Travel after TAH ???

Hello everyone. My TAH is scheduled for 12/14/04 and I was wondering how soon after I could travel. When were you first able to ride in the car comfortably? How about air travel? With the holidays coming up I didn't know whether to cancel travel plans or try to make a go of it (a 4-hour ride 10 days after surgery and a 3-hour flight 8 weeks after surgery).

Any sisterly advice out there?

Thanks,
Donna

Hi Donna,

You could probably manage the flight eight weeks after surgery, but the car trip may be a bit much at ten days. It was about four weeks after my TAH before I felt comfortable riding in a car for any length of time.

If you do decide to go anyway (be sure to check with your doctor first), you'll want to stop every hour and walk around to help prevent blood clot in the legs. Also, take a tummy pillow to put between you and the seat belt, and if you can recline your seat back, that will help too. But I think you might want to hold off on that trip until a later time.

Best wishes and s,

Lisa