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KayB55's avatar
KayB55
Member
6 years ago

Driving

It is almost four weeks since my mastectomy. I want to have a go at driving my car but not sure of the timeframe. My surgeon said not to jump into the car straight away because if I had an accident so close to the operation my insurance would not cover me.  On the same note, I have had my right breast removed (I still cannot belive this), do others use cushions to stop the pressure of the seat belt against the scar?
mastectomy

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  • Shellshocked201's avatar
    Shellshocked201
    Member
    6 years ago
    I didn’t drive for awhile after my partial mastectomy, for one thing it was my left side and all our cars were manual, also if I had to brake heavily for some reason I did t want the seat belt to go tight over my chest which was still recovering from surgery. 
    I had to use a pillow under my surgery side under armpit for awhile as just going over a bump wasn’t pleasant. We live out in the country so the roads probably aren’t as smooth as driving in a residential area, every trip to a specialist I was in the car for a minimum of an hour at a time.
    Didn’t even check my insurance as I was fortunate to have my husband home so I didn’t have to drive .

    listen to your specialist, your body and I would probably check your insurance.
    Hope your recovery is quick, sending gentle hugs xx
  • arpie's avatar
    arpie
    Member
    6 years ago
    Hubby drove me home after a shoulder procedure and went over a petrol station gutter/entrance so fast my head almost hit the roof & I thought I’d busted the surgery (I didn’t know about the cushion back then and hadn’t braced for it either!) ... so I figured it was safer for me to drive home after my lumpectomy as I wasn’t really too disadvantaged!  Plus it wasn’t affected by the seat belt either!  Surgeon had mentioned a break from driving but not dictated how long ... so a week it was!
  • StarGirl's avatar
    StarGirl
    Member
    6 years ago
    I should add the disclaimer that no one told me about the 4-6 weeks thing for the insurance companies 
  • StarGirl's avatar
    StarGirl
    Member
    6 years ago
    I have an automatic so was driving again after a couple of weeks. I pretty much just drive with one hand anyway 😁
  • kmakm's avatar
    kmakm
    Member
    6 years ago
    I had a BMX & DIEP recon (and still can't quite believe it sometimes myself). The paperwork from the PS said no driving for six weeks but he was happy for me to drive at four. I do think it's an insurance issue, so err on the side of caution to be sure. K xox
  • June1952's avatar
    June1952
    Member
    6 years ago
    I had a right mx and was told no driving for 6 weeks at the minimum for the same reason - insurance.
    Yes, the curved cushion provided in hospital was a godsend for the comfort.
    Good luck and wait until your specialist gives the all clear as he/she is the one who knows exactly what and how he cut.