Waiting for surgery date....lots of questions

[shellyb]

My husband is having his aortic valve replaced. We've met with one surgeon this last Tuesday and are now sending my husband's test results to Cleveland Clinic to get their recommendations. I have some concerns about going that far from home....about 1150 miles...but on the other hand we want to go somewhere that has lots of experience. One question we have is what is it like to fly 2 or 3 days after surgery? Has anyone experienced that?

Thanks for any feedback!

Shelly in SD

 

[Phyllis]

Shelly, there have been many members who have traveled far and wide for surgery and have flown home after- sometimes, staying in a nearby hotel for a few days to get checked out before flying home. Put in a search for "flying after surgery" and I am sure you will come up with many threads.

 

[KatieD]

Shelly,

I doubt they'll let your husband out of the hospital 2 to 3 days after surgery. I flew from Denver to Dallas for my surgery in June 2007. I was released on day 6 after surgery and flew back that day. I relied on the wheelchairs at the airport and actually found them quite useful for speeding through security. The nice man on the Dallas end of the return actually helped my husband and I get our 9 year old twins organized and through security!

I had minimally invasive surgery so didn't have the issues with the sternum tenderness, but I posted here before my surgery and found others who traveled home without any problems.

 

[hensylee]

why not contact the surgeon's office to ask about flying and how soon after. Usually the stay in hospital is 4 - 6 days and maybe a couple more in hotel before flying home.

I use wheelchair service when flying and it is very, very helpful. They wheel you right from curb and take care of you til you get onto plane. When you land there is a wheelchair waiting for you.