Travel after surgery - international

I travelled to Europe 5 and a bit weeks after my surgery. This post is to share my travel tips with sisters who may have plans to travel internationally and wondering if they should cancel or go ahead. Although I had laparscopic assisted surgery which usually reduces recovery time I was in hospital 8 days with surgical and post op complications and had problems with blood loss that extended my recovery time (I didn't stop bleeding until 8 weeks after the surgery) so it was not a case of straightforward good experience when I made the decision to go ahead with my travel plans that had long ago been booked and paid for. Factors that influenced a good travel experience after surgery for me were:

1. My specialist cleared me to go 3 days before I flew out. (If he had advised against it, I would not have gone.) His proviso was that I listen to my body and rest as needed and he extended restrictions on lifting and no sex during the trip to give me a better chance of not having further complications. He also extended my time on iron supplements and gave me his mobile number to ring him if I was worried about any symptom while I was overseas. (He was really great!) Be careful about travelling without your Dr's clearance as the surgery would be considered a pre-existing condition and travel insurers may not cover you if anything goes wrong and you end up in hospital in another country. (Read the conditions of your travel cover before making the decision.)

2. My dear husband (dh) is a big strong and supportive guy and was very happy to do all the lifting of all our luggage so I did not have to lift my suitcase at all the entire trip. (If I did not have someone to help with this again it would not have been possible to go as sometimes I was not up to lifting even my handbag!) His easy going attitude also meant there was no friction because I sometimes couldn't do things that might have been fun for him. (I sometimes just rested while he climbed towers etc so that he didn't miss out on things he wanted to do just because I wasn't up to it.)

3. We had booked several days in each place we went so that we could do all at a relaxed pace as I felt up to it. (If I had to do one of the 11 cities in 16 days type of tours I would not have coped as that soon after surgery you do still get very tired and need the rest and it would have been impossible for me to have kept up with a tour group.

4. Our attitude was that the holiday was for rest as well as experiencing all the wonderful sights and we had accepted the fact that we may not get to do everything little thing we wanted to do and were fine with just soaking up atmospheres.

5. I wore compression stockings for both the long haul flights the entire flight (24 hrs each flight). I got up and walked and moved almost every hour except when trying to sleep. I kept up my water intake during the flights and the entire trip too.

6. I took my regular latex pillow on the trip and this was a good move for comfort for tummy and back during the whole trip. (I rolled all the air out of it and secured the roll with 3 large rubber bands and it fitted with all my other cabin luggage.) I also had a neck pillow. By 5 weeks with lap surgery, even a jacket would suffice for tummy support under a seat belt.

7. Everywhere I went I had disposable fresh wipes with me as this helped with the hot flashes I experienced and generally the grime associated with visiting tourist sites.

8. Whenever we were at a gallery, museum or church I took the opportunity to sit down and rest for a while as I was taking things in.

9. I listened to my body and went back to the hotel for a rest when I needed it. (I didn't get to do any evening activities until I was at week 9 after my surgery as too easily fatigued till then.) I lost about 2 days all up in a 5 week trip to slowing down dramatically to catch up on rest.

10. Lots of walking and activity did aggravate the swelly belly - but resting for a while each day eased this. (And I am much better overall for all the walking I did.)

11. I went to supermarkets and kept up my intake of prunes as needed to ensure I didn't get constipated.

12. I took my prescription medications and over the counter pain relievers with me. (But didn't need them except for the odd headache.)

13. When booking accommodation in Europe check (don't assume) that the hotel has lifts. (Our Rome accom had 4 flights of stairs and no lift and this was really hard when returning after a full day - but I did get to the room eventually each day!) Likewise, check out how many steps are involved at the tourist sites before you go to each one and allow extra time for yourself there if needed. Some sites have hundreds of steps.

Looking above, it may sound like I spent a lot of time worrying about myself. But in truth, these few little things I did to support my ongoing recovery were minor in the overall experience of the trip. We had the holiday of a lifetime and saw so many wonderful things and experiences including a 2 hr walk in the Tuscan hills that I was so proud of myself for achieving (it was a bit hard but wouldn't have missed it for the world.) I would have liked to have been cleared for intercourse but we accepted that it was for my benefit that that restriction had been extended. I looked on this as an opportunity to give my husband a very very good time sexually without him having to do all the work so to speak and he really appreciated the intimate side of our trip as did I and we became even closer during our vacation.

In short, think carefully about international travel so soon after surgery before you go, listen to your Doctor and your body, adjust the itinerary for the need to slow down, ensure you have a travel companion who will take care of the luggage and watch out for you and who will be fine with a slower pace of activity. Ensure you have your comfort stuff with you and you may just have the holiday of your dreams like I did.

I feel really well rested and recovered now and as my Dr said before I left, if you need extra time to recover - you may as well recover while seeing the sights in Europe as at home!

Good luck with your surgery and travel plans.

Cheers

Alison