Driving

[Suebedo]

Yes everyone is different but I am just wondering what others experienced. I am three weeks after my mid-fossa surgery, not much vertigo unless I do something that I know is stupid. I drove Sunday for the first time, just in the neighborhood. My concern is that everytime I turned a corner, I got a little bit of vertigo. Not huge...but more than I would be comfortable with driving for any length of time. Others?

[CHD63]

As you say, everyone is different, but IMO you will experience less and less of this vertigo feeling fairly quickly.  Especially if you do some vestibular therapy type of exercises on a regular basis.  Walking up and down your hallway at home while turning your head side to side and then again moving it up and down ..... is the best one.  Three weeks out is quite soon in the grand scheme of things.  I would certainly be very careful about driving before you feel safe.

Clarice

[cindyj]

I just had to get out on my own to start feeling like myself again, so I drove a bit at 3 weeks post op also - but only locally - no highways, and I tried to always choose a route where I could go straight as much as possible w/ few to no lefthand turns (I would drive out of the way to avoid it ).  Always parked where I could drive straight out and not need to back up!  But, it wasn't too long before I was back to "normal" driving...I do still try to park where I don't have to back up, though   Yes, everyone is different!

Good luck and be very careful!

cindy

[Brewers7]

started on the golf cart, then locally in our small town

[DR]

Three weeks for me, but daytime only.  My vertigo seemed to be worse at night so I thought it was safer to limit things at first.  Back to normal within four or five weeks.  Keep in mind your miles may vary 

- Dennis

[Funnydream]

I drove around 2 days after getting out of the Hospital. I was releast on the 9th and had a CSF leak fix on the 4th. So that's 1 week Post-op on CSF fix surgery which wasn't anything as bad as the main AN removal surgery. So I guess that puts me 2 weeks post-op.

I was told by my doctor I was not allowed to drive till I get back to him the next month on the 10th. So it was really fun because it was something I wasn't suppost to do. I felt like a teen again.

I found my mind would drift thinking about everything and I would be closer to the medium than I would normally drive. So I have re-framed from driving in order not to kill someone being a retard. Its just not worth it. So don't do it till the Doctor says too. Would be my advice.

[Jim Scott]

Sue ~

I was very anxious to resume driving and did so within a few weeks of my AN surgery, with my doctor's approval.  I plunged right into highway driving with no real problems although I did notice some minor 'swimming' sensations when swiveling my head to change lanes , that didn't last too long and I never felt vertigo-like sensations or any type of dizziness.  I found that driving, like walking on uneven surfaces, became easier the more I did it.  However - all together now - we're all different and no one has the exact same recovery experience.    Because I had a mostly positive recovery experience, I wish every AN surgery/radiation patient could have the same.  Alas, that isn't the case.  Fortunately, time does help things improve. 

Jim

[leapyrtwins]

Sue -

as you already said, returning to driving depends on the individual and their circumstances.  I didn't drive until 6 weeks post op, but I had no need to.  My mom moved in with the kids and me after my surgery so we had our own personal chauffeur.

Once I started driving, I began with a few local trips on roads that were not busy and then I built up to highways, busy streets, night driving, etc.

In time you'll find that things generally get better.  At least that was my experience.

Good luck,

Jan

[Kathleen_Mc]

I didn't return to driving until about 2 1/2 months post-op, that was doctor's orders!
I think it depends on how "ill" you are and your "post-op losses"
Kathleen