Driving

[Jood]

What an excellent idea Helen !! I may ask Santa to do an early call


*Hope you get on okay, there is something lovely about getting your freedom back!
Love Viv x*

I am SOOOOO looking forward to it !!

[Scaredy_Cat]

Hey Jood (Sorry),

It was about 4 weeks after having a left MX and LNC that I started driving but only short distances at first as I lost some of my confidence.

I checked with my insurance company and all they said was that as long I was in full control of the vehicle then I was ok to drive.

The one thing that made it more confortable was the purchase of a Travel Cushion from Tendercush. It's a cushion which you can hang from your should and position it where the seat belt crosses your body. I wouldn't be without it and 9 months later I still use it at times.

Hope that helps. Love and hugs, Helen xx

[Guest user]

Hi Jood!

Hope you start to feel better soon. I had double mx with temporary implants, one got infected and had to have it removed. I drove after 3 weeks.

One bit of information given to me from the BCN and insurance company....you should be able to drive 'as normal' with no cushioning or anything or your insurance may be invalid. So nothing between you and the seatbelt etc.

Hope you get on okay, there is something lovely about getting your freedom back!

Love Viv x

[Jood]

*above my lymph node scar was very sore - more so than around my WLE scar. It was definitely hard and uncomfortable.*


That's it exactly Sara !!
So painful

[Cackles]

Lots of ladies ( and men) drive themselves to Radiotherapy. Four to six weeks is the average time for most people. Do check on your insurance to make sure they will cover you without a doctor's ok. You can get an ok put in your notes at the post op check up. The main thing is to make sure you can manage everything as Revcat recommends.
Happy driving.

[sara12]

Jood, the area above my lymph node scar was very sore - more so than around my WLE scar. It was definitely hard and uncomfortable. I think they have to cut through nerves when they do the op, and then the nerves start to repair themselves... that may be what you are feeling.

Sara x

[Jood]

Mine is on the left Sara..

I think I'll give it a try tomorrow. I'lltake Revcats advice and do a dummy run sitting in the car and going through all the maneuvers.

Those that had lymph node surgery...a question..
The scar is healing up nicely, it's two weeks today since it was done, but.. (there's alswys a but) under my arm feels ever so sore, inside. It's like the nerve ends are going loopy all the time. Like sharp sharp pins eing stuck in the skin.. Does anyone else have this problem ?

Jood (who is starting to get fed up of listening to herself whinge ! )

[sara12]

Jood, I had a WLE and nodes removed on my right side and was told to wait two weeks before driving. It drove me mad losing my independence, so I probably lasted 12 days before driving again and I was fine. I was told I'd have had to wait 4 weeks if it had been on my left side.

Sara x

[grumpy]

WLE on Tuesday, drove 30 miles to collect dogs from kennels on the Friday, ANC 3 weeks later on a Tuesday, collected dogs on the Friday .......... I reckon it was because I started doing the arm exercises 3 weeks before surgery so everything was all loosened up. Mind you onc said wait 2 weeks ......

grumpy

[Maryland]

I had WLE and SLNB left side, and started driving again after about 10 days and like annette100 arm was a little stiff/sore but I only drove shortish journeys to start with, pacing myself and gradually building up to usual driving at about 14 days after op. Hope that helps?

[annette100]

Jood
I had a WLE and also ANC and i was told by my consultant to drive after 2 weeks. When i went back to see her for my 2 week check up she wanted to know why i hadnt tried driving. I tried it the next day and it was just the muscles under my arm that felt really sore everytime i changed gear but it want too painfull and i was able to move my arm enough to feel safe driving. If you feel ready why not try it.

[Jood]

Hi Di
my, yet to be patented, boob 'safety belt' is a neck-pillow (the ones used for travelling) turned into a donut shape and tied onto the offending boob with a scarf. Over the top and round the back of the shoulders.

[Jood]

It does help, both replies..
I hadn't given getting tickets from machines a thought, or opening the passenger door... I've had WLE & SNB. The physio told me I had to wait six weeks, which didn't seem a long time, when she said it...two weeks ago. Now, after a fortnight of not driving it's doing my head in looking at the car at the front door just sat there

I never was a patient patient..

*nice one Revcat. First time on here someone has said that 'Hey Jood'

[dib]

Hi Jood,same as the other ladies,I had double mx with immediate recon and drove after 6 wks with a cushion between my boobs and the seatbelt.
Di.x

[AlixJ]

Hi
I had a mx with immediate reconstruction with strattice and mesh, plus SNB. I was told not to drive for 6 weeks, which felt about right for me. My mx is on my left side, and I found opening the passenger side door more awkward than driving! One of the ladies in hospital with me had a WLE, and she was told not to drive for 4 weeks.
Hope this helps xx

[RevCat]

Hey Jood (sorry, VERY bad pun),
It may depend what surgery you had. I had mx, ANC and immediate LD recon, and I was back driving after six weeks, which is pretty typical. My nurses said the best thing to do was go and sit in my car, strap in (that can be painful in itself) and go through the motions - so gear changes, opening windows, turning round as if to reverse, fake emergency stop, etc. If you can do these things OK, then you are probably ready to go back to driving. I found to start with I only wanted to do short journeys as my confidence was affected, and for me it was reachig out of the window to take tickets from machines in car parks that hurt most!

It is worth chekcing your insurance details thoguh, because if you drive before the date the medics say you can, your policy may be invalid if you have a shunt, even if it's some numpty who hits you...

Hope that helps and you are soon mobile.

[Jood]

How soon after your operation did you go back to driving ?