, but he really made an effort to stick to his doctor's plan & rules about what to eat & not eat, & how much.

 

It's not like the rest of us, who - if we decide to "go off our diet" - worst case scenario is we have an extra 5-10 lbs to lose after a cruise. You really still have to "stick to the rules", or suffer severe consequences.

 

Well - you'll probably still be planning your cruise around the food - but just not the way you used to! Good luck with your surgery & weight loss. Keep us posted!

 

Sha

[Goofus]

Hi

I just usually sort of lurk around here, but I just wanted to let you know- going on a cruise with the band isn't as hard as you might think. I was banded in April 05 (love it!) and have been on 2 cruises since then. I am WAY tighter in the morning so I usually just have a warm drink (bring my own hot chocolate) or a protein shake for breakfast. But everything you can eat with the band on land, you can eat at sea. Just chew chew chew. The one thing I would advise you about (in case you haven't already heard) is don't try to eat on the plane or shortly after landing. For some reason the pressure changes tighten you up BIG TIME. I found that out the hard way after our last cruise/flight this April. Trust me you don't want to be doing that at 35,000 ft.!:eek:

Just make sure that you get your protein and your water in and you can enjoy everything in little portions!

Good luck with your band and the cruise!

~Kris

[sweetpea-2]

;) I wish you all the luck in the world....I need to lose about 25 lbs so I don't qualify for this....but hope you make out fine....I have watched allot of shows on the telly about this...and think you should give yourself about 3-6 months between your surgery and cruise...thats when complications can set in.....and you'd want to be near your Dr.. good luck and keep us posted..

[nanuak]

Congratulations on your decision to have WLS, it was the best decision of my life.

 

Although the cruise in October will be my first cruise, I was banded 4/21/05 and am not really worried about food selections. How far will you be out and what is your surgeons dietary schedule?

 

I would second the previous poster as to the protein and water intake. Eat very slowly, take small (pea) sized bites, and chew until it is liquid in your mouth. Be careful with white meat chicken, and choose fish as your entree for dinner (very easy to eat). I eat my beef rare, so have not had any problems with steak (yet).

[cuppy]

:( My surgery is being post-poned til September. Due to conflicts with my work schedule, I had to push back my sleep apnea test - that in turn pushes back the surgery date and so on. The first opening for surgery was 1 1/2 weeks before the cruise and that won't work too well.

 

So it looks like I will go in for surgery 16 days after we get home. I spoke with my doc about my trip; I am already on a special diet and needed to know what I can do. He said I can go ahead and eat while on the ship - just pick health options and fruit. But the day after the trip I go on nothing but liquids for 14 days :rolleyes:

 

It's one way to drop those cruise pounds.

 

For those who have had the surgery; do you mind if I ask how your doing with it. Are you near your goal or half way there?

[Nliedel]

WISH I had been banded! Instead I got a full by-pass complete with zipper. Just eat often and stay away from the ice cream for heaven's sake. Do lap banders dump? It's the pits.

[cuppy]

One of the benefits of banding is no dumping. One of my best friends did the bypass and I was with her when she experienced her first dumping :eek: In her words she thought she was going to die.

 

Banders get slime though. If you try to over eat and the pouch is full, it comes back up and you get all the slime with it. My doc says about 70% of patients will experience this just once - and they will learn and won't overeat again. He says just like bypass patients have to experience an episode of dumping to know the limits, banders experience this. Plus you have all the pain sitting above the stomach and in the chest area if you overeat.

 

Physically, I will be able to eat anything from what I was told. Some people of course will tolerate some foods better than others. Most people I know can do fish & chicken, but lately a lot of people are saying they are having issues with chicken. I will be on a 600 calorie a day diet - so that is my big restriction. I was out with a friend from the support group who was eating cake (she's banded) and I was think that is definately over 600 calories. She said she does pasta and everything and has had no issues. She cheats and does OJ and ice cream a few days a week too. She is losing, but slowly.

[nanuak]

Cuppy -

 

I had my surgery 4/21/05 and lost 92 pounds in 10 months. I have not been a very good bandster lately and have been eating a lot of junk food, but still have kept the original weight loss off. I am being a little more careful about what I put in my mouth and hope to lose the additional 40 pounds by my cruise date. I never exercised, but have started to swim again. I went from a 26 to a size 10/12 and am very happy with the way I look.

 

There is no dumping with the lap-band, you can drink alcohol, and eat sugared items, but watch the empty calorie consumption. The liquid calories can really make your weight loss a lot slower.

[cuppy]

Congratulations on your weight loss. Have you cruised since your surgery or will this be your first cruise?

