I went to my bariatric support group tonight, mostly so I could ask Nurse Gwen about my upcoming trip to Alaska. I'm the tiniest bit nervous (ok, more than a tiny bit) that the stress of travel (even though it's mostly good stress), cold weather, and elevation will cause my band to snap shut. Like it did on my last trip.
To paraphrase her advice...
1. I have plenty of calories in storage. I'm not going to starve to death if I can't eat for a few days.
2. If I can't drink at all and can't even swallow my own spit for more than a couple of hours, that's when to worry and get help ASAP. I'm not going to dehydrate and die if it takes me 6 or 8 hours to get help but if I am THAT stuck, I need to get somewhere for intravenous hydration/unfill pretty quickly.
3. I have never been so stuck that I can't drink. I know my body pretty well and the fact that I have only really thrown up once since surgery makes her think that I shouldn't have any issues.
4. Be careful, eat slowly, and don't be stupid. Example: no salmon jerky when in the middle of nowhere. Drink lots before I eat in case I get stuck and can't drink well for a couple of hours.
5. Bring protein powder and soup, and if I get stuck, only liquids/mushies until the irritation is calmed down!
6. She doesn't recommend having an unfill before I go, but if I find that I am overly tight before I leave, call and they'll do an unfill that week.
7. Relax and have fun!
8. If I am so worried about it that I won't enjoy myself, bring her with us and she'll bring the needle to give me an unfill if necessary. :-)
4 comments:
You'll be just fine, so no stressing allowed :)
Looking forward to our facetime chat this weekend.
I look at it this way. You know your body better than anyone else. Go with your gut. For me, I know if i go on a plane, I swell and i get tight. It doesn't happen to some people, but it happens to me, so when I am going to fly, I get a SMALL unfill and then go for a refill when I get back. I do this because i've been miserable while on vacation because I was swollen and too tight and I don't want to not enjoy my vacation. Turst your body, your instincts and what you feel most comfortable with :)
Great advice! :)
I especially like the last one. But you should substitute her for me. I could find that port. LOL
Just take her along....:)
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