As we mentioned on our exercise pages, we took a trip to Tenerife just three months after our gastric sleeve surgery! It was a fantastic experience, but it definitely came with its challenges.
Let’s start with the positives:
The Positives
We felt incredible! James lost 5 stone, and Kirsten shed 4 stone, so we both felt like new people. Kirsten, who used to avoid the pool or only go in with a shirt over her swimsuit, was in the pool every day, feeling comfortable and confident. James, too, used to stick to the poolside with his shirt on, only venturing in a couple of times during a holiday. But this time, he was in the pool every single day, shirt-free!
Getting around was also much easier. The weight loss and increased daily steps really paid off – we didn’t experience the usual sore knees or feet, which was a massive relief, especially when trying to keep up with the kids at the water park. Well, except for the time James burnt his feet walking barefoot to the pool bar! But other than that, no sore joints, which made the holiday much more enjoyable.
And here’s a huge win – no more chub rub! This made everything so much more comfortable, with our inner thighs not hurting and way less prickly heat than usual. We still had some, but it was very mild compared to what we used to experience.
The Challenges
Of course, not everything was smooth sailing. We did encounter a few challenges during the holiday, and these might be issues we face again on future trips – but we’ll see how things go on our next holiday in a year’s time!
Dehydration: The Tenerife heat and lack of shade were tough, and dehydration became a real issue. Halfway through the holiday, James had to take a day off to stay inside and just rehydrate, as he couldn’t drink water fast enough to replace all the sweating.
Constipation: This one ties directly to dehydration. With not enough fluids, constipation became a problem.
Eating Out: We only ate out three times during our 12-day holiday because it was just too uncomfortable. Maybe it was the places we chose, but we felt very judged by the waiters and chefs for how little we ate. Even when we ordered small meals and explained our situation, the waiters seemed annoyed, and chefs would come out, frustrated, asking if there was something wrong with the food. It was embarrassing, especially when we shared one meal and still left over half of it. In the end, we stuck to protein shakes for the rest of the holiday, which worked fine. Honestly, after a gastric sleeve, you’re not that hungry, so it didn’t make much of a difference once we decided to stop eating out.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the positives far outweighed the negatives. At three months post-surgery, we still had significant restriction, but now, at five months, we can already eat a bit more than before. We don’t think three months was too soon for a holiday, but if you plan to eat out, going in a group where you can easily share meals might make things easier. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option for us since our travel companions were keen on steak houses, which was a bit much for us at the time.
We’re already looking forward to our next holiday, planned for the end of March 2025, which will be a year post-surgery. It’ll be interesting to see how that trip compares to this one!