[Goofus]

I had my surgery 4-19-05 and have lost 74 lbs. It took a little while for me to hit my sweet spot because I have the VG band, but getting the band was the best thing I have ever done. I went on my first cruise in July 05, so only about 2.5 months after my surgery. I wasn't really restricted yet but the band definitely held me in check a little bit. I went on a cruise this past April and was at my sweet spot , but like I said before you can eat whatever you want- just little bits of it. I even had desserts- just a few bites usually was enough to satisfy. With proper restriction you will get the right volume of food. Just be sure to do protein first and drink drink drink the water (or lemonade etc.) Some people have trouble with certain foods like dry chicken or bread, but fortunately I don't have trouble with any particular food. I did figure out that if I am overly tight a warm drink or a cocktail will relax my band to the point I can be comfortable.

As far as dumping- thank god no! PB'ing and sliming may be an issue, but you will quickly learn how to avoid that. They are usually caused by one of three things- overeating, not chewing well enough (you have to chew everything to smithereens), or drinking carbonated drinks while eating (any drinking with eating is a no-no, but especially carbonated drinks).

Good luck with your band!

If you have any other questions please feel free!

[nanuak]

Cuppy - This is my first cruise

[cuppy]

Had a little set back :( Got rushed into the hospital yesterday with a gallbladder attack :eek: and oh boy does it hurt. They chose not to remove it today, but it does have to come out. My surgeon who is doing my band also does gallbladders so I am going to have him do it.

 

Do to the problem I am having he wants to do that surgery seperate from the band, and my stomach needs time to heal before he bands me. :rolleyes: In my head I fully understand that, but looking in the mirror - I just want my band.

[cuppy]

Had a little set back :( Got rushed into the hospital yesterday with a gallbladder attack :eek: and oh boy does it hurt. They chose not to remove it today, but it does have to come out. My surgeon who is doing my band also does gallbladders so I am going to have him do it.

 

Due to the problem I am having he wants to do that surgery seperate from the band, and my stomach needs time to heal before he bands me. :rolleyes: In my head I fully understand that, but looking in the mirror - I just want my band.

 

I am hoping to cruise for Christmas. Hubby thinks we should wait until I am one year banded, but I can't give up cruising for a year.

[sharonella]

Wow - tough luck!

 

I know what you mean about (temporarily) giving up cruising. But I bet if you can convince your husband that you will follow ALL the Dr's recommendations (including all the instructions you need to follow when you are banded), he may come around. I'm sure he is just nervous about your health, and being so far away from home should any problems or complications arise.

 

It's great (in my opinion) that the same Dr will do both surgeries. I think you'll get more consistent (& therefore better) care that way. My advice - take it one day at a time & do your best to follow all pre-surgical instructions (including any & all food restrictions) NOW, so your husband will see you mean it about following all post-surgical rules & instructions.

 

Keep us posted on your progress & Good luck!

Sha

[Mark_AR]

As a 4¾ year post-op Roux-en-Y gastric bypass survivor, I can tell you that having your gallbladder out at the time you have the other would be a good idea.

 

Unless there is a reason, all I can see is that the Dr gets double the money for having two seperate procedures. I would push to get both done at once. Why have the burden of seperate recoveries.

 

Back to topic:

Eating after WLS is not really a problem onboard. There are so many options that it really is a moot point.

 

The hardest thing to do is train your mind not to fill your plate, eat to fast or not chew correctly and cause yourself undo discomfort by overeating. Slime or as we call it 'FOAMIES', you have to get rid of the blockage because it feels like you swallowed a tennis ball and there is no where for it to go but up.

 

I am envious of those who dump. I am one of the few that can eat the whole chocolate buffet without ill effects. :(

 

I wouldn't wait a year to go on your cruise. At 8 weeks post-op(more or less) you should be able to resume almost any normal activities.

 

Take it from someone who has been there.... Enjoy every moment. Don't wait.

 

Mark

742# 1994

600# Sep 12, 2001(surgery day)

311# Today

 

-431# overall

-289# since surgery

[nanuak]

Cuppy -

 

There are very few surgeons that will do a gall bladder and band together, as they are concerned of cross contamination. But, there is no reason to wait for a year after banding to go on a cruise.

 

I had my surgery on Thursday and was back to work on Tuesday of the following week. Yes, I felt tired from the anesthesia and my port incision hurt a little, but by a couple of weeks I was feeling like I owned the world.

 

I know it is hard to believe, but eating becomes secondary after you have had a few fills (well, head hunger is a different beast). I am not sure what your surgeon has told you, but it takes several fills to get to your "sweet spot" and you need to know what your surgeons fill schedule is prior to having the band placed. We have a large community of bandsters here in the DFW area and we get together on a regular basis.

[jerseygirl3]

I was banded 3 1/2 months ago and I love my band. I began watching my diet while I was waiting for my surgery to be scheduled. I lost about 10 lbs., and kept off about 6 of it despite 2 cruises (B2B) that we took two weeks before my surgery.

