Long Distance Commute Post Surgery

[MaryC]

Hi Aaron,
Good luck with your surgery, whatever you decide. I was prepared to travel when I first starting checking into the specifics of mitral valve surgery. I was lucky to find the best surgeon for me in the area I live but had seen on this forum where many folks traveled out of their home states to have surgery.

 

[ponygirlmom]

I will just mention again that my surgeon was seriously concerned about airbag deployment, whether from high speed crashes or low speed impacts.

I guess no one who has been commenting about airbags realizes that you can disable the passenger airbags in cars. I know that some older cars don't have this feature, but newer cars do. You'll even see an indicator light saying whether the airbag is on or off.

You can also "split the difference" by moving your seat all the way back. This is what my daughter does, although she is now tall and heavy enough now not to have to worry about being injured by an airbag. But she still has "airbag phobia." (Interestingly enough, she has no "airbag phobia" when it comes to learning to drive!)

 

[Susan BAV]

I guess no one who has been commenting about airbags realizes that you can disable the passenger airbags in cars...

Just relating an experienced surgeon's specific recommendation--related to the thread question...

 

[ginnylee]

Aaron, I had my surgery in Houston at St. Luke's nearly four weeks ago and I rode in a car all the way home the day after discharge. I live in a small town south of Dallas and it normally takes around 4 and 1/2 to 5 hours to get home. This time we had to go through Dallas from Houston to pick up our daughter from her grandmother's house. So we left Houston and drove to Dallas and then turned around and drove another hour home. It was really not that bad. They key was that we took it really slow. We stopped every hour and a 1/2 to 2 hours to walk. Plus we stopped two additional times to eat lunch and dinner. Each time I would walk around quite a bit before getting back into the car. Of course, I sat in the backseat of our sedan with about four pillows surrounding me in order to keep me comfortable and we stayed on the interstate so as to avoid bumpy roads.

I was scheduled to have surgery in Dallas and then decided to talk with the surgeon in Houston and after that could not imagine having anyone else do the surgery. I have healed very well and had no complications thus far (hoping never). The people were wonderful and my surgeon was absolutely remarkable. Therefore, I believe that if you choose to go to Houston you will not be disappointed. You will just have to be smart about the trip home. Like others have mentioned, do not even think about driving yourself home it would be too hard and the Dr. will not let you. Make sure that you choose a person whom you trust and who will have your best interest at heart to drive you home. You will be tired and very weak and will need someone to make sure you are taking your meds correctly and that you are feeling OK.

If you need any other info on Houston feel free to pm me because most of my family lives there so I know the area well. Also my immediate family might have some suggestions for your family in the way of hotels and transportation issues.

 

[Bridgette]

Aaron - I haven't had time to read the whole thread, but I'll just mention what I was told by the first surgeon I talked to.
The hospital he operated out of is about a 10 hour drive from where I live. He said "all going well you could be discharged 5 or 6 days after your op, but I personally wouldn't recommend you return home by car all in one day - it will be a hard trip if you do. You are better off flying" (only an hour and a half flight, then another hour and a half car ride to my home town).

In saying that though, if you are scared of flying, and I know many people are (I don't really enjoy it myself) you could do as others have said and break the journey up into smaller sections, stopping overnight at places with your support person.
Would that be feasible?

Bridgette

PS: I ended up having my op in a city which is about and hour and forty mins drive from home. My partner drove me home 7 days post op, and while the journey wasn't unpleasant, it was still quite tiring.
Just my personal experience.