driving after surgery
 

My surgery is scheduled for November 18th. Approximately 5 weeks after surgery I am supposed to drive down to North Carolina for Christmas, its a 9 hour drive. Am I going to be able to do this?

best pillow
 

Anyone want to chime in on what they think the best pillow is for someone with neck issues?
I've tried the tempurpedic contoured one and found it too hard.

For that 9 hour drive, are you doing the driving or are you being a passenger?

that is what i think will be the biggest factor for you. Aslo, have you asked your surgeon about this? They will ultimately be the best advice. for my lumbar surgery I was initially told i wouldn't be allowed to drive myself anywhere for 2-3 months post-op, i guess because of the chance of crash messing things up. i wound up being given the go-ahead at 3 weeks but didn't feel comfortable enough until closer to 6 weeks.

I'm not sure how it differs for cervical patients with regards to the driving issue, but I know I was barely able to drive myself even short distances at 5 weeks post op. I could spend about an hour in the drivers seat before my back got really irritated and most of the time insisted on being a passenger so I could recline. You may be able to do it if your recovery goes smoothly enough, but I would imagine it'd still be a push in terms of your stamina for doing much of anything. It's amazing how much the body can atrophy in terms of general stamina in those first few weeks post-op. I went and visited my coworkers around 5 weeks post-op and was absolutely wiped out by mid-afternoon.

hope this helps.

~Sara

I had 4 level ADR surgery on November 4th and returned to driving on November 18th. I also drove 10 hours one way to Minnesota to be home for the holidays with Elizabeth's family. I drove my Mother-In-Law all over the place for the Christmas shopping for the time we were there. I then drove 10 hours back on Christmas day so Elizabeth could be there the next day for her after Christmas sale in the store.

I don't recommend you follow my path as I am nuts. :D

The Temperpedic pillow is hard when it is cold. Your body heat warms it up and your neck molds in to it. This takes a little time and maybe you did not give yourself time to warm it up. I have been using one of the pillows for many, many years and love it. :cool:

Terry Newton

I will be the one driving, and I will be the only one in the car, so I can take it as slow as I like stopping as much as I like, even breaking it up into 2 days if needed. I'd like to avoid flying down if possible because I still then have to rent a car and drive 2.5 hours to my moms, plus the time spent in the airports.

Terry: that sounds like even more driving than I do at the holidays. and driving to Minnesota in the winter can be crazy in itself!

Both Terry and I have Prestige cervical disks. My surgeon told me that I could drive 2 weeks after surgery--which I did with no problem, using my soft collar just for my own sense of security. However, I did not drive long distances, as you are proposing. I have gathered from others who have received Pro-Disc C that the advice about driving is more conservative, so there may be a design difference here affecting what you can do post-surgery. The best advice would be to talk with your surgeon about this.

I too have been using the tempurpedic pillows--both the cervical and side sleeper pillows. Prior to surgery, the cervical pillow was actually uncomfortable but now it really does feel good to lie down on it.

Good luck in your surgery!