Guest guest Posted February 14, 2004 Report Share Posted February 14, 2004 I drove about 3-4 weeks, but it was just to a really close store. I felt more comfortable driving about the 5-6 week mark and went back to work (office/desk) about 7 weeks post-op. I wouldn't rush the driving, make sure you are really up to it. Err on the side of caution, and take your time recovering. Dr. G / 7/03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 14, 2004 Report Share Posted February 14, 2004 Hi Chris: You should ask your surgeon this question and follow that advice. It varies a lot and also depends on how quickly you recover. I drove my manual transmission car the day after I flew from London to California, which was 17 days after surgery. However it was a little dicey and if I were driving for a living instead of to and from my office (20 miles each way on the freeway), I might have waited quite a bit longer. If you have an automatic and you have your right hip done, it would different than if it were the left too. I imagine if it were the left, it will be much easier to drive within 3 weeks or so. But remember, this chat group is for moral support and sharing experiences, not medical advice. Your surgeon knows best. Des Tuck In a message dated 2/14/2004 7:25:05 PM Pacific Standard Time, gabacho@... writes: I'll be getting my own new hip soon (hopefully) and would like to know how long till I can drive a car. Mine is an automatic transmission, and I can work as soon as I can drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 14, 2004 Report Share Posted February 14, 2004 Hi gang, I'm so thankful for all the great info. I'll be getting my own new hip soon (hopefully) and would like to know how long till I can drive a car. Mine is an automatic transmission, and I can work as soon as I can drive. It would seem that if you can sit on a plane for 16 hours, that I should be able to drive for one. Info is greatly appreciated. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 14, 2004 Report Share Posted February 14, 2004 Hi Chris! I was able to drive 30 minutes-1hr at 2 weeks. A little stiff maybe, but doable. At 3 1/2 weeks 2 hours was about my max. I'm 5 1/2 weeks now and can go several hours without difficulty. You'll do fine! Good luck! Dr Steve Vince Bilat BHR De Smet Jan 6, 2004 > Hi gang, > I'm so thankful for all the great info. I'll be getting my own > new hip soon (hopefully) and would like to know how long till I can > drive a car. Mine is an automatic transmission, and I can work as > soon as I can drive. It would seem that if you can sit on a plane > for 16 hours, that I should be able to drive for one. Info is > greatly appreciated. > Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 14, 2004 Report Share Posted February 14, 2004 Dr. Vince, Thanks for the speedy reply. I appeciate your contributions to the site. How was the plane flight home? Any helpfull advice in that regard? As well, would you consider the work of Dr. Amstutz on par with Dr. De Smet? I may be covered here stateside, and live near JRI, but care most about quality. Thanks, Chris - -- In surfacehippy , " usraddoc " wrote: > Hi Chris! > I was able to drive 30 minutes-1hr at 2 weeks. A little stiff maybe, > but doable. At 3 1/2 weeks 2 hours was about my max. I'm 5 1/2 weeks > now and can go several hours without difficulty. You'll do fine! > Good luck! > Dr Steve Vince > Bilat BHR De Smet Jan 6, 2004 > > > > > Hi gang, > > I'm so thankful for all the great info. I'll be getting my own > > new hip soon (hopefully) and would like to know how long till I can > > drive a car. Mine is an automatic transmission, and I can work as > > soon as I can drive. It would seem that if you can sit on a plane > > for 16 hours, that I should be able to drive for one. Info is > > greatly appreciated. > > Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 14, 2004 Report Share Posted February 14, 2004 the most uncomfortable part of riding in a car for me was sitting with the swelling of the incisions pushing against the molded sides of the seat, but my vehicle has flatter seats, so I tossed the crutches in the back, put a plastic garbage bag on the seat, sat down and spun into it. My vehicle has manual transmission and I drove 10 days after surgery, basically cuz I iced the incisions alot and methinks I was out of beer! shoulda seen me walking out of the mini-mart wobbling with a halfcase hanging from my crutches! good luck jeff bilat De Smet > Hi gang, > I'm so thankful for all the great info. I'll be getting my own > new hip soon (hopefully) and would like to know how long till I can > drive a car. Mine is an automatic transmission, and I can work as > soon as I can drive. It would seem that if you can sit on a plane > for 16 hours, that I should be able to drive for one. Info is > greatly appreciated. > Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 14, 2004 Report Share Posted February 14, 2004 The plane ride back to the US was a bear! It was 9 hours from Brussels to DC and at only 10 days post op I had a lot of swelling above the teds