ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => Inquiries => Topic started by: Lynn Mc on December 03, 2009, 08:13:23 am
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My surgery is scheduled for 1/20. I am nervous & can't wait all at the same time! Most of my questions have been answered but I can't seem to get any onfo on driving. What is the average time before I will be good to go. Also I ride a horse,(which I can do actually do better now than walk!),I am assuming this will not be a problem in the future. As you can see I am more worried at this point about being independently mobile ASAP.
Thanks,
Lynn
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Hi, Lynn, and welcome! The "average" time before most folks drive is four weeks or so...as always, it will just depend as everyone's recovery is different! Some certainly drive sooner, others don't start til later. I was in the car at about 3 weeks, but ONLY to go very short distances. I picked routes so that I only had to make right turns and little to no backing up ;) But, it didn't take long for me to get back to normal driving. Like you, I really needed/wanted to be mobile quickly!
There are other horse people here on the forum...Tricia (horse/kayak), Amy (amye) to name a couple. Know they were/are very concerned also about being able to ride post treatment. There are many here who do some challenging vestibular activities post op (bike riding, standup paddleboarding, tenns, etc), so I'm sure you'll be back on your horse in no time...well, maybe a little bit of time ;D
Where are you having your surgery? Which approach? What size is your AN? Just things we like to know around here...we're nosy that way ;)
Cindy
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I think the longest Betsy went without driving was a week. Now, this is driving to the local grocery store or her friends house. The mall, about a 25 mile drive, she probably did in about 2-3 weeks. She recovered very quickly from her surgeries, though.
Cindy
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Hi, Lynn.
I drove 11 days after surgery, and it was smooth sailing thereafter. I see you are from Massachusetts. Are you being followed by MEEI and MGH?
Best of luck and keep us posted.
Nancy
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Hi Lynn from a Lyn! :D
I am a pre-op person myself (my surgery is 12-14-09), so I can't really answer your queston about driving. I just wanted to welcome you to the board and wish you the best of luck. I understand the anticipation. I'm anxious to have this over with and get on with the recovery and my life. It's just another little hurdle to overcome. It will be our turns soon!
Lyn
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Lynn .....
Just adding my welcome to this Forum ..... we will be with you all the way through until you are driving ..... and beyond! ::)
Others have already said driving is a very individual thing. It all depends upon how quickly your brain has adapted or will adapt to the loss of your AN side vestibular nerve ..... and how quickly you regain your gaze stabilization. You sound highly motivated so I suspect you will be one of the shorter ones.
Best wishes ..... and thoughts and prayers.
Clarice
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Hi, Lynn.
I drove 11 days after surgery, and it was smooth sailing thereafter. I see you are from Massachusetts. Are you being followed by MEEI and MGH?
Best of luck and keep us posted.
Nancy
Nancy,
Yes! I have the same Doctors as you. Really like them.
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Okay. Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. Bake muffins. They love it. If you search for my spa day lipo and a face lift thread, you can find the recipe for one of the two flavors of muffin that I baked. You take them with you on the gurney into the Grey surgical floor. The aide will put them in the administrative area that the surgeons and nurses and anesthesiologists use for breaks.
Oh, and dealing with Mili is a challenge. You have to follow up constantly and stay on top of things. She can really make your life difficult. She doesn't mean to; she's just totally inept.
Tell the boys I said Hello!
And good luck.
Nancy
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I will bake them muffins!!! Thanks for the insight. As for Millie she was not there when they scheduled my surgery. Basically they stated she was out indefinitely. Don't know what happened.
Lynn
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Hmmm . . . a mystery.
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Hello and welcome, Lynn ~
I don't have any muffin recipes but I can tell you that I was driving in a bit less than 2 weeks after my AN surgery. I started on side roads but within an hour I was on the interstate and never had a problem. Of course, as many posters have cautioned, there is no template for resuming driving. Some folks are back behind the wheel within days, others take months. However, be assured that you will be driving again. With the good surgical outcome that I'm sure you'll experience (you're in good hands at MGH) probably within a short period of time.
Jim
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HI! I remember the feeling of relief when I got my surgery date, too. The waiting is tough but you'll be through it in no time and counting the days until you are over the hump!
I was able to drive about 4 weeks post op. The only trouble I had was turning my head around quick enough to look left and right before pulling into an intersection or looking over my left shoulder when passing someone on a 2-lane highway. I actually didn't drive for a week or so after my maiden voyage because of that. But, my balance issues didn't affect my driving at all (either pre or post op). My neck muscles and reaction time were the essential factors for me.
Can't help a bit about the horse - I'm allergic!
Good luck to you!!! You'll get through it just fine!
Kathy
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Hi, Lynn and welcome to the forum.
As someone already mentioned, we all recover at different rates and hit the "milestones" at different times.
I didn't start driving until 6 weeks post op. I probably could have started sooner, but I had the luxury of a chauffeur ;)
Actually my mom was living with me and my kids after my surgery for 6 weeks, so I was able to rely on her. If she wouldn't have been driving all of us around, I'd have been forced to drive a lot sooner. You know how it is, kids without a parent to taxi them around aren't happy campers! :D
The most important thing when you do return to driving is to start slow. Drive around the block a few times, during the day, in light or no traffic, etc., - and then when you feel comfortable with that, move on to busy roads with more cars and faster speeds, etc.