 

I went on a cruise 10 weeks after my lap band and it was no problem whatsoever. I had my first fill 2 weeks prior to the cruise. I didn't get great restriction with the first fill, so it took a little more effort on my part to stay on track. But in the first 15 weeks I've lost 35 lbs. I do exercise 4-5 days a week, so that helps. On the cruise after my surgery, I tried to watch what I ate. People warned me that I wouldn't enjoy cruising as much as I did before surgery because I couldn't "enjoy all that food." Well, truth be told, I enjoyed it more because I felt more in control of things and I never had that stuffed feeling where my clothes got tight by the end of the cruise. My husband and I got up every morning and walked the jogging track and then went to breakfast. I typically had an omelet and yogurt for breakfast (instead of waffles/pancakes/french toast with bacon/sausage). At dinner, I just took a taste of my dinner roll and ate small portions of my dinner. I ordered dessert every night, but took one or two bites. I gained 2 lbs., but that came off within 2-3 days of being home, so I think it was more a matter of water retention. I also had some alcohol; nothing going overboard (excuse the pun!), but a glass of wine here and there and a couple of umbrella drinks over the week.

 

Since having the surgery I am making healthier food choices, and I'm sure that's why I've been so successful thus far. The band is a tool and it should be used to it's fullest potential. I no longer EVER eat until I feel stuffed; I stop when I feel comfortably satiated. I've never slimed or pb'd; twice I had a feeling of something (both times it was shrimp) "stuck", but I chewed a papaya enzyme tablet (recommended by my surgeon and you can get them at Walmart or any vitamin shop) and it resolved almost immediately. I always carry some with me just in case. Now, as soon as I feel a bit of a pressure in my chest, I stop eating and wait for it to pass. It's my warning to slow down my eating.

 

Don't worry about WLS and your joy of cruising. We've got 4 more cruises on the horizon, and I'm looking forward to every one of them. But it's just not all about the food anymore.

 

Good luck!

[cuppy]

Thanks so much for all the feedback. Sorry I haven't replied sooner, but I had another attack and was rushed in for emergency surgery on Friday to remove the galbladder.

 

The Dr. who will be doing my band did the surgery for me and it went great. I have some discomfort in the abdomen area around the incisions but nothing major. I'm not even doing the pain meds, just over the counter Tylenol. He explained that he could not do the band and galbladder together due to the risk of bile leakage while removing the galbladder (which is very common he said, and nothing to worry about) but if that bile was to get caught around the band and stay there I could get an infection.

 

I was put on the same floor as patients who had just done the bi-pass and the band and got to talk to a few of them. I was up walking the hall most of the night because it made my stomach feel better and and that is where I met them. All but one was taking the docs advice and walking - the other person was not and seemed to be having a lot of problems the next morning.

 

I showed hubby the posts and he said he'll consider a winter cruise if my progress is going well. He wants to hold off to book though until November :o

[Nliedel]

I don't yammer on too much about my WLS cause I get negative reactions. Some people think I cheated. I hate that attitude. I'm currently mad as heck at Star Jones for perpetuating that feeling by not admitting she had it. Like she should be ashamed. I was 320lbs. It was not coming off on its own. I couldn't walk or breath. I hurt all over. My surgery was not a panacea. It gave me two years to get my rear in gear. Now I exercise, just like a lot of other people. I eat what I want, but have to watch it. I'm not thin and never will be. I've learned to live with it.

 

Right now I'm eating a Lean Cuisine for breakfast (I like them for breakfast) and it will leave me full till lunch. It used to be that, right after surgery, I could not eat a whole one. Your new stomach will stretch.

 

WLS has allowed me to run, ride my bike, swim and chase my kids. I've gone rock climbing, can fit into an airline seat etc. It's not for everyone and should be a last ditch effort, but if anyone ever tells you that you are not as good as other people because you had surgery feel free to tell them they don't know what they are talking about.

[cuppy]

I can understand how you feel about Star Jones. No way could she have dropped that much weight in a short time period without surgery. I heard one of the reports where she said it was all due to eating properly and exercise - and nothing else. Then she gets on TV and says she will speak privately with anyone who wants to about the risks and positives about WLS but will not answer if she had it done.

 

If you haven't had WLS how can you tell someone the pros and cons of it; and if it is a good idea.

[Nliedel]

Seh admitted, on Larry King, that she had surgery. This was after years of attributing it to Pilates. Actually she said she had a, "Medical Intervention." She told Al Roker that it was surgery. Larry King said, "So you are saying you had surgery" her response was, "What else could it mean?"

[nanuak]

I personally think Star Jones is a liar. In the beginning, she didn't say there was any medical intervention, in fact, she denied having any type of WLS. Not until she was fired and featured on Larry King, did she even mention the fact that she DID have surgery for weight loss.

 

I can understand not wanting to admit that you are morbidly obese, as I did the same thing to myself for years. But, when you are on national TV and you consistantly tell everyone it was done through diet and exercise, you are giving those of us who openly admit needing/getting WLS a bad rap.

 

WLS is not an easy way out for any of us, it was just the only choice I had for a healthy and productive life.

[Nliedel]

I love Oprah, but if I hear her go on one more time about someone who did it without surgery being so wonderful and how hard it is I am going to SCREAM! It's hard to lose the weight with or without the surgery. Surgery gives you some time and a jump start, but it's not forever. Why do people think surgery is the easy way out?