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Nugrandma1

My husband is going into his third week post op. He's feeing frisky and wants to drive. He only takes his percoset at night and during the day he takes extra strength Tylenol. When did you all go back to driving? I don't drive due to a vision thing and my daughter has been driving me around to shop and stuff. But hubby is really itching to go. He feels great and not much pain just a bit of a healing feeling inside his chest. He's walking around the house and a bit up and down the street.

I am calling his surgeon at the end of the week and asking him when It will be OK to drive. The visiting nurse comes 3 times a week and is amazed at his progress. She thinks he will be ready by next week.

Thanks and I appreciate any feedback
Pati:)
 
Nugrandma1 said:
My husband is going into his third week post op. He's feeing frisky and wants to drive. He only takes his percoset at night and during the day he takes extra strength Tylenol. When did you all go back to driving? I don't drive due to a vision thing and my daughter has been driving me around to shop and stuff. But hubby is really itching to go. He feels great and not much pain just a bit of a healing feeling inside his chest. He's walking around the house and a bit up and down the street.

I am calling his surgeon at the end of the week and asking him when It will be OK to drive. The visiting nurse comes 3 times a week and is amazed at his progress. She thinks he will be ready by next week.

Thanks and I appreciate any feedback
Pati:)
Click to expand...

My doctors didn't want me to do any driving for at least 6 weeks. I think that's recommended to most patients but your surgeon or cardio will let you know for sure.

Glad he's doing so good but tell him to take it easy ---- don't try to do too much too soon! :)
 
It really is up to the surgeon. They are the ones who know what was done inside and have the most experience with the healing process.

Among the things that are a concern, at least with my husband's discussions with his surgeons:

Can you move your body, shoulders, chest and neck enough to see traffic when you have to, like backing out from a parking space?

Any pains in your arms, back or shoulders? This is common after valve surgery.

Are you alert enough to drive, and are off all pain medications? Fuzzy-headedness is common for several weeks after surgery.

Will driving exhaust you?

One of the biggest concerns was what would happen to the newly operated on heart and sternum if there were to be an accident (caused by you or someone else) where there is airbag deployment.

People have had to have open heart surgery just from that alone (and I am talking about a regular person who never had surgery). I think we have a member here whose husband had to have valve surgery due to accident caused damage. Think about what it would do to a chest that wasn't healed yet.

So let the surgeon decide if it is the right time.
 
The last word is the surgeons but my understanding is that at 3 weeks the sternum isn't fully healed. Fine if he feels ok and nothings happens. However, if he gets involved in an accident and the airbags deploy, it could be problematic. Typically it's 6 weeks before driving is ok. Personally I believed in short to pain (i.e. sacrifice) for long term gain. Best wishes and good luck.
 
The STERNUM takes 12 weeks to be FULLY Healed.

At 6 weeks, it 'should' be healed to 85% of normal strength. That is when 'most' surgeons release their patients to drive. (Some give in for Very Limited Daytime Driving at 4 weeks to get to Doctor appointments).

For the first several weeks your husband *should* have been advised to limit any Pushing / Pulling / Lifting to **5** Lbs. Maximum.

I 'understand' the desire to regain his freedom, but turning around to see behind his car could easily put excessive stress on his healing sternum and possibly 'undo' the healing 'bone glue'. I don't think he would like to spend the rest of his life with a misaligned sternum.

If that doesn't convince him NOT to drive, call your insurance agent and ask what would happen if he had an accident before the surgeon released him to drive.

'AL Capshaw'
 
Places to go, things to do....

Places to go, things to do....

I told my surgeon, I was gonna drive.... so he better give me the ?real scoop?. He said you need to wait AT LEAST two weeks... it takes that long to get all the anesthesia out of your system. But he really wanted me to wait at least four, we negotiated to three.... and I drove on day seven..... BAD RAIN, VERY BAD.
 