Good luck with your surgery,
Jan
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Hi Lynn and welcome. Another one from MA here and welcome to the forums. You are in terrific hands at MGH/MEEI as there are MANY folks on these forums that have used the team there for their AN treatments and have done wonderfully in their outcomes.
There is a user here... okiesandy, from OKC, who had radiation (CK) but.... rides her horses. We know balance issues can come into play, regardless of treatments done (ie: surgery, radiation) but Sandy has noted that since her AN treatment, she has been riding. She may be a good starting point to inquire about handling balance issues and riding (btw, I was also raised on horses... used to ride at N. Andover Riding Aced and kept our horse there when I was a child).
Again, welcome to the forums and look forward to your participation here.
Phyl
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Thanks everyone. I really wish I had found this forum earlier. It is really helpful and encouraging. I was really feeling pretty alone in this.
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Oh, you just have a wee tumor. You'll be fine. Enjoy the month and a half ahead. Ride yourself silly and then have a bit of a vacation in the midst of winter. You will want to have a caregiver/poster for the day of and week or two post-op. We must know of your well-being immediately. You are very lucky to be at MEEI/MGH.
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Lynn, welcome to a very exclusive club. I was driving a little over 2 weeks post-op. It took me about 3 weeks before I drove at night. But as many have posted, everyone is different, so don't get frustrated if it takes you longer than some.
I don't ride horses, but I feel pretty certain I could get on my bike and go for a spin right now. Unfortunately its about 29 degrees right now, so its not high on my list of "things to do on Saturday."
Best wishes on your surgery!
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Hey horse person!!!!
I've just found this post, and the mention of the word HORSES ...so had an extra reason to welcome you. This reply is mostly about horses as related to balance issues.
Glad to have you, (if you've got to be anywhere, this is the place to be if you have an AN). I went horseback riding 3 days before my radiosurgery, (which was Tuesday December 1, 2009--yep, four days ago!!!) and am going to go at the end of next week for the first time since the radiosurgery.
I've ridden (walk/trot only) all along, even as my balance has worsened because even though I've been having (and of course, still have) balance issues, I have already found out that I am better on a horse than off it, which is the greatest excuse in the world to be at the barn where the horse I ride stays. My biggest issue has been driving, because I feel "carsick" a lot from the balance issues, and it makes it hard to drive sometimes...driving while drinking Pepto Bismol and eating soda crackers is hard to do, messy, and not safe. But guess what?, after I ride, I dont feel carsick for about 2-3 hours.
On my horses, I'm actually totally stable, and strangely , there is no dizziness no carsickness or balance issues unless i completely close my eyes...and even then i can compensate better on horse than off horse.
I find the movement of the horse (forward/back and side to side) during the walk forces me to work my core muslcles, which of course help with body support and balance. So physically and mentally and spiritually beiing on a horse is the most therapeutic place i can be. This rhythmic movement is what makes horses so effective in hippotherapy programs for disabled/injured adults and kids. Trotting is a little harder for me if I post, but sitting trot seems be just fine. I am doing a lot of working iin figure 8 patterns since this helps me use my lower body to turn the horse correctly (vs see sawing with the reins). Am also having a friend always be present when I ride, just to be safe, and I ALWAYS wear my helmet.
I havent read all the other responses to you yet, but did you know that there are licensed physical therapists who are using horses to help folks with balance issues? If you are interested, I can get you the weblinks to associations who might help that way.
And of course, there are great physical therapists who specialize in vestibular (balance) therapy. My doc in Florida recommended that I seek that option if my balance issues continue.. Right now, I'm waiting...siince it's only been 4 days since my radiosurgery. But be sure and ask your doctor about your concerns and possible need for vestibular therapy prior to your treatement so they can discuss it with you BEFORE you start feeling frantic/pressured/etc. (PS..actually try NOT to feel frantic/pressured..it makes the physical issues worse, I swear)
Also, there is a thread somewhere on this forum with some really great balance exercises that I've been using (and was using prior to my radiosurgery) that I found helpful.. it's like my body would get wonky, off kilter, but if i just keep doing the exercises, after a couple of days i'll suddenly notice a slight improvement/compensation. So patience and persistence in doing these exercises helps me a LOT. Look in the forum area under the BALANCE areaand you should fiind some good ones, and i know other people will chime in with suggestions as well.
Off topic (forgive me Moderators)....what kind of horses to you ride, type of riding, where do you ride, do you own or lease or beg/borrow horses? How long have you been riding? I'm a senior citizen (57 year old body, 17 year old attitude) who has always been around horses on the ground and took up riding 2 or so years ago, and am even more horse crazy now. I also work with horses using Parelli (and other natural horsemanship) techniques to teach ground manners to horses who might be candidates for work in therapy programs similar to the balance programs i mentioned above.
Good luck, and welcome.