1.5 hour commute from the hospital after hysterectomy on 8/5

Anyone have any tips for this? We live 1.5 hours from where I will have my surgery in Nashville. This is not normally an issue but seems like it may be 24 or so hours post-op. Any suggestions? I did make myself a pillow to use between me and the seat belt but do you have any other ideas? I also have heated seats. Thanks!

I had a 50 minute drive home the same day I had surgery, and over a windy mountain pass. I had both a blanket and a pillow and I found the blanket to be more comfortable folded up under the seatbelt. I may have just felt more secure. Have your seat laid as far back as is possible, or is comfortable for you. I was nearly laying flat. Make sure you take the drive slow, watch out for bridges that may have bumps on either side or anything else that might make the ride bumpy. Good luck!

Thanks Bex319! I never thought about a blanket. That is going on my list!

I have an hour drive. And was reading that I should take a pillow or two also. I will definitely be prepared!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Ellis17 I have an hour drive. And was reading that I should take a pillow or two also. I will definitely be prepared!

Thinking and planning is helping me to be less anxious about the surgery and the outcome. I can only control what I can control.

I had a 2 hour drive. I agree with the pillow or blanket. Yesterday (10 days post op) I graduated to a small towel. And, have your driver go easy on bumps, corners, rail tracks.

I went home the same day so I would add cool water or juice for a dry mouth or sore throat. And, a pee break right as you leave.

Best wishes!

A woman who attended the same hysterectomy prep class as I did had a 3-4 hour drive home. The class leader, an RN who was also a HysterSister, suggested the pillow, too, as well as taking rest breaks along the way just to get out of the vehicle and stretch.

Pain was not my issue, and I had no pillow, but I had taken pain meds before leaving. That might be a good idea, and fill your prescription before you leave. My problem in hospital and in the car was nausea. The motion plus the smells really bothered me. If nausea is an issue post op, you might want any anti nausea meds you've been on given again before you leave. No way could I recline in a moving car, but if you get motion sick, you already know the tricks. Also, ask for a "motion sickness bag" or such thing for your trip, in case you need it. My trip was not actually long, but felt like it went on forever. If you have no nausea issues at all, you can focus just on the pain issue, but keep the possibility in mind as you prepare.

Another tip: if you have a choice of vehicles, go for the one with the smoother ride. The friend who was driving me home from the hospital gave me a choice of her car or her husband's pickup truck. I opted for the pickup because I've found that the higher off the road I am, the smoother the ride is.

While getting up into the pickup was a bit of a trick, the ride home was quite comfortable.

As for nausea, motion sickness is a constant in my life. Car = nausea. I took a dose of anti-nausea meds an hour before I was due to leave the hospital. My AN meds also have a sedative effect, which certainly helped.

Note: since you'll probably still be on narcotics, get your AN meds from your doc or the nurses. Don't do what I did. I was discharged the afternoon of the third day. I'd been off narcotics since early that morning. I waited until the nurses were out of the room and quietly took a Gravol (dimenhydrinate, Dramamine) from the supply I'd brought with me from home. That worked for me, but technically, it wasn't the right way to go about it.

I am dreading the over hour drive I will face after my surgery. There is no such thing as a smooth road in West Virginia! I will definitely remember the pillow/blanket suggestion, and I had already planned on laying the seat down. I slept almost the whole way home after my ablation in June, so I am hoping for the same after my hysterectomy.