Driving post-op

I'm in the process of scheduling my VSG - I've met with the surgeon and have a bunch of appointments scheduled.  

My dad started chemo last week and is on 21-day cycles.  My parents live three hours away and I plan on spending chemo weeks with them to chauffeur and help out with cooking and caretaking.  

 

So the question is... for those of you who have had VSG, how soon after the surgery would you have felt up to spending 3-4 hours driving in a car?  

I didn't drive myself anywhere until after week 2.  It was too painful for me to get in and out of any vehicle, much less my own.

I didn't drive for the first three weeks. I probably could have driven after two, but decided against it. I too felt it was painful getting in and out of the car.  

Well, lets see....I had  no one to chauffeur me from Point A to Point B after I got home from the hospital, so I drove myself one week to the day after surgery to my first Dr. Appointment.  I was off all narcotics --  they stopped them within 6 hours of surgery in the hospital...(I have a VERY high tolerance for pain). 

Granted, the farthest I drove was an hour one way to my Dr. appointments.  If I had to needed to have driven farther that early out, I probably would have rescheduled the appointments for later on. 

FYI~I was pretty tired and slept frequently the first couple of weeks...my couch and I bonded a lot.  (I called them mini power naps).    But my pain level was minimal.  I was only taking liquid tylenol at bedtime the first week.  Nothing by week two.

I went back to work 6 days after surgery and drove myself. I had surgery in Mexico, so a couple days post op I had about a 2 hour car ride and a day spent in airports and in plains. it was uncomfortable, but doable.

Driving should be ok within one week. Avoid lifting. Hoping for healing.

Doctor advised me not to drive for  1 Week.

 

God Bless

I started driving 5 days after surgery. I think a 3 hour drive would be better about 2 weeks after surgery though. My drives were just short, around town jaunts not road trips. You'll want to make sure you're off all narcotic pain medicines though before you drive.

I know I am the exception, but I was advised by my doctor not to drive until I was off pain meds.  Since I stopped the pain meds the same night of surgery, I drove myself home the next day while my sister, who was supposed to drive me, sat as the passenger.  It was a short drive, only about 10 minutes.  Now, I wouldn't recommend anyone do this, as I stated I am an exception.  Since I was a kid I've always been a rebel, courageous and competitive... just to see if "I can do this"  LOL

On  a more serious note, because I am a single mom, living in a city with no family around, my mom and sister drove 3 hours to be with me on surgery and left the day I was discharged, I had no other choice but to immediately start driving to take my son to and from school, but again... it was a short distance.  Did I hurt, yes... but discomfort would have existed with or without driving.  As long as I was not on pain meds (narcotics) it was OK.   

I less concerned with the discomfort from surgery, and more concerned about poor blood circulation from long periods of sitting.  Because the first week or so is crucial to managing blood circulation (many doctors direct patients to wear long support socks and walk frequently) so that blood clots do not form, I would check with my doctor first to find out when its safe to take a long drive.  If he releases you, because it's a 3 hour drive, I would still stop frequently to stretch and walk around every hour or so, or more frequently, as you feel the need.  The blood clot thing scared the dickens out of me, so I made sure I wore my support hose at night and walked frequently.

 

I would have been fine driving after 4 days.  I was a passenger on the LONG (6 hr with frequent stops) trip home from the hospital.  It was difficult just sitting in the car for that long.  I don't think I drove until 6 days later but only because my husband was with me the whole time off work and I had no reason to drive.  I was off pain meds in 4 days.  I didn't actually drive until 6 days later to take my son to/from school and it was no big deal.  Of course his school is close, I didn't go for a road trip.

I did go for a road trip at 2.5 weeks out though.  12 hours each way.  It was one of the best drives I ever had because I didn't eat junk food or drink soda on my trip!  I brought a cooler with what I needed and treated myself to a hot soup halfway there.  It was one of the best trips.