Driving

[sarsar 824]

How long until you can drive after surgery?

[Noel Bleakney 10]

I drove home from the airport... so that was 4 days out. I'm sure I could have driven on the 3rd day too. good luck everyone is different though.

[bilka 6]

I was driving a week later with no problems and the stitches still in

[Beadingnurse 116]

My doc said two weeks but I drove about 5 days in without a problem but I only went a few miles. I can see how I might have gotten fatigued if I tried to drive several hours.

[quints 1]

I drove a week out and I had no problems.

[Rev Me Up! 75]

I was so weak and light headed, I didn't trust myself to drive more than a mile until 10 days out. But, I had significant exhaustion for several weeks. My body was healing well and I had little to no pain, but my head was a mess.

[lkcraig316 4]

I'm a full week out and I still haven't driven. I haven't taken pain meds since I've been home, but like Rev Me Up! says, my head is a mess. I'll think I'm fine and start doing something and then the wobblies set in. I'm going to try a short field trip this week, but I'm taking someone with me. The only rule my doc had was wait 24 hours after taking your last narcotic pain pill.

[Chicadee 10]

Glad I am not the only one. I get those "wobbles" too. Doing the dishes last night totally messed me up. I did drive for the first time on Mother's day and was fine, my surgery was last Tuesday. I also haven't taken any pain killers since the day I left the hospital.

The littlest things mess my head up, just gotta take it slow.

[sarsar 824]

Do you think the wobbly/weak feeling is just from not eating enough Protein or your body getting used to everything? Is this a normal feeling to have after surgery?

[Chicadee 10]

Not sure, I mean my caloric intake is severely reduced from even the pre-op diet and I am getting in the amount of Protein the doctor specified.

So far today I have had 100cal yogurt, 180cal Protein shake and 100cal cream of mushroom Soup with only dinner left in the day and more Protein. I've had 36g of protein so far today. I might get to 600 calories today.

I am sure it is a little bit of everything, our bodies have been though a trauma and now we aren't feeding it like it was used to being fed.

[lkcraig316 4]

I'm sure part of it could be the low calorie intake, especially if you didn't have a very strict pre-op diet. But I think a lot of it is just the crazy things anesthesia does to your body. And the trauma of the surgery itself.