My post-op cruise experience

Apr 15, 2010

My family and I just returned from a wonderful seven-night cruise to St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten.  This was our first major vacation since I had my surgery last summer.   We had gone on a cruise last year for spring break, but it wasn't very much fun for me.  Because of my weight at that time, I didn't have the strength or stamina to participate in many activities.  I was also suffering from a terribly painful and sudden episode of gout, and could barely even walk.  It was a pretty miserable trip.

What a difference a year makes!  On this cruise, I had a fabulous time and was able to go on every excursion I wanted -- even those with weight restrictions!  In St. Thomas, my daughter and I went parasailing and it was a truly thrilling experience.  We also swam at beautiful Magen's Bay, where I enjoyed being in the ocean all afternoon and didn't feel at all self-conscious about being in my swimsuit the whole time.  In Dominica, we went kayaking down a river and into the ocean.   I was pleasantly surprised (okay, shocked actually)  to be able to paddle the kayak the whole time and I wasn't even sore the next day!  We spent a lovely afternoon snorkeling in the crystal-clear waters of St. Kitts and hiked through the rain forest to a warm mineral pool in St. Lucia.  We did a tremendous amount of walking on the ship and in the ports that we visited and I was able to do all of it without getting winded, sore, or having to stop and rest all the time.

On formal night, we got some family pictures made.  In the past, I hated having my picture taken.  This time, I felt great in my fancy floor-length dress that I had gotten just for the cruise and our pictures turned out to be very nice.

Now for my confession...I didn't exactly eat the way I should have on the ship.  I ate many things that I never eat at home, but I wasn't able to eat a large quantity of anything (good or bad!).  I tried to focus on protein, but it's hard when you have so many other temptations.  I also didn't journal my food intake as I do at home and I didn't go to the gym on board the ship as I thought I would.

I had two episodes of stomach discomfort while on the cruise.  Once was when we were on a catamaran boat excursion that included lunch and I decided to try the chicken.  I should have known better because chicken and I haven't been getting along since my RNY.  Well, I ate some and felt like I was going to throw up for a couple of hours (wish I could have because I would have felt better sooner).  The other time I had stomach pain was when I ate too much of a sandwich too fast.  I knew I should have stopped at half, but I hadn't had anything to eat in 8 hours and my head hunger won that battle.  I ended up not being able to eat a bite of my dinner the last night on board the ship -- and I was really looking forward to it, too!

When we got back, I faced the scale and guess what?  I didn't gain at all!  I had a wonderful vacation, enjoyed a little food freedom, and came home refreshed and ready to resume my careful eating, food journaling, and exercise.

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