which stretched and superficially separated a section of my left incision. Then there was a wheelchair snafu and way too much walking, but hey, I eventually got home OK! If you go to Gent I would recommend waiting the full 2 weeks before flying home to give the incision(s) time to heal more completely and to give yourself a chance to see Gent and drink some Belgian beer. I would also suggest a stopover of more than a few hours somewhere midway between there and home. I stayed with my folks in DC for 2 days before completing the trip home to Iowa. 16 hours would be a major challenge, yet there are folks who have done it and are glad they did. As a radiologist with a window into the multitude of problems associated with all kinds of THR's, once I learned of resurf it was the only option I really actively considered. I think when you're dealing with 2 very experienced surgeons you go with your gut feeling as much as anything. I needed/wanted both hips done at the same time and developed an immediate rapport with De Smet. JRI would no doubt make more sense for you logistically. My insurance wouldn't cover either site and I'd never been to Belgium, and so...it's been a terrific experience, all in all. My recovery has been fast and relatively uneventful. I look forward to running and doing aerobic exercise again, playing soccer with my kids and doing all the things I was told I would never do again as little as 2 years ago. The most important thing to do at this point is to make a site decision and go. I almost waited too long. Take good care! Let me know if there is anything else I can do to assist! Steve Vince > > > Hi gang, > > > I'm so thankful for all the great info. I'll be getting my > own > > > new hip soon (hopefully) and would like to know how long till I > can > > > drive a car. Mine is an automatic transmission, and I can work > as > > > soon as I can drive. It would seem that if you can sit on a > plane > > > for 16 hours, that I should be able to drive for one. Info is > > > greatly appreciated. > > > Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2004 Report Share Posted February 15, 2004 HI, Apparently in the UK, if you have a THR you are supposed to tell the Drivers' Bureau (DVLC) in Swansea. It sends you a form. It is filled in by your consultant and GP when you think you are ready to drive, and then sent back to the DVLC for it to say yes or no and issue you with a new or medical license. (I got this from the Daily Telegraph Hip Replacement Book.) Possibly then, BHR patients who just stop and then resume driving as they see fit, in the UK, may be breaking some law or other and might be invalidating car insurance. Can any Brit surface hippy add any intelligence to this? Chris. > Hi gang, > I'm so thankful for all the great info. I'll be getting my own > new hip soon (hopefully) and would like to know how long till I can > drive a car. Mine is an automatic transmission, and I can work as > soon as I can drive. It would seem that if you can sit on a plane > for 16 hours, that I should be able to drive for one. Info is > greatly appreciated. > Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2004 Report Share Posted February 15, 2004 Dear When I went for my 6 week check-up, I was told by my consultant (actually the senior registrar) that the rules about driving and insurance after a resurf were unclear. He suggested that I contact my insurance company to check what their rules were. I duly did this, and was told I could drive ‘when my doctor says it is all right’. As I had a right hip resurf and still had a lot of swelling and some pain at 6 weeks, my consultant had said to wait until my 12 week check to drive. This meant I couldn’t work as I have a long drive to and from work, or a public transport commute of 1 ½ hours each way with a 15 walk on either end (when well). (Fortunately have lots of sick pay.) My physio said to try driving a short distance and see what happened. I have an automatic, but until 9 weeks, the move from gas pedal to brake pedal was very sore. Feeling better at 10 weeks, I went to my GP who checked all my reflexes and still said she felt I shouldn’t drive. I still have daily aches and pains at the end of the day particularly, and she was concerned that should I have to hit the brake hard for an emergency stop, I might get a sudden flash of pain, and remove my foot from the brake. I was uncertain about this, but guess I can see her point. Am just feeling very restricted and itching to get back to work. My 12 week check is on Wednesday, so we shall see if I get the go ahead to drive or not. Having said that, even if I do get the go-ahead, I will go in late and return early initially avoiding rush hour as I have reservations about how I’d fair in long traffic jams. Eleanor Ps I wonder then if consultants, Gp, insurance companies know about the DVLA regs, or perhaps they do not think them relevant to resurf? To THR? Crumbs---just went into the DVLA web site http://www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/dmed1.htm and this is what I found: MEDICAL RULES If