Scheduled for surgery Nov. 9. Am I too old? Can I really do this? Just moved 275 miles away from where surgery will be performed. How difficult/painful will it be to travel back home after surgery? No support group, no friends in my new small town. Help, please.

I live about 45 minutes from where my surgery will be performed and have the same concerns as you. A five hour drive after surgery seems a bit much. Maybe once you leave the hospital you can just spend a few days in a hotel nearby just to heal and be sure everything is okay before you start that long drive. There's also the consideration of how much pain you'll be in, access to bathrooms, winter driving conditions, and if the hospital will even let you leave by yourself. Have a backup plan ready just in case. I've already prayed for your smooth and uneventful surgery and safe passage home.

Scheduled for surgery Nov. 9. Am I too old? Can I really do this? Just moved 275 miles away from where surgery will be performed. How difficult/painful will it be to travel back home after surgery? No support group, no friends in my new small town. Help, please.

I live an hour from where my surgery was done. I could not drive due to the hospital policy stating I had to have a ride home and did not drive for over 2 weeks because of the anesthesia and pain meds. The ride home hurt, but I had my pillow and kept it pressed to my belly and it helped a lot. Bumps sucked.
I'm 43 and thought I was too old for this, but with my health on the line I pushed forward and did it. The first 3 days were very painful, but getting up and walking a lot helped the pain. You may want to talk to your surgeons office about your situation. They may be able to help you come up with a plan post op. You can do this. Just get in the mind set that this surgery will help make you healthy and happy. Feel free to PM me if you need to talk! Good luck!

Scheduled for surgery Nov. 9. Am I too old? Can I really do this? Just moved 275 miles away from where surgery will be performed. How difficult/painful will it be to travel back home after surgery? No support group, no friends in my new small town. Help, please.

Sue, you are not old. This is you taking care of your body and choosing to be healthy. There are no age limits to that.
275 is too long a drive even after a minor surgery let alone this surgery. The suggestion to book into a motel for a few days seems reasonable I think until you are stronger. It will also give you time to be near your surgeon for a few days in case some unforeseen event come up right after the procedure. Hope all goes well for you.

I am 69 years old and had RNY gastric bypass surgery 4 years ago. I definitely was not too old for this surgery. I lived around 120 miles from the hospital where the surgery was performed. My wife drove me home form the hospital. The ride was not bad. I had to stop off at the pharmacy to pick up by blood thinner medicine on the way home. This took about an hour. Not all pharmacies have this medicine in stock so it was better to pick it up near the hospital because they normally stock it.

Hi Sue! I'm 55 an I'm in the middle of preparations to do my surgery. Granted I don't have the distance problem you have, but I STRONGLY SUGGEST you stay near your surgeon for 2 to 3 days to give your body a chance to know if anything is wrong. I choose to be healthy for the rest of my life, which is how you are feeling, I'm sure.

Feel free to pm me if you just need to talk. God Bless you!