AFTER OP

Message

#1 Post by **KELLYW123** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:46 am

I'm not scheduled for my op until October but I'm thinking ahead.

I'll be pretty much looking after myself after the op as I live alone but will have friends popping in etc. I'm just not sure if this is gonna be enough straight after surgery. What kind of practical things will I struggle with.

Also how long is it likely to be until I feel ok to drive as I believe I will have post-op appointments and I live in a rural area quite a distance from my hospital and there is very little public transport?

#2 Post by **ohmyjaw** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 8:29 am

Hi Kelly, I also looked after myself after surgery. I stayed in the hospital one night, and then went home and had someone stay with me for one more night. I have a friend who is a nurse who would call every day. It was fine. I didn't have any problems taking care of myself, but I had a very straight-forward recovery with no complications. The only thing that was difficult was eating, because I was wired shut and I had to blend everything and sometimes I didn't have the energy to deal with that.

I don't really know about how soon you can drive, but I imagine it would be after you are off the strong painkillers, and for me that was almost two weeks (but that is quite long - many others are off them after a few days).

#3 Post by **Clover** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 1:31 pm

I think you'll be fine if you have friends popping in, I spent one night in hospital then was pretty much on my own for the next couple of days. However, do have a contingency plan in place in case you have complications. I picked up a tummy bug and had vomiting and diarrhoea on Friday into Saturday, and really couldn't have managed without my mum and dad. My mum pretty much did everything for me on Saturday and my dad drove me to the docs to get a jab to stop me from being sick.
As for driving, I'm going to drive myself to an appointment on Tuesday, which is one week post op. I'm off the strong painkillers but would be too tired to drive before then. All the best to you

#4 Post by **loulou123** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 3:35 pm

Think i could have looked after myself, once i came out of hospital, if id had too, but glad im had my mum with me. As the medication i had to take for pain relief made my blood pressure drop so i had some dizzy spells.

I found mum most useful to do the cooking and make sure i drank and took my meds etc.

I dont actually drive, but found i had great difficulty crossing the road for a couple of weeks, as my neck was so swollen, i couldnt turn my head without turning my whole body so definately wouldnt have been save to drive. (but again thats just my experiance and i did have complications)

#5 Post by **KELLYW123** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:44 pm

Thanks for all the replies. They've all been really helpful

#6 Post by **gumchewer** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:22 pm

I think recovery depends a lot on your procedure, health, and tolerance

I didn't have any complications, but I was in the hospital for three nights and was a complete mess for the rest of that week. If I were alone that week, I probably wouldn't have gotten out of bed, showered, eaten or drunken anything, kept up with my medications, etc. I had very little strength, and certainly no energy to prepare food and such. I was also pretty depressed, and I don't think I could have handled it alone. I wasn't even allowed to drive until my wires came off -- 4 weeks.

That said, I certainly don't mean to scare you. talk to your doctor about what you can expect.