If he gets permission, go with him and let him drive around the block...he will soon realise he isn't quite up to it yet! That sternum needs time to fuse together and all the twisting and stuff you do when driving makes it harder than you realise when you have a newly healing chest.
 
aussigal said:
That sternum needs time to fuse together and all the twisting and stuff you do when driving makes it harder than you realise when you have a newly healing chest.
Click to expand...

Not to mention he may not like the feeling of the seat belt resting on his chest. I used a hand towel between the belt and my chest for at least 2 months. At times, the skin is still tender to touch.
 
My surgeon told me to wait eight weeks. I obeyed except for one hectic incident about 2 1/2 weeks post-op due to a wildfire evacuation. I was very careful but it was very uncomfortable.
 
Also make sure your insurance company will cover you so soon after the operation. Here in Oz third party insurance will often not cover patients who drive within six to eight weeks of the operation while the breastbone is still healing

Mary
 
My surgeon said three weeks. I only cheated a couple times before that, but only close to home. Day Seven, Rain? That is early! I'd say let him drive, but do be cautious. I found it very difficult to pay attention to the road -- part of the emotional changes that come with this surgery.
 
I'm not real proud of driving on day seven...

I'm not real proud of driving on day seven...

....and probably shouldn't even admit I did it, Jim. :eek: I did it because I had an appt to have my INR checked... it was still bouncing around, and they impressed on me how important it was to get it checked ASAP after getting back home.... and my daughter had a soccer game. Both were less than two miles from my house.. And I live in a really small town. I only cheated a few times after that. :eek: I know most people will say Soccer games and Brownie meetings arenot THAT important.... but I'd never left Sara before and she was somewhat traumatized by my leaving her for a week to have the surgery. I wanted to make her life 'normal' again. The truth be known... her crawling on and off my lap several times a day was more painful than the driving... but that too was very important (for both of us) at the time.
 
Chris was released to drive 4 weeks post-OHS by his surgeon; however, he only drove the kids to and from school and into town twice a week, and we live in a very rural area. I am the usual driver when we do anything as a family, anyway, and have been since before we were married. The surgeon said that the whole airbag issue was "overblown" and didn't recommend disconnecting it. He also told Chris not to drive if his chest hurt or he was using pain meds, and to use his head when it came down to it. The surgeon also felt that it would hurt just as much if we were to get into an accident if I was driving, possibly more since the passenger is known as "the death seat" in the automotive insurance industry.

To be frank, Chris was very happy to have me drive for as long as possible, and he wasn't in a big hurry to drive himself. Plus, with the price of gas...

Still Roasting in Idaho,
-Laura
 
For the first month, I was told to sit in the back seat

and my wife made sure I followed orders.

I need to make this clear. I didn't have to sit in the back

seat if we weren't going anywhere. LOL!~!~!!! :D
 
My surgeon released me to drive after three weeks, which in hindsight I think was probably too soon.

Mark
 
My first surgery I tried to drive at 6 weeks. I couldn't turn the steering wheel :(. So I waited 8 and was fine...

The second surgery and healing process seemed much faster and I was able to drive at the six week mark (I likely could have tried earlier, but without the surgeon's written clearance I wouldn't have been insured).

Driving is more important to men, but it shouldn't be more important than consideration for their families' if they aren't covered in an accident.
 
The biggest issue to those around you will be if you have to make a sudden evasive swerve, ar suddenly need ot turn all the way around to see what's happening behind you, as you won't be able to do it.

The biggest physical threat to you is damaging yourself from reactign to a driving situation (you can't control that), or damage from the air bag or steering column.

The enormous financial threat to you, as brought up before, is insurance. If you're not cleared to drive after OHS, you're not insured. Worse, if anything happens, it's declared your fault. Is driving a week or two early worth your home? The kids' college funds? Your retirement savings?

You'd best get your surgeon's written clearance first. This is the most common thing people want back fast, and it is by far the most foolish to indulge yourself in.

As for other good reasons, go back and reread Al Capshaw's post above.

Best wishes,
 
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