driving

[mjd414]

I am fortunate to work for a company that provides its employees with 8 paid weeks of medical leave. I understand that everyones situation is unique, but as a general rule, are people able to drive and get to an office job at 7 weeks, post op.

Mark
Ft. Lauderdale

 

[Ross]

Usually they are cut loose at 6 weeks to resume terrorizing pedestrians.

 

[Johnny Stephens]

Me: "Well, it's been 6 weeks since my discharge. Can I drive now?"
Dr: "Could you drive before?"



Mark, unless there are complications, I'd bet you'll be back behind the wheel (a little tentatively, perhaps) by 7 weeks.

 

[Susan BAV]

My surgeon didn't want me driving for eight weeks and he also wanted me to have a pillow in front of my chest when riding in the front seat during that time. He was primarily worried about an airbag flying out and hitting me. When I finally started driving again, I was surprised about how sore the whole sternum and collarbone area was. I think it was the way I lift and scoot around in the seat to get comfortable.

 

[tobagotwo]

Some say six weeks, some surgeons (like mine) want eight or more weeks. It would seem best to go by your general physical condition. If you still have a lot of sternum pain at six weeks, wait eight. I didn't, and drove back to work at six weeks with my cardio's blessing with no pain resulting.

Do not rush to get back to work, by the way. You may be surprised at the toll that the sudden resurgence of stress will take on you at the beginning. Consider asking the doctor to set up the first two weeks as half-days, if the job has stress. (Hint: If it comes with a car, the job likely has stress...)

Best wishes,

 

[Guest]

As others have mentioned, generally, yes, 6 weeks is OK.

BUT...as was mentioned, see if you can get half days going back to work. I worked 3 full days before my manager had me contact my cardiologist and surgeon to be put on half days....that was a much better transition.

As for driving...yes, the sternum becomes sore, but, since I love to drive, that didn't bother me so much .

Cort, "Mr MC"/"Mr Road Trip"/"The Uniter", 30swm/pig valve/pacemaker
member & newsletter editor, Faith COB, Batavia IL
'72/'76/'79/'81/'87 & train & models = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/
Spotting MCs = http://www.chevyasylum.com/mcspotter/main.html

 

[Granbonny]

Mark

Mark

Along with the seat-belt issue (rubbing) and having to turn your head...and getting in and out..I would also wait to see if all the meds are out of your body..Will you still be on pain meds, ect...Just a wait and see thing...With the way the Traffic on our roads are..you will want to be ALERT to everything around you. Bonnie

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Hello Mark,

If your insurance covers Cardiac Rehabilitation, I STRONGLY recommend you get a prescription from one of your Doctors to begin rehab at 6 weeks. The 'arm machine' (sort of like a tricycle wheel for the arms) does a GREAT JOB of loosening up tight shoulder and arm muscles which will make handling a steering wheel a LOT more comfortable.

FWIW, my surgeon game me permission for VERY LIMITED driving at 4 weeks (basically to come to his office for my followup visit since no one was home to drive me at that point). By 6 weeks, I felt reasonably comfortable behind the wheel.

John Cochran purchased a baseball Chest Protector which he wore for several weeks following his OHS and then donated to our moderator, Ross.

'AL'

 

[Lisa]

I must not fit the 'norm' because my surgeon released me to drive (automatic transmission) after 2 weeks. I didn't drive far. Just quick trips to Blockbuster, grocery, etc. My shoulders, chest, back, neck, etc. were extremely sore. It hurt to turn the steering wheel to the left. In retrospect, I think I should have waited a few more weeks.

 

[Glenda]

I drove for the first time yesterday. (6 weeks post op) I noticed if I kept my hands low on the wheel it didn't hurt as bad. It did hurt to turn around and look for cars or to go over rough bumps. I also went to the grocey store, well to say the least, by the time I got back home I was hurting so bad. I had to call my husband to come home and unload the groceries for me. By that time I was in tears and had to take a pain pill. My husband threatened to hide the keys from me. (ha) I did promise him I wouldn't mow the law for a couple of weeks. (riding mower)

I drove today but just over to my daughters house and back. I did fine. I do have to go to the hospital this afternoon for the CAT Scan on my right lung, but I know I'll do fine. I've had so many CAT Scan, they are nothing. I sure pray they can find out what's wrong with my lung.

 

[Marge]

My surgeon let me drive at six weeks, which I think is pretty standard for him. (My cardio's nurse practitioner thinks OHS patients should wait EIGHT weeks. I would have gone quite mad if I had had to wait that long.)

I don't recall having any problems driving ... although I was told I might feel some soreness (arms, shoulders, neck, sternum) but I actually did not. But then, I had very little sternum pain at all during my recovery. I admit, I wasn't driving long distances at first.

