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SUV or smaller compact car for driving during early post-op recovery??

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  • SUV or smaller compact car for driving during early post-op recovery??

    Hi all-

    I am currently 7 weeks post-op. I am not driving yet. I was thinking that in a month after my neck (hopefully improves) that I will get back to driving. RIght now my sitter drives me to physical therapy. I sit with a pillow behind my back and I really can't stand the feeling of the hardware in my back when the car goes over a bump. I am fused T3-L3 so it is a pretty long fusion. Currnetly we are driving in an SUV. I was wondering, does anyone see a difference in the amount of discomfort of the hardware when goes over bumps or making sharp turns while driving an SUV or a smaller, compact car? My husband and I have both a SUV and a smaller car. NOw I'm thinking I should start sitting as a passenger in the smaller car to see if it makes a difference. Did anyone have this problem early in their recovery? I usually can tolerate alot of pain. I hate driving in the car so much I have been staying in my house alot. I get anxiety if I see bumps ahead in the road since they hurt my back so much.

    Thanks for any input you may have.

    JenM
    Surgery date: June 8, 2010 with Dr. Boachie
    Thoracic curve: 55 degrees, corrected to 25 degrees
    Lumbar curve: 58 degrees, corrected to 27 degrees
    Posterior-only surgery, Levels T3-L3
    31 year old mother of 2 young kids

  • #2
    Jen

    A brand new Caddy would be the choice vehicle for transporting scoli patients right after their surgeries. I have an RV, and have had owned one for 8 years now, for ease of travel. They are great in case you need to lay down, and can custom do your bed. Cocktails are optional and legal in rvs as there is no open container law.

    I was driving at 6 weeks, right after getting off meds. My little Jetta isn't exactly a Caddy, or SUV, but after a few weeks was not a problem. You get used to it. I think it was about 6 months before I removed the pillow from my car.

    I also was very nervous in my car, and only drove when necessary. I also get jumpy if someone else is driving and isn't paying full attention to the road. I know that growing up in New Jersey had something to do with that. The days of going down the Garden state parkway at 100mph are over for me.

    Ed
    49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
    Pre surgery curves T70,L70
    ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
    Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

    Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

    My x-rays
    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

    Comment


    • #3
      Ed-

      Haha, I live in NJ. The people here drive like maniacs! They all drive 90 mph on the Garden State Parkway!

      Glad to see I'm not the only one nervous riding in a car.

      Jen
      Surgery date: June 8, 2010 with Dr. Boachie
      Thoracic curve: 55 degrees, corrected to 25 degrees
      Lumbar curve: 58 degrees, corrected to 27 degrees
      Posterior-only surgery, Levels T3-L3
      31 year old mother of 2 young kids

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by JenM View Post
        Hi all-

        I am currently 7 weeks post-op. I am not driving yet. I was thinking that in a month after my neck (hopefully improves) that I will get back to driving. RIght now my sitter drives me to physical therapy. I sit with a pillow behind my back and I really can't stand the feeling of the hardware in my back when the car goes over a bump. I am fused T3-L3 so it is a pretty long fusion. Currnetly we are driving in an SUV. I was wondering, does anyone see a difference in the amount of discomfort of the hardware when goes over bumps or making sharp turns while driving an SUV or a smaller, compact car? My husband and I have both a SUV and a smaller car. NOw I'm thinking I should start sitting as a passenger in the smaller car to see if it makes a difference. Did anyone have this problem early in their recovery? I usually can tolerate alot of pain. I hate driving in the car so much I have been staying in my house alot. I get anxiety if I see bumps ahead in the road since they hurt my back so much.

        Thanks for any input you may have.

        JenM
        Jen,
        As Ed suggested above, I was driven home from the hospital in a Cadillac. We thought it would be the smoothest ride.

        Early on, even before I was driving, it was easiest for me to get in and out of a higher car, like my minivan, vs. a car that is closer to the ground. As far as I remember, the bumpiness factor was the same for my minivan as other other car.

