130 mile drive home after knee surgery

[Titianlady]

Hi all!! I will be having my surgery 130 miles from my home. (There isn't a surgeon in my area that I would allow to do it) I am very concerned with the hours I will be in a car seat with my newly replaced knee hanging down. Can anyone tell me how they felt on their trip home from the hospital? I am seriously considering asking the Dr if he would provide medical transport home for me so that I can be laying down for the trip back home.

 

[Motherofmany]

Titanlady,

I traveled about 3-4 hours at 2 1/2 weeks and it was uncomfortable. Had to stop every 45 minutes or so to stretch the leg, OS orders. We do have a 12 passenger van and I sat in the back seat with pillows elevating and cushioning my leg.

Ask your OS. He should be able to give good advice on traveling home. Mine would only allow me to travel for my girls national competition (I was not going to miss) if I elevated the foot at an angle higher than my body, so I wouldn't swell. No way to keep it down that long. You will be miserable!!!

Is there a possibility of doing some inhouse pt so you can delay the homecoming until you can handle the travel time?

Make sure you are comfortable with the arrangements before your surgery. You do tend to feel every bump in the road, so maybe practice before hand with pillows to see how you fit and feel in the back seat. After surgery, you will be out of it on meds. So this may be helpful for you to do. Just thinking out loud here.

Hope this helps some and your surgery and homecoming goes without a hitch.

Blessings,

 

[Max Wallace]

That will be no fun! plenty of pillows and have them drive slow.

 

[Titianlady]

The drive home on the freeway will be anything but slow!!! LOL~~ I know that the usual hospital stay is only 2 to 3 days before they discharge you and I really don't want to have to stay extra days due to the driving distance home. Hopefully, my Dr can get the insurance to pay for medical transport ( semi-ambulance) to get me home. there would be no way that I could make that trip home after 3 days postop. The Dr would have to completely knock me out!!

 

[Sticker Lady]

Hi Titian!
I recall an old thread where Ship 4 said she road in the front seat with a pillow under her foot and it helped a lot. I've sat in the back seat and used the cryocuff and been OK. Whatever you decide, be sure to time your meds to do you the most good and plan lots of stops to move about. Best of luck!
Blessings,
Irene

 

[Motherofmany]

:agree: Hope Insurance will pay.

If not practice with lots of pillows in back seat!!!! Or, maybe hubby could rent a van for the day, so you could lay down. That's a thought!

 

[Josephine]

Have lots of ice packs on board!

 

[Texas]

I agree, I would have my leg packed with ice....And pillows. I hope they can work something out for you. That is a long drive...my prayers will be with you that you can be comfortable....Good Luck and let us know....

 

[FrogFeathers]

Not exactly the same as what you're asking, but two-ish weeks after my MUA, I had to ride for an hour in the backseat of my parents' Chevy Tracker. Not a big vehicle. I sat on my bum and pulled myself in, leaving my leg stretched out in the seat. I didn't think to bring a pillow, but I had my purse (which is a messnger-bag-style) under my knee to keep it propped up. If you can't rent a large vehicle or get transport, you could try the pillow/ice packs suggestion.

After my surgery and ten days of in-hospital PT, my physical therapist (who escorted me down to our vehicle, then followed us home to do a home assessment) wouldn't let me sit that way in my own vehicle for the ride home. I have a mid-size pick-up truck and my plan was to do exactly what I described- sit in the back with my leg extended. I only had to go 20 miles, but that was bad enough!

Good luck with your trip. I hope you work something out.

 

[calling_all_angels]

Hello Titanlady,
I am glad to meet you!
I think the rent a van is the best idea. Unless you have family or a friend who has a van that you can use that day. That way you can prop you leg up with pillows. And if you have a car with a wide back seat you could pull yourself in but then you will have to slide you whole body out the same way you got in and that may not be fun. If you do go this way make sure that you get in so your good leg is the one closer to the floor so you can push with it.

 

[loggon]

Titian
I had a 50 mile drive to one of my doctors at about 6 days.

I was lying down in the back seat with pillows. Also if you prop your foot up on the pillows your foot will sit on the pillows and rest on the window. Have several ice packs.
Think you said 130 miles which is about a 2 hr drive. You should be OK in the back seat. You will need to slide backwards across the seat. You probably will need to stop 1/2 way to move around.

I do hope you have someone to drive you as there is no way you will be able to drive yourself.

I though 3 to 5 days was normal stay.

But good luck

 

[edk]

I did this almost exactly this. I opted for an extra night in a motel close to the hospital for the day I was released. Then wife drove me home 150 miles. Worried a lot about the ability to bend enough to get into through the car door, but that was OK. Real problem was sitting leg down for 3 hours. By the time I got home it was stiff, sore
and swollen.

What I should have done was sat in the back seat with my leg elevated.

 

[Judles]

Live and learn!!! Aint that the truth????

 

[Simon]

Re: 130 miles from home after surger

I was about 125 miles from home and given there is no interstate is about a 2 1/2 hours drive. After surgery, I went to rehab for 10 so I made the trip about 2 weeks post op. What the PT told me and the person driving was to stop every 30 minutes at the most and get out and walk around for 10 minutes. She also suggested putting the seat all the way back and having a small box and pillows to put the legs up. You can also sit sideways in the back seat (if you can get into it). They also made sure we had plenty of ice (bring a cooler with you)

Simon