how soon to travel?

Has anyone take a long trip after their surgery? My husband was talking about while I"m recovering that we take a trip to see his cousins which is 12-13 hours from where we live. I was just curious if anyone else has done a road trip after surgery???

I didn't and I wouldn't have wanted to.  I would have wanted to be within  easy driving distance of my surgeon in case problems arose, plus I would not have felt like spending much time in the car, plus I had horrible diarrhea for a few days, plus I was nauseous a lot, plus I was on such a limited diet that traveling would have been difficult.  Is your husband thinking you will come home from the hospital feeling great?  Is he aware you'll probably need to take pain medication and maybe meds for nausea and you'll be tired?  It does not sound like a good idea to me.

it wouldn't be right away maybe like 3 weeks later.

If it was the kind of trip where you could have easy access to the limited sorts of food you'll be able to have and could easily be cancelled or truncated if you aren't feeling well, I would consider it.

Most people don't have big problems after the surgery (not enough to need to see the surgeon again, at least) and by 3 weeks out you may be feeling just fine. I was and a lot of others too. At 3 weeks I wasn't up to a 5 mile hike, but I wasn't in any pain and was back to work, walking a couple of miles a day and doing everything else normally. I was still on pureed/soft foods though.

I didn't feel like it.  While I felt pretty good I mainly wanted to hang out at home and concentrate on my full liquids and pureed diet. 

 I agree with Kelly. Although my recovery was very smooth and I was back to work within two weeks I would not have wanted to travel far from home for many of the reasons mentioned here.  Also, a long car ride is a risk factor for blood clots, as is recent surgery (that's why most of us are given a course of blood thinners post op).  I'm not sure how important this trip is for your husband but I'm not sure it's the best idea. Also keep in mind that while many have an easy recovery, there are plenty who have pain, fatigue and eating/drinking issues post op. there is no real way to predict which you'll be. 

Good luck,

Andrea. 

 Nope.

I had a "perfect" recovery but....

For a road trip, you would need to stop for a 20 minute walk every 2 hours or so to prevent blood clots. The 12 hour trip then becomes a 14 hour trip, minimum. 

Your diet will be very restricted - either full liquids or soft foods within just a couple of weeks out. Your relatives would need to (1) understand this fully, (2) cooperate fully by having the right kinds of foods and liquids in the house for you, and (3) quite possibly limit their plans for eating out, parties, food based activities, etc. because you were there. And honestly? The odds of extended family fully "getting it" are small for most of us. 

You may very likely have some residual pain, especially on the lower side, where the incision goes through the deepest muscle. 

You will be a long way from your doctor if complications or issues arise. 

You will still need to take naps. 

You would NOT be giving full attention to your recovery. You are not taking this time as a "vacation" but to heal from major surgery. The incisions may be small, but the work inside is dramatic and your body needs 100% of your attention and focus during recovery. 

So...suggest to hubby that you'd have a much better trip after things settle down a bit.