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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to want to drive post C-sec

41 replies

ssmile · 07/09/2011 03:19

Hi had my 2nd C-sec nearly 2wks ago feeling fit. Phoned insurance company to find out when I could drive they said "when I was medically fit" I asked for clarification does it need to be in writing from Dr? "no they said just medically fit, but if I had an accident they would check". What do I do? I need to drive by a wk thurs as DD starts school and that's the first day I have no help lined up so I will be 20d post c-sec then I think I will be fine. When did you drive post section?

OP posts:

BettyBloomfield · 07/09/2011 08:15

It does seem that there are two camps - those that support the follow a 6 week rule (and feel the rest of us are pretending to be heroes or risking injury) and those who have done it.

I did it because like many other posters I had no support and two other DC and most importantly FELT FINE.

I do however feel that women need support and help and that the 6 wk rule is useful to encourage others to get help but not to make life more difficult for women.

I'm not suggesting everyone should drive before 6 weeks but some women might be ready at 4 weeks and some at 7 weeks.

Nothing magical happens at 6 weeks and 0 days.

parentfailure · 07/09/2011 08:23

Nothing magical happens at 6 weeks and 0 days.

Actually, Betty, I think that this is the most important sentence on this thread.

Anyone who drives before 6 weeks is not a hero or super human (or stupid!)
Equally, there will be ladies who need more time to feel confident to drive. They are not failures.

Excellent point, Betty.

CustardCake · 07/09/2011 08:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

chipmonkey · 07/09/2011 08:35

I think so long as you OK with the insurance company, it doesn't matter when. I felt fine after 3 weeks with my other CS's but am 3 weeks now after having dd and still don't feel ready. Not sure if it's because this time I also had a hysterectomy and the CS was done in a mad hurry!

ivykaty44 · 07/09/2011 08:47

Op if your not well enough for the walk - then you are not well enough to drive.

meditrina · 07/09/2011 08:56

I think, cynically, that you now have to take a conservative line on this. You have done the right thing in contacting the insurance company and finding out their post-operative T&Cs. Remember - they will have made a note of your call, so know the date of your operation, and their "medically fit" proviso.

This means they are ready to be far more flexible than using the "six week rule", but if you have an accident in the next few weeks, when they look at your record, they will see this enquiry and your medical fitness WILL be queried.

In your circumstances, you need either a doctor's letter or an explicit reference on your permanent notes on which you can later rely. This is advisable for anyone, after any surgery, but I think vital in your case.

catsareevil · 07/09/2011 08:57

There is no 6 week rule. You have a responsibility to only drive if you are medically well enough. If not then insurance may refuse to pay out on a claim. You dont specifically need permission from a GP or midwife, but if you had that it might help you if there was an accident and it was raised as an issue.

TattyDevine · 07/09/2011 09:02

I drove on day 6 after.

Had the okay of my insurance company, the rest was up to me.

Fuzzled · 07/09/2011 09:25

I got home after my CS and promptly cleaned and mopped the kitchen an I did it quietly so DH & DF wouldn't notice

Didn't drive until 6 weeks (though I felt fi e at about 3-4) but was a bit as I was whipped back into hospital a week after CS with suspected blood clots. I blame the cleaning!

venusandmars · 07/09/2011 09:51

I'm a bit confused - should you be driving when you FEEL fit, or when your doc says that your tissues have healed enough for it to be medically safe for you to take the risk? You might feel OK, but in normal day-to-day activities you are not putting the same starin on your wound as you would if you had to do an emergency stop.

Also, all the people who have posted so far are saying 'I drove, and I felt fine'. There is no-one who is saying 'I drove, I had to do an emergency stop at 40mph, and everything was fine'. There's a big difference between the two.

mosschops30 · 07/09/2011 09:57

Whar risk? Seriously? For those of you that dont know what happened to me, you could end up with your insides on your lap, and i spent most of the week after my cs in bed before that happened.

Youve just had major surgery, give yourself some time to recover.

And for those saying 'oh i drove a tractor and paved my patio 3 days post cs' well fucking good for you, but dont be so irresponsible as to encourage others to ignore medical advice.

MN is a crazy place, if you wanted to stop ADs then they would be screaming for you to go to the GP, but hey anything goes after major surgery just crack on

Cheeseandharps · 07/09/2011 10:17

Mosschops :( you poor thing (huge understatement). I'm going to add my two penn'orth - DH works in automotive research and has explained very clearly why anyone having had a CS/abdo surgery shouldn't drive - in an accident, it is quite possible that outer and inner scars will rupture or tear. The last time I had abdominal surgery, the gynaecologist said the same thing.

etyksm · 07/09/2011 12:22

My insurance said I could drive when my midwife said I could. I drove 2-3 weeks after - to get to a midwife appointment! She said at the previous appointment, I would be fine by then. I Just got her to add it to my notes so it was documented.

Original poster

ssmile · 07/09/2011 12:35

I've booked an appt with my GP now when I will be 3wks post c-sec so I have his professional opinion, and I will take it from there. Thanks for the cross section of views, I will set up a taxi as back up for school run incase I not ready to drive then.its not cheap but my health is more important.

OP posts:

eurochick · 07/09/2011 12:55

ILT, if the insurance is invalidated for a cs or any other reason, the same would apply as if you are hit by an uninsured driver - the fund to which we all contribute through our car insurance to cover people hit by uninsured drivers would step in.

icooksocks · 07/09/2011 13:16

I drove 2 days after having my appendix out (I had open surgery too-not keyhole) which isnt quite as drastic as c-sec but still advice is not to drive for up to 6 weeks. I felt fine, could do an emergency stop etc.
You probably should see you GP though-I didnt which was pretty stupid of me, but then I would have had to have driven to the docs in the first place (I lived very rurally at the time)

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