Hi all I was just wondering how soon after surgery were you able to drive say a few hours in 1 go without feeling too tired?

I'll be having surgery in 3days I'll be needing to drive within 7 days of surgery if I can't find any alternatives.

I'm just curious because i know people talk about being very lethargic and tired post op?

I'll be using automatic so it's pretty easy to drive I drive all the time as it is just curious about being able to stay awake early post surgery!!?

Thanks guys.

2 days after surgery: I flew for about a 3-hour flight, rode in a shuttle to an off-site parking lot, and drove a 30+ minute drive home. It was painful (I had NO pain medications) and at times, I felt like my guts were going to fall out with all the jostling around. Fatigue was not my enemy, pain was.

I spent a week recovering at home, then resumed my daily commute in DFW traffic (1 hour to and 1.5 hour home). I had no issues driving at about a week out. No pain. No fatigue.

Thanks for posting this! I'm planning on taking 1-2 weeks off work, but am hoping to be able to drive my kids to their activities, even if it means just pulling up and dropping them off without getting out of the car!

9 hours ago, Mikeyy said:

Which insurance are you talking about... Lol I've got an old car don't got insurance on it.. not worth it.. I'm just asking practicality wise...

You shouldn’t be driving without 3rd party insurance, what happens if you hit someone else?

I think I started driving shortly after I was off the narcotic pain medicine, so definitely within a week or so.

Here in Australia our registration includes CTP so we're all good. Plus I've never ever hit anyone and I've been driving off and on for 15 years. Thank you.

I drove the day after surgery. I was not on painkillers and felt awake and energized. I was one of the fortunate ones who awakened after surgery without any pain. My only weakness was walking. I tried to move around as much as possible post-surgery but my muscles felt weak for about five days.

It doesn't cover the cost of repairing the vehicle you hit. If you hit a Merc that could be very expensive, just because you haven't had an accident yet doesn't mean you never will.

Best to make sure you are properly insured, that you are not on any narcotic pain meds, that your surgeon is happy for you to be driving and that you could brake suddenly if necessary.

17 hours ago, Mikeyy said:

Ok but howmany hours could you drive without feeling tired

I didn't drive more than an hour at first (didn't need to)... but at 3 weeks post op I drove 6+ hours without a problem. Five weeks post op I drove 8+ hours. Both with minimal stops.

I drove for very short periods locally within a few days but my instructions were not to drive until cleared by surgeon which was 9 days post op.

I’m 11 days now and I am sure I could drive farther if needed.

I did great with this surgery and did a lot of walking from day one. However, the fatigue was real. Definitely not in my mind.

It's great if you don't have to drive, but it's darn near impossible for some people. I agree that you should be off narcotics and let someone else drive if you can, but not everyone has someone to help them. Just be extra careful!

As noted, they generally want you to be off of any narcotics for a day or so before doing any driving. Doing basic errands and around town driving shouldn't be an issue for most, but a multi-hour trip is probably pushing it. At a week out, you may feel like you have been run over by a truck, or you may feel ready to take on Bathurst - it is hard to predict and one day you may feel great and the next feel like crap.

I drove a couple hours up to San Francisco for my first post-op appointment at 10 days, I had planned to drive the first hour (my wife doesn't do mornings) and my wife would do the second hour as we got into town and more traffic, but I felt fine and did the entire trip (she drove back in the afternoon.) I would not have attempted it had I not had a relief driver on hand to take over. Similarly, we headed back home in Los Angeles, a 5-6 hour drive, a couple of days later and split the driving chores; but she could have done the whole trip had I not been feeling up to it.

In short, a long driving trip should be planned around, and don't depend upon yourself to be able to do the whole thing on your own. I won't get into the prospect of a possibly unreliable GI tract (will you be constipated, or having diarrhea the whole time then? Either (or both) is quite possible with the changes in diet and gut flora that has happened.

Good luck in your surgery!