Hey everyone,
I am looking for some advice on when it is reasonable to be able to travel after having had surgery. My procedure is schedule for June 26 - I am a high school teacher so I have the summer off from work anyway. My surgeon told me I could expect to miss about 4 weeks of work if I were working at the time, and about 10 weeks to return to sports (tennis). I am currently on 12.5 mg of prednisone (I have been on between that and 20 mg for the past year, and even the pred isn't keeping my symptoms under control, which is the main reason I'm having the surgery). I have friends overseas in Sweden that I would love to visit, but I'm not sure how much time I should give it before I do that, or how risky it would be. I would leave around August 6 and come back around August 19, before school starts again. Of course I'm thinking about adjusting to having the ostomy, traveling with it, and everything. Obviously Scandinavia is an advanced placed in terms of medical care, not that I'd want to end up in a hospital in a foreign country...Anyone have any thoughts?? Part of the reason I'd love to plan it is to have something huge to look forward to the whole time...Thanks for any input!!

Hi.. I had step 1 on March 25. I feel well enough to travel now (almost 8 weeks out) but probably wouldn't have at 6 weeks. Things you may want to consider - you may have complications which may keep you in the hospital longer than expected. Also, you are having MAJOR surgery and you will be sore, fatigued, etc. May also take into consideration your physical limitations after the surgery - I would be concerned with lifting luggage especially. Be careful not to strain your abdominals too much. May want to discuss it with your surgeon - get his/her input on it as well. Hope this helps!

I'm roughly where you will be, timewise, at the time when you're thinking of traveling. But recovery from the surgery seems to vary so much by person--I'd be reluctant to bank a big trip on anyone else's experience, or one where I were planning a lot of walking or any amount of sightseeing with no bed to retreat to for naps (traveling to another city for a day trip, etc.)

That said, I had step 1 on April 9 and was well enough to take a 4-hour flight both ways and spend the weekend in Vegas last weekend. No problems with carrying luggage, etc (the surgery was laparoscopic--I am sure this would be different if it were open). The one thing I did need to do was be very on top of getting and staying hydrated. It is VERY dry out there!

The other thing you may want to consider is that you'll probably still be tapering off of Prednisone at that point. Depending on how that has made you feel in the past (for me: atrocious--barely unfit for human company, let alone travel), you may want to postpone.