Air travel pre and post WLS
I flew this weekend for the first time in several years, and the
first time since surgery. Oh man, what a difference! I had lots of
extra in the seatbelt, I could get the tray table down with plenty
of room to spare, I could walk down the aisle without going
sideways, I could use the restroom comfortably, I could easily pick
things up off off the floor, I had no problem removing and putting
on my shoes at the security check, and I didn’t have to pray that
the person in front of me wouldn’t recline their seat. We got short-
notice weekend bargain tickets and on one flight the plane was so
solidly booked that my only choice of seat was a middle seat between
two strangers. That would have been an absolute nightmare for me
pre-surgery–and for them as well. This time it was no problem.
Flying is still not exactly *comfortable*, for anybody, but in a
thinner body it’s easily bearable. I feel like a whole world has
opened up for me to take vacations or visit family and friends
without comletely dreading the idea of a plane ride. What a gift!
Celia
July 29th, 2006 at 11:53 am
I totally agree with you about travelling on airplanes now.
Pre-surgery, we flew to England to visit some old friends (since we
had been stationed there in the military for 8 years). Those flights
seemed to be forever since I was uncomfortable with my weight. I was
embarrassed because I had to ask for a belt extension so that my seat
belt would fit me. Luckily, the seating arrangement was two seats
and it was just my husband and I. That way, the extra part of the
seat I took up was my husbands seat, not a strangers.
Many a time I had to travel by myself and sit next to strangers. I
was always embarrassed about my size because I knew I took up a bit
more of the next person’s seat on either side. I even had times
where I had seat assignments next to people as big as me. During
those times, neither one of us could move. Talk about “long”
flights, those seemed terminal…..
Going to the bathroom on planes became an issue for me also. I would
also have to go sideways down the aisles. Even going sideways at
times, I would still brush against people and they would give
me “dirty looks”. The bathrooms were very cramped. I would avoid
having to use the bathroom on the planes whenever I could. The trays
never would come totally down because of my stomach. On long
flights, that made eating the meals difficult.
I recently flew to the Midwest to see my family. First time I flew
since surgery. WOW, what a difference!! I fit in the seat, with
room to spare. The seat belt had about 9 inches extra on it. I had
no problems going up and down the aisles. The tray was no problem.
I could even cross my legs in the seat.
The other thing I noticed is that I was sitting in my seat sweating
profusely, like I use to. Whenever I flew, I couldn’t wait for the
plane to take off and the air conditioning to come on to cool me
off. This time, I was actually cold and had to put a sweater on to
keep warm. But, I did look around and most of the heavier people
were sweating just like I use to. I knew exactly how they were
feeling–waiting for that A/C to kick in and cool things off.
Of all the blessings I have gotten from having this surgery, I had
forgotten about the “pleasure” of now being able to fly on airplanes
again comfortably. It had been about 25 plus years since I was able
to do that. Thanks so much for refreshing my memory of yet another
reason I was glad I had this surgery.
Chris