Hi all! I am scheduled for surgery in Feb with Dr. Gross and I will be traveling from mid-Missouri.
Flying: Would be flying out of St. Louis and into Columbia or possibly Charlotte - no direct flights and I have approximately 2 hrs drive to/from STL airport. All told I'm figuring a minimum of 9 hrs trip.
Driving: Around 13 hrs drive total, however I can easily stop for the night at my mother's home at the halfway point. Would be traveling in a Honda Odyssey van with rear captain seats so could recline and re-position or fully lie down (I know, not safe but I would not hesitate to do it if I needed to). Of course, we can also stop along the way whenever needed. Obviously, that could be a long drive.
Either way, my wife and 17 y/o daughter will be going with me for support, assistance, driving, etc.
Does anyone have advice, opinions, experience to share on this?
Thanks!
Chris
I'd definitely split the drive and stay at your mother's house as you suggest. I think a 13 hour drive in 1 day would be really pushing it.
Flight is also a reasonable option, although the 2 hour drive from STL makes it a lot less attractive.
If you're worried about the travel overall, delaying the trip home one more day than the minimum Dr Gross recommends would probably be helpful. I had surgery on a Wednesday, discharged Thursday afternoon, and flew home Saturday afternoon. Early on, you improve drastically day-by-day. I think I would have found it harder if I had to fly Friday afternoon (although certainly still possible).
I will let you know next week after I fly home with two new hips.
Can you get any upgrades on airlines? How is your wife/daughter as a driver? Is it an easy drive? Issues with weather or construction?
It sounds like driving would be easier because you have more control and the time isn't that different. You would also have more flexibility in when to start the journey home.
H and I are discussing the return date for me. I think I will want to fly home ASAP, return to my familiar environment. He is nervous about traveling with me. The plan now is to fly home as soon as possible, but we can always delay.
I thought I would want to get back as quickly as possible also Blinky, but flight logistics made us wait an extra day and I was thankful for it. I found the time flew by regardless of where I was the first week, and I noticed significant increases in comfort and walking skill which made flying home much easier.
But, everyone is different. I was happy just surfing the internet and watching a little bit of TV, and didn't even get to my books in SC. Others may obviously be different!
H is very protective of me and will help me make the right choice. We are different for sure. The few, minor reasons I have been in the hospital, like to give birth, my attitude has been "I am done now; let's go home." He is more cautious and will and has stayed longer.
I just don't want to miss The Walking Dead.
Ah, I should clarify.
Dr Gross wants you out of the hospital ASAP, and while I wasn't in a huge rush, I tend to agree with that. There's just not a need for the type of care they can provide in there once you get past the first 36-48 hours or so (typically). Downsides of being in the hospital are things like being woken up every 4 hours at night.
I spent the extra day in the hotel (we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn and it was great), and was perfectly happy.
Anyway, it'll work out either way, I'm sure you'll do well! Good luck, and I'll be thinking of you on Wednesday.
Thanks jd and Blinky for your responses.
@jd - I do some travel with my job, so I know how air travel can be unpredictable and you kind of have to roll with it if you want to maintain sanity. I like the aspect of driving since I can leave when the time is right, stop whenever needed, etc. and no issues with travel through airports. I will consider delaying the trip home.
@ Blinky - Definitely let me know how your flight home goes. I'm sure YMMV depending on the itinerary and what happens the day of. My wife is an excellent driver and would drive all day if needed, the daughter is really dependable although she doesn't yet have the hours behind the wheel. Between the two of them, the 6-7 hrs per day is no problem.
I'm guessing I'll be ready to get out of the hospital asap.
My surgery is scheduled for a Friday and if all goes well I could be discharged on Saturday and either begin the drive home or transfer to a hotel and leave on Sunday.
I would drive it rather than put up with airports and airplane seats in addition to a drive. My distance from the hospital is only four hours by car, but after my first hip in January we drove home the day after surgery. After the second hip we moved to a hotel the day after surgery so I could have neck surgery the following morning (two birds with one stone and all) and drive home that evening...2 days post op on hip, 6 hours post op on neck. Reclining seats, pillows, painkillers, and the option to pull over and grab a room for a night are all you need, and a Honda Odyssey sounds perfectly comfortable enough for ingress/egress/rest.
Sounds like a plan. Good luck Chris (I know it's not until Feb, but it'll come quickly)!
I would say driving because you are in control of when you need to get out and stretch, use the restroom, or pull over for the night. I drove to Dr Gross from Florida for out-patient surgery. We drove home the next and with the pain killers, the ice machine, I was pretty comfortable. Also, the hotel they put you in is next to a Cracker Barrel, so we took advantage of the home style food as a bonus. Good luck!
We drove from Minnesota to South Carolina and it worked just fine. We stayed in hotels 2 nights both ways. My husband did all the driving and I could stop at rest stops to get out and stretch every couple of hours or so. No waiting in airports, flight delays, or connecting flights for us.
Thanks for your comments - this kind of feedback is what I was looking for. I'm planning to drive at this point.
-Chris