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Driving Post C section

15 replies

dal21 · 26/09/2007 14:42

Hi - I had a csection nearly 3 weeks ago and recovery has been fab - been very mobile from day after the op. Have no reason to believe that I would have any problems with doing an emergency stop and my ins company have said they have no restrictions over cover with regards to how soon I can drive.
I only want to pop out locally - 5 to 10 min drives max. Is there really any strong reason for me to wait for the 6 week all clear before getting behind the wheel again?

What have all you other c sectioners done?

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fryalot · 26/09/2007 14:44

I was driving again by the time ds was 3 weeks old. Just very short journeys.

The worst thing was that the seatbelt sits right on your wound and it is very uncomfortable, also, if you did have to do an emergency stop the belt would probably open up the wound... not nice

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geordiemacminx · 26/09/2007 14:48

I thought that I wasnt allowed til rive until 6 weeks after - spoke to MWat 3 weeks, she said as long as insurance were ok then she had no problems with me driving at all.

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dal21 · 26/09/2007 14:52

groan - more conflicting advice!

squonk - not nice at all - but surely that would happen even if you were a passenger in the car? Even as a passenger right now, I have a towel between myself and the belt.

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curlywurlycremeegg · 26/09/2007 14:54

Tyhe only real issue is with your insurance company, have you checked with them? Some will not cover you for so many weeks after an operation. The benchmark is do you feel you could do an emergency stop without thinking? If not and you are thinking "will this hurt" before you slam you foot on the break then you are not ready HTH

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MrsBoo · 26/09/2007 14:55

I was driving again after about a week, after both emer C/S and elective.
Neither Dr, HV or insurance were at all concerned. Seems to be a bit of an old wives rumour going round to wait for 6 weeks.
i would have gone crazy to have been grounded that long (but then i went back to work after 1 week too)

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fryalot · 26/09/2007 14:55

good point - as I said, I was driving and everything was ok, I'm just thinking of worst case scenario.

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dal21 · 26/09/2007 15:02

MrsBoo - are you superwoman? 3 weeks and I havent even been to the supermarket.
trying to get that part to 6 weeks - LOL!

Sqonk - yup, good point, always good to look at worse case.

My ins company have no restrcitions around how soon i can drive. Good old admiral!

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fryalot · 26/09/2007 15:03

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MrsBoo · 26/09/2007 15:06

No definitely not superwoman - I was partner is a small company at the time - no way i could have taken time off. Brought little DD in with me to the office (1 week old) and managed for about a month before I negociated some part-time hours. Was absolutley knackered for weeks! Can look back now and laugh about it.

Everyone is different I suppose, I had to get active again right away, so long walks, driving, independance, social life etc etc were very important to me.

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geordiemacminx · 26/09/2007 15:09

I had emergency c-sec at 1pm on the Friday - was out o hospital 7pm on the saturday, in Starbucks enjoying mocha and cake on the suhnday...As MrsBoo says its all about what you feel comfortable with.

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Flibbertyjibbet · 26/09/2007 15:21

I felt ok at 5 weeks, checked my insurance, they said I would be covered as long as I had agreement from my gp that I was ok to drive. Which of course for potential liability reasons there is no way they are going to give.
My mums hairdresser had section 3 weeks after me, felt fine after 2.5 weeks, hopped in car, She ruptured her wound and had to have ambulance coming to her bleeding away in her car. You wont' know you are alright to do an emergency stop till you actually have to do one.

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curlywurlycremeegg · 26/09/2007 16:39

The thing is we have no idea how a uterine scar is healing and ultrasound studies are very inconclusive so someone who ruptured at 2.5 weeks could well have ruptured at 6 weeks and it could have been in a car or at home. I think the issue is the danger you may pose to others by your actions, that said if there has been no infection and no history of prolonged healing then the 6 weeks has always been a 'guesstimate" anyway.

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Racers · 26/09/2007 16:50

I went to GP at 4 weeks to get an all clear - he just got me to touch my toes (well, nearly) and inspected the scar and a few things he would do at 6 week check (which I also had, of course) and he was happy for it to go on record that I was ok to drive. Insurance company were happy to take our word for it.
The fact that 4 months later it transpired that they had cancelled our insurance 8 months earlier without telling us (after sending us an insurance certificate) because they hadn't taken the payment for it and we hadn't noticed (it was at time when lots of money was pouring out of our account, just after our wedding) -- is another matter! Clearly they did not write anything on my insurance records to the effect that I was ok to drive post-op.
Sorry for the digression, but it brought it all back

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LieselVentouse · 26/09/2007 17:18

i drove after two weeks but i did phone my doctor first amd he said as long as you think you can do an emergency stop