you have a medical condition which has become worse since your licence was issued or you develop a new medical condition, you must inform the Drivers Medical Group of your condition, as it may affect your fitness to drive. Failure to do so is a criminal offence and is punishable by a fine of up to £1000. And then---under Which medical conditions do DVLA want to know about? The relevant bit for us might be? : * Amputation, Impaired limb function, impairment secondary to medication * Any other medical condition likely to affect ability to safely control a vehicle e.g. chronic debilitation illness (There are lots of other medical conditions mentioned.) How to interpret this? What do others think? Thr is not mentioned specifically, interestingly enough and it is certainly such a common op one would think it would be. Re: driving after surgery HI, Apparently in the UK, if you have a THR you are supposed to tell the Drivers' Bureau (DVLC) in Swansea. It sends you a form. It is filled in by your consultant and GP when you think you are ready to drive, and then sent back to the DVLC for it to say yes or no and issue you with a new or medical license. (I got this from the Daily Telegraph Hip Replacement Book.) Possibly then, BHR patients who just stop and then resume driving as they see fit, in the UK, may be breaking some law or other and might be invalidating car insurance. Can any Brit surface hippy add any intelligence to this? Chris. > Hi gang, > I'm so thankful for all the great info. I'll be getting my own > new hip soon (hopefully) and would like to know how long till I can > drive a car. Mine is an automatic transmission, and I can work as > soon as I can drive. It would seem that if you can sit on a plane > for 16 hours, that I should be able to drive for one. Info is > greatly appreciated. > Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2004 Report Share Posted February 15, 2004 Rog knows me well Des In a message dated 2/15/2004 1:19:26 PM Pacific Standard Time, roger@... writes: Lousy food but brilliant surgeons as Des Tuck may tell you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2004 Report Share Posted February 15, 2004 Hi Chris To an extent the same goes for both resurfacing (to a lesser extent) and THR. What they're worried about is not the driving but emergency braking. As most cars over here are manual gearboxes you need both legs and there is a danger of dislocation during those first few weeks. It is a rare occurrence but looking at it from the perspective of a parent whose child has been seriously injured. It was explained to me at the Birmingham Royal Orthopaedic as part of the release chat. They have done 1000's of resurfacing's ( I know this figure sounds high but remembering that both McMinn and Treacy operate from here along with 8 other Hip OS's - Treacy and McMinn probably account for 4000 at just this hospital {they also work at other hospitals}- You've then got Baloch, Chana, Green, O'Hara, Learmonth, Dunlop, & Deshmukh). What I'm trying to say is that they should know what they're talking about - Lousy food but brilliant surgeons as Des Tuck may tell you. It may come as a surprise to some but they have the 3 if not 4 of the most experienced resurfacing OS's. The law of this country is that if you have been medically advised not to drive you don't. Your insurance company would disown you and to drive without insurance is a criminal offence as is driving when unfit to do so. As it was stated to me they're is another point in that if you have an uncemented prosthesis then this takes longer to get back to normal and you may damage that healing process although not dislocating i.e. loose joint. Dislocating does happen - a lot rarer in resurfacing than THR - they've had 2 resurfers at Birmingham. The word is CAUTION. You may feel great after years of pain but do as Des Tuck said and that is follow medical instructions - it's not a race. Rog Re: driving after surgery > HI, > Apparently in the UK, if you have a THR you are supposed to tell the > Drivers' Bureau (DVLC) in Swansea. It sends you a form. It is filled > in by your consultant and GP when you think you are ready to drive, > and then sent back to the DVLC for it to say yes or no and issue you > with a new or medical license. (I got this from the Daily Telegraph > Hip Replacement Book.) > > Possibly then, BHR patients who just stop and then resume driving as > they see fit, in the UK, may be breaking some law or other and might > be invalidating car insurance. > > Can any Brit surface hippy add any intelligence to this? > Chris. > > > > > Hi gang, > > I'm so thankful for all the great info. I'll be getting my own > > new hip soon (hopefully) and would like to know how long till I can > > drive a car. Mine is an automatic transmission, and I can work as > > soon as I can drive. It would seem that if you can sit on a plane > > for 16 hours, that I should be able to drive for one. Info is > > greatly appreciated. > > Chris > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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