Vacation-Thousands of miles

I had my TVH on June 1st. We are planning a family vacation leaving July 18th and returning August 3rd. We will be driving from SE MN to New Mexico and then up to Colorado. I am starting to get a little nervous about this and wondering if I will be up to riding that far. Some days will be 10 hours of driving. I am beginning to think we might have to scale vacation down a bit this year. Any advice on travels would be greatly appreciatedPrincess:

I reccommend a lot of breaks to stretch your legs!!!
And you might want to take a pillow with you for support from the seatbelt!

Have you talked with your about your vacation plans? Just to see what s/he has to say?

Best of luck to you!!

Thanks. My post op appt. is not scheduled until August 4th. I could call and talk to the nurse.

I made a trip from Cal to Washington State in my fourth week (LVAH)post op. The trip was a full eighteen hours and although, I was prepared for the drive I found I was not prepared for all the times I would use my stomach muscles, even without thinking I would. There are turns and bumps that caused my incisions to hurt, despite not having pain or issues prior to leaving. although, I'd hadn't' a need for pain meds since the first few days after surgery, I was more exhausted by the time we reached our destination then I thought I would be and I needed some Tylenol when I arrived. I was surprised, plan for anything.

Honestly, I'd give this a lot of careful thought, as obviously you are doing.

Some things you might consider: how comfortable is the vehicle you'll be traveling in? I'm 7 1/2 weeks post op and still find I am most comfortable seated if I can recline a bit. So, does your car have good comfy seats you can adjust? Does it have good lumbar support? Will you have room to stretch your legs out?

What about the suspension of the vehicle? (I was so glad to be able to ride home from the hospital in my mother's tank of a Cadillac rather than our subcompact, the ride was s-o-o-o much more cushioned.) I think even at the point you'll be come July 18 you'll still want to consider the bumps in the road as something to plan for. As the others said, take plenty of pillows to support yourself and maybe to put between your stomach and the seatbelt.

Another thing, I can't quite tell for sure from your post, but will you be doing any of the driving? I drove myself and one of our dogs to the beach this past weekend, 2 1/2 hours each way, and I kept having to consciously remind myself to relax my abdominal muscles. I don't notice having to do this so much when I'm a passenger. So I think the very nature of driving, having to be alert and to operate the controls, turn to check behind you, etc. etc. makes driving more of an "exercise" for our bodies than being a passenger, and more of a workout than we realize when we're not recovering from surgery!

That said, though, even being a passenger can be tiring. But let your own feelings be your ultimate guide.

Also, it sounds like you'll be on the go a lot, so it's not just a drive to a destination followed by a nice long rest, then a drive home, but a lot of driving throughout. Plus whatever sightseeing and activities you'll want to be doing. Will you be up for those kinds of things on top of the traveling?

Remember, even fun trips like vacations can be very stressful! I don't remember a family vacation ever that didn't involve a certain amount of stress and fatigue, both from traveling and the inevitable family "spats." My brother and I used to joke that it wouldn't be a vacation without our mother getting fed up with the lot of us and threatening to take a bus home!

Again, though, you know yourself best and if none of this gives you pause, then you may well be up to it. As Brooksview said, plan for anything!

Best of luck for your recovery and for a relaxing and fun vacation, whatever you decide to do!