I think it's probably a good idea to practice a bit, make sure you can turn your head properly to see traffic, etc.

I used a pillow between my chest and the seat belt for a couple of weeks and then that got to be a bother so I stopped. I guess I should have kept using the pillow a bit longer, just in case of an accident, but luckily I never had one.

 

[Kenny F]

I found that the physical side of driving wasn't as much of a problem (some soreness from getting in & out). What got me was the low-density hazy feeling that is still lingering at 6 weeks. I had to pay very close attention. I know some here would ascribe it to 'pumpheadedness' which may very well be true. I think all would agree that at 6 weeks you still really aren't yourself or have 100% control of your faculties.

Or is it just me?

 

[mjd414]

If at 6 weeks the haze will still there, can you recall at what point you felt comfortable driving, in,terms of being alert, depsite the discomfort. I have a goal of driving back to work in 8 weeks and functioning slowly, but being there with a clear mind.

Mark
Ft. Lauderdale
AVR scheduled for 7/14/04

 

[Marge]

<< If at 6 weeks the haze will still there, can you recall at what point you felt comfortable driving, in,terms of being alert, depsite the discomfort. I have a goal of driving back to work in 8 weeks and functioning slowly, but being there with a clear mind.>>

I don't think I had ANY haze at six weeks!!! I felt perfectly OK to drive at five weeks but, of course, deferred to my surgeon. But every recovery is different. I actually didn't ever feel really "pump-headed" except for the first few days after surgery when I was still dopey with meds. (I started reading Patrick O'Brian's "Post Captain" while I was still in the hospital and finished it in the week after I got home.)

I got tired easily for the first few weeks, then I'd nap, but when I was awake I was perfectly alert. Certainly by six weeks I was alert or I wouldn't have driven. By eight weeks I think you should be fine, even according to my cardio's nurse practitioner. She's a very cautious lady who thinks you shouldn't drive until eight weeks after OHS.

 

[Kenny F]

I felt fine at 6 weeks, just not 100%. I drove myself to work, showed houses and by 8 weeks post had written an offer on one propertyand gone to a closing on another.

The haze is a hard-to-explain feeling. You're just not quite right and you know it. I'm thinking normalcy did not return until towards the end of Rehab, which would have been 4 months post.

Also, I certainly was easily tired and had to take it easy, but I'm a Realtor not a lumberjack so I did not physically exert myself.

 

[mjd414]

Thanks for the good news.....I have this game plan that I am trying to put into place so I have short term and long term goals to shoot for. My goal is to work hard at "getting better" while I am at home, and hopefully going back to my office job at the end of 8 weeks, with only digestable reminders of the ordeal I went through. I know this is an aggressive, if not foolish game plan, but as a CPA (at least in a prior life), I need the comfort of spread sheets to work with. It is real strange to put your life on a spread sheet and try to make all the entries fit perfectly, but I am going to give it a try!.... with this group's help, I might just get the balance sheet TO BALANCE!

 

[Ross]

I can understand your wanting a spreadsheet plan, but I'll tell you right now, forget it. Your body will only recover as fast as it wants. It knows no rules, documented scenarios or the like. Everyone is different and all recover differently. If you push to hard, you'll back slide and be in big trouble. Go slow and easy, on day at a time, baby steps at first and work with it.

I don't want you charging into this like it can be a planned event, because it can't. I hope you know what I'm trying to convey here.

 

[Raverlaw]

Mark,

Ross is right. Everyone heals at their own pace, and you just have to go with the flow.

In my case, I started driving at the end of the 4th week. It felt a little strange and I wouldn't have been up to a long drive. Turning to look behind me was the hardest part.

I was back to my job (office job) at 5 weeks, for about half days. By eight weeks I was fully back in the saddle. I just wish I had someone to pay me for the time off like you do!

Best of luck to you. Do what you feel up to; no more, no less.

 

[hensylee]

my driving privileges were restored at about 6 weeks; it appears that is about the average time for most of us here. For your spread sheet, you might begin with the first 5 lbs and progress from there. When we get our driving privileges back (LAST spreadsheet column), we have just won the 'out of prison' prize. That's when your P & L should balance.

 

[Marge]

Mark I have yet another piece of advice! You haven't had enough have you.

You wrote: << My goal is to work hard at "getting better" while I am at home, >>

Commendable, but a warning: do not expect LINEAR progress.

I was disappointed at first because, during my recovery, I'd have a great day, and would then expect that the next day would be even better. But often it was not better, and sometimes the next day after that wasn't very good either. But eventually I'd get back on track. Don't let the temporary set backs (which are inevitable, I think) get you down.