        How have you been? Is your neck improving?
        __________________________________________
        Debbe - 50 yrs old

        Milwalkee Brace 1976 - 79
        Told by Dr. my curve would never progress

        Surgery 10/15/08 in NYC by Dr. Michael Neuwirth
        Pre-Surgury Thorasic: 66 degrees
        Pre-Surgery Lumbar: 66 degrees

        Post-Surgery Thorasic: 34 degrees
        Post-Surgery Lumbar: 22 degrees

        Comment


        • #5
          I still use a pillow behind my back while driving and probably always will...even though bumps and turns no longer bother me, it's just more comfortable.

          Within my first year post-op, I traded my small car for a mid-sized sedan and was much more comfortable with it.

          Hope your neck continues to improve -- please insist on talking to Dr. Boachie if you don't see steady improvement.
          Chris
          A/P fusion on June 19, 2007 at age 52; T10-L5
          Pre-op thoracolumbar curve: 70 degrees
          Post-op curve: 12 degrees
          Dr. Boachie-adjei, HSS, New York

          Comment


          • #6
            So glad to hear others are very nervous when others are driving. I get very anxious, as I worry about an accident and being a control freak, I am not in control then.
            I agree that an SUV is much easier for me to get in and out of. My husband's is the easiest, an Acadia size, I drive a Saturn Vue and it is still easy to get in and out of. I still use a pillow. Bumps don't bother me as much, but still there.
            Head checks are very difficult for me and for that reason I do not drive on the highway yet. I keep to simple routes in town. My surgeon is and hour and a half away so my husband drives. (Yikes)
            Good luck!
            Shari - 55 years old
            Pre-Surgery 62 degree thorasic curve with shifting.
            Post op 13 degree curve.
            Successful surgery 4/15/10, T3-L2 fused.
            2nd surgery to reopen incision 10" to diagnose infection, 5/18/10
            Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI - the late Dr. Harry Herkowitz
            www.scoliosisthejourney.com

            Comment


            • #7
              Shari -
              Not to worry, my husband still drives me to Baltimore for my appointments. Lots of traffic still makes me nervous, however I am more and more confident the more experience I get driving in it.

              Jen, our 'family' car is a Mazda Sportwagon - it sits low to the ground which makes it more difficult to get in and out of. Plus our boys, who are very tall always adjust the passenger seat to go waaaay back when they ride 'shot gun'. Then when I get in it's always a surprise and I have to readjust things but even that has passed from being annoying to comical because it's so expected and much easier for me to fix than it used to be.

              I drive a Nissan Versa which sits higher up like an SUV but is still considered a small car. I can literally kind of roll out of the seat and getting into the car is easy too. I never did use a pillow while driving but for a time used one or two small down pillows when I was in a passenger seat to tuck in where I needed extra padding or support. Keeping a pillow in the car is probably a good idea for longer trips.
              Julie - 51 yrs old

              Dx'd 1973 - 43* thoracic curve / rotation
              Wore Milwaukee brace 1973 - 1979
              Pre-surgery: 63* thoracic / 52* lumbar curves


              Surgeries: P - March 16, 2009 - Fused T3-S2 with pelvic fixation
              A -April 14, 2009 - Fused L5-S1
              Achieved +70% Correction
              Dr. Khaled Kebaish, (and team) Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore


              Standing x-ray
              New Spine 03/19/2009
              New Spine Lateral 03/19/2009

              Comment


              • #8
                I still keep a pillow in the car and use it. My back curves in and the seat curves the other way, so it's impossible to be comfy. The small pillow fills the gap. Getting in and out is still awkward, I really should invest in a car with a higher roof but I like the car and all things considered, it's a minor problem, so I'll most likely continue to put up with it!
                Surgery March 3, 2009 at almost 58, now 63.
                Dr. Askin, Brisbane, Australia
                T4-Pelvis, Posterior only
                Osteotomies and Laminectomies
                Was 68 degrees, now 22 and pain free

                Comment


                • #9
                  Anyone care to comment on where my car fits in the spectrum of good post-op cars? It's a 1999 Toyota Camry (very low miles though!). Is this a compact car or a small sedan? Don't think I could park anything much bigger!

                  Just hung up from talking to a son about his car, wondering which would be better to transport me home after surgery. He has a fairly late model Toyota RAV - the passenger seat reclines all the way - to a bed! But I wonder how it rides (have never actually seen it, much less ridden in it!).
                  Not all diagnosed (still having tests and consults) but so far:
                  Ehler-Danlos (hyper-mobility) syndrome, 69 - somehow,
                  main curve L Cobb 60, compensating T curve ~ 30
                  Flat back, marked lumbar kyphosis (grade?) Spondilolisthesis - everyone gives this a different grade too. Cervical stenosis op'd 3-07, minimally invasive

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Your Camry would be similar to my Honda Accord, I'd expect, in size and height. The RAV would be easier to get in and out of but not sure about the ride. The ride in your Camry would probably be quite smooth?
                    Surgery March 3, 2009 at almost 58, now 63.
                    Dr. Askin, Brisbane, Australia
                    T4-Pelvis, Posterior only
                    Osteotomies and Laminectomies
                    Was 68 degrees, now 22 and pain free

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Yep, the CAMRY and ACCORD are always twinsies same as the COROLLA and CIVIC. Thank you, good 'ol reliable Jennifer!
                      Not all diagnosed (still having tests and consults) but so far:
                      Ehler-Danlos (hyper-mobility) syndrome, 69 - somehow,
                      main curve L Cobb 60, compensating T curve ~ 30
                      Flat back, marked lumbar kyphosis (grade?) Spondilolisthesis - everyone gives this a different grade too. Cervical stenosis op'd 3-07, minimally invasive

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Pick me! Pick me! The RAV - just make sure that the tyres are slightly less than the required PSI.

                        I came home in hubbys Ford Falcon - not that bad, but don't like the ride in his car at the best of times. I had a Mitsubishi Magna (have now passed it on to my daughter until she gets her Micra)- it was ok but i preferred something a little higher so i bought the RAV in January - I like it! Once you get used to the ease of getting in and out without BLT, you'll never look back!
                        Vali
                        44 years young! now 45
                        Surgery - June 1st, 2009
                        Dr David Hall - Adelaide Spine Clinic
                        St. Andrews Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia
                        Pre-op curve - 58 degree lumbar
                        Post -op - 5 degrees
                        T11 - S1 Posterior
                        L4/5 - L5/S1 Anterior Fusion

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I agree that the mid size SUV is easiest for ease of getting in and out and smoothness of ride. I just made my husband practically stop and roll over the speed bumps for months. Used my pillow for about 3 months, now I am fine. As far as cars, I was okay driving in most any full size sedan, my parents and in-laws have the mid size lexus which is baically the camery and the ride is very smooth, fine on bumps, going very slow, just not quite as easy to get in and out of, but very doable (is that a word?).

                          Melissa; 46 Years old
                          fusion T9-L5
                          March 31, 2110

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I prefer my SUV. It is easier to get in and out. Except when you hit your head getting in which I have done twice now and then it sounded like I had a Chiropractic adjustment, oops. I do not need a pillow my SUV is comfy and has a nicer ride than our small Saturn. It's a great excuse for my husband to leave the SUV for me because he prefers it too. It is a Isuzu Assender. My brother-in-law also complemented how smooth the ride is in it!
                            Janet
                            Last edited by jsully; 08-02-2010, 02:25 PM.
                            36 year young cardiac RN
                            old curve C 29, T 70, L 50
                            new curve C 7, T 23, L 20
                            Surgery June 11, UCH, Dr. Cronen T2-L5, posterior
                            Revision December 20 L5-S1 with pelvic fixation
                            and Osteotomy to L3 at Tampa General